"I have seen many places like Sipadan ...45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art."
Few places on earth trigger the imagination quite as much as Sipadan island in Malaysia. Ever since Jacques Cousteau wrote about Sipadan, it has become somewhat of a Mecca to those interested in scuba diving. Today, Sipadan is regularly voted one of the worlds best dive sites, and is consistently near the top of every scuba divers wish list.
Such is the interest in diving in Sipadan, the state government has taken the unusual step of removing all dive operators from the island, and as of the 1st January 2005, diving around Sipadan Island will be done from day boats from the nearby resorts of Kapalai and Mabul. The island of Sipadan is located off the south east coast of Sabah, and the majority of people who come here to dive will do so via a flight into the airport at Kota Kinabalu, then travelling overland to Semporno, the jump off point for the islands of Kapalai and Mabul.
The island of Sipadan is in fact a very small coral atoll, and is in fact the only island in Malaysia which is not connected to the continental shelf. Instead, Sipadan rises over 2,000 metres from the sea bed with the island itself at the summit. From the surface, these steep walls plunge into the depths, and are literally filled with a multitude of varieties of marine life. From swimming amongst the many varieties of tropical fish, down to the depths where the chances of spotting some of the bigger pelagics, which inhabit the area, are exceptionally good. All the way down these walls are filled marine life, which inhabit the many ledges, caves and overhangs that can be found here. Large schools of trevally and snapper, as well as huge shoals of barracuda are often seen around Sipadan, however it is the large number of both Green and Hawksbill turtles for which Sipadan is most well known.
One of the most unique things about Sipadan is that makes it almost unique as a dive location is the sheer number of dive sites in such a small area, as Sipadan island only takes thirty minutes to walk around. All around the island are dive sites of the highest standard, offering a number of different opportunities and types of marine life.
Arguably the most famous dive site on Sipadan is the Drop Off, where having ventured only 25 meters from the shore, the sea bed drops away to a depth of over 600 metres. The brilliant blue of the surface water slowly gives way as you lower yourself down into the depths. Here you are likely to encounter shoals of literally hundreds of Jacks as well as a large number of sharks and turtles.
Another of the 'must do' dives at Sipadan is the legendary Barracuda Point, which starts off as a sheer wall, but which slowly becomes a shallow ledge at around 20 metres. Here large numbers of batfish, jacks and barracuda will all be found in large numbers. Overall, there are a great number of diving opportunities around Sipadan Island, and nearly all of the dives sites will be worth visiting more than once.
Being along the equator, Sipadan has an exceptionally warm climate, and the temperature will vary between 27-33 degrees centigrade most days. The rainy season here tends to fall between the months of December to January.
Sipadan thoroughly deserves its status as one of the worlds greatest dive locations, and the unbelievable amounts of marine life which inhabit the area are pretty much unparalleled. The unique steps taken by the state government may seem somewhat extreme however if it preserves the state of Sipadan as one of the worlds best dive locations, then it is a sacrifice worth making.
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