Scuba divers are always discussing which is the world’s number one dive site and it is true that there are many, many top contenders. Sipadan rates highly on many people’s list and on 16 September 2016, Scuba Travel voted Barracuda Point on the island of Sipadan as the number one dive site in the world. It was also voted number one by the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the naval officer, explorer, conservationist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of marine line.
In his film Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle (1989, Jacques Cousteau said: "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art”
But why?
In his film Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle (1989, Jacques Cousteau said: "I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art”
But why?
Pulau Sipadan rises 600 metres (2,000 ft) straight up from the seabed and was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone which took thousands of years to develop. It’s at the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world and situated in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Borneo, Malaysia.
In 2009 it was declared a National Park and only a certain number of dive permits are granted each day – no permit – no dive! So if you wish to dive Sipadan, you need to find a dive company who have permits to dive here and book yourself a place. We chose Scuba Junkie on the island of Mabul, who are not only an exceptional dive school with an amazing resort but also have permits to dive Sipadan.
In 2009 it was declared a National Park and only a certain number of dive permits are granted each day – no permit – no dive! So if you wish to dive Sipadan, you need to find a dive company who have permits to dive here and book yourself a place. We chose Scuba Junkie on the island of Mabul, who are not only an exceptional dive school with an amazing resort but also have permits to dive Sipadan.
When sorting through the plethora of stunning photos we have taken in order to choose some for this pictorial blog, I seriously had enough for a few posts… I could easily have created a blog for schools of fish, another for stunning scenery, a third for small fish on so on… there is just so much beauty around the island’s coral reefs and walls. If you have ever looked at an aquarium and wondered what it would be like to stick your head in but thought it would be socially unacceptable, just go diving in Sipadan and you will get the same effect – only on a much, MUCH larger scale!
What you can see on an average day are a profusion of turtles, schools of jacks, bigeye trevally, bumphead parrot fish, sharks and of course barracuda, plus stunning coral formations teeming with literally thousands of fish – it is truly stunning.
So, without further ado, I have pleasure in showing you a small sample of some of the amazing dives we have had in Pulau Sipadan.
What you can see on an average day are a profusion of turtles, schools of jacks, bigeye trevally, bumphead parrot fish, sharks and of course barracuda, plus stunning coral formations teeming with literally thousands of fish – it is truly stunning.
So, without further ado, I have pleasure in showing you a small sample of some of the amazing dives we have had in Pulau Sipadan.
The dive sites around Pulau Sipadan - map credited to www.sipadan.com
Tomato Clownfish
Clown Trigger Fish
Lobster
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Broadclub cuttlefish
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White Tip Reef Shark
Rainbow Parrot fish
The drop off around Sipadan is 600 meters straight down!
The entrance to Turtle cave
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View leaving Turtle cave
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Longfin Bannerfish
Batfish out in the blue
Surface interval in between dives on Sipadan island
Red Toothed Trigger Fish
This Giant Clam was about 1 metre long!
Humphead Wrasse
This next section is dedicated to the many schools of fish you find in Sipadan. Notice I have said "schools" and not "shoals", let me explain the difference between the two! They are both large quantities of fish that swim grouped together, but a school of fish means they all move in unison and swim in the same direction in a co-ordinated manner. Do you remember the scene in "Finding Nemo" where Nemo's Dad asks a School of Jackfish for directions and they all form a big arrow? Well the next few photos are those very fish!
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Bumphead Parrotfish
You'll notice the very odd mouths these guys have - strange fish indeed
It's Turtle Time!
In our pictorial blog Diving in Borneo - Always Awesome, many of you said that you could never get fed up of seeing Turtles, so this next section is dedicated to some of the turtles we saw! Hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed diving with them!
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Have you heard of Sipadan? Have you been? Have you been inspired to visit after seeing these photos? Share your thoughts with us below, we would love to hear them!
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This post is part of a link-up in #WanderfulWednesday, #FollowMeFriday, #TheWeeklyPostcard & #WeekendWanderlust. Feel free to click on the pictures below to read other fabulous travel blogs - perfect for more inspiration!
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