East Sabah Sipadan Island

Located on the east coast of Sabah, Sipadan Island is a small 12-hectare land mass is only 600 meters from the seabed. Part of Tun Sakaran Marine Park, Sipadan Island famous around the world diving community as one of the best dive destinations in the world. It is also one of the most exclusive as only 140 people allowed to visit the island daily, with each visitor check in the National Park dock on arrival at Sipadan Island.

Only a fraction of Sipadan Island is open to visitors and there are only basic facilities, including a small oasis house and restrooms. Sipadan Island is home to a wide variety of birds and it is common for visitors to at least one bird or two while on the island instead.  

The island used to provide accommodation, but conservation efforts in recent years led to a decision to close and remove all the accommodations on the island in 2004 to the island to preserve the ecosystem. Accommodation can be found in the nearby Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort just off the coast Kapalai Island, Mabul Island or on the coast of Semporna in Sabah.Formed by a coral reef on top of an extinct volcanic cone, the island and the water that surrounds offer divers an incredibly rich experience, to snorkel among the outlying reefs, wall dives along the cone of the submarine volcano.  

The abundance of marine life apparently appeared in the waters of Sipadan is simply amazing. Turtles, sharks and barracuda are just some of the inhabitants of this underwater paradise. There are as many as twelve famous dive sites around the island, including Barracuda Point, and Turtle Cave, each with a unique look at the mysteries of the sea.