Category Archives: Malaysian Borneo

Sipadan Borneo diving – best in the world?

Sipadan was the best SCUBA diving I’ve ever done. It’s often rated by many as one of the top dive destinations in the world. The whole Semporna Archipelago was amazing! Let’s go Sipadan Borneo diving right now – I want to go back!

Jacques Cousteau referred to Sipadan as ‘an untouched piece of art’. He said the crown jewel of the diving is Sipadan. I agree!

Lucky for you, I rented an underwater camera to capture some of the experience. This included lots of sharks!

Sipadan Borneo Diving Underwater photography

Underwater photography is challenging as a new diver. I was still learning how to dive (buoyancy, breathing, equalizing, etc) at the time. Then I added underwater photography to the mix, so there’s much improvement to be made in future dives. These Sipadan Borneo diving photos should give you a feel for the experience.

Green Sea Turtle while on a Sipadan Borneo diving trip
Green Sea Turtle
Whitetip Reef Sharks while diving in Sipadan Borneo in the Semporna Archipelago
I saw plenty of these Whitetip Reef Sharks in Sipadan

 

About Sipadan:

Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia. It’s 600 metres (2,000 ft) above the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, East Malaysia on the island of Borneo.

Sipadan was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. It’s located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. Wikipedia.

Getting to Sipadan

To get there from KL, fly to Tawau, on Malaysian Borneo. Then take a road trip to a sleepy fishing town called Semporna. Next, take a boat out to Mabul island. Mabul will be your SCUBA home base for Sipadan Borneo diving. Some areas in Borneo take a long time and effort to get to, but this is worth it.

Around Sipadan Island

Sipadan might have the diving in the world, but that’s not all. It is beautiful around Sipandan island too! Look how beautiful that water is!

Around Sipadan Island - beautiful water color

Around Sipadan Island in Borneo - beautiful water color!

I’ve posted more of my dive photos of white tipped reef sharks here. In addition, check out the photos of sea turtles, as well underwater photography of Yellowtail Barracudas, Harlequinn Sweetlips, Sea Turtles, and more.

Finally, for the largest shark I’ve ever seen, a whale shark, check out this post.

Adventures in Borneo

My next destination after KL was Borneo, an amazing playground with wildlife, natural wonders, and adventure.

Trivia: Borneo’s the third largest island in the world. Can you name the 1st two?

Borneo actually includes three countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia.  The vast majority of Borneo (73%) is Indonesian territory (Kalimantan). The area that interested me most is Malaysian Borneo – the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah.  Also, the sovereign state of Brunei, located on the north coast, comprises about 1% of Borneo’s land area.  [Wikipedia]

Map of Borneo island Map with Borneo