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.


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!
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.
The east cost of Western Malaysia is also great for diving. I was in Redang Island last May: unbelievable beautiful!
I wish I would have made it – I heard it was wonderful. And the food in that area also got rave reviews!