Package rates
How many permit days each package length carries.
See ratesSipadan's dive sites are stretches of the same encircling reef, and which ones you dive is decided on the morning by tide and swell. Knowing what each one offers tells you what to hope for — and why a second permit day changes the trip.
You do not pick your dive sites at Sipadan. Guides read the tide, current and surface conditions on the morning and choose accordingly, which is why divers who arrive set on Barracuda Point sometimes leave without diving it.
On a standard permit day you will dive two or three sites, usually along the same section of wall. Boats work the sheltered side when current is running hard and the exposed corners when it is not. Conditions change within hours, so the plan at 06:00 is not always the plan at 09:00.
The practical consequence is straightforward: one permit day is a sample of the island. Two permit days on a 6D5N package usually means different sites on different tides, which is the difference between having dived Sipadan and having seen it.
The one everyone comes for. A current-swept corner where chevron barracuda school in a slow vertical spiral, with grey reef sharks and jacks working the same water. The least predictable conditions on the island and the most rewarding when they line up.
Straight off the old jetty. The reef flat ends and the wall goes vertical within a fin kick — the single clearest demonstration of what Sipadan actually is. Heavy turtle traffic and usually the gentlest conditions.
A limestone cave system inside the wall holding the skeletal remains of turtles that entered and never found the exit. Penetration needs cave certification and a guide; most divers view the entrance from outside.
The pelagic gamble. Hammerheads and the occasional whale shark pass in the blue here, usually early and usually deep. Exposed, frequently strong current, dived less often than the north side.
Soft coral growing downward from the underside of overhangs along the southern wall. A slow, deep drift and the most photogenic coral at Sipadan.
These sites see less attention in marketing and more in practice — several are the reliable choices when current shuts the exposed corners.
Shallow, sheltered hard coral on the west side. The dependable option in strong current, and where check dives and snorkellers usually go. Better coral cover than the deeper sites.
Sand channels between coral heads where whitetip reef sharks rest through the middle of the day. Calm, easy, and the most dependable shark encounter on the island — you will see them, which is not true of the hammerheads.
A staghorn coral shelf on the north-east corner dropping onto the wall. Turtles feed here in numbers and jacks school over the crest on an incoming tide.
A long stretch of the western wall, usually dived as a drift into Turtle Patch. Steady conditions and good visibility even when the north side is stirred up.
Continues from Mid Reef. Named accurately — turtle density here is high even by Sipadan standards, and the shallow finish makes it a good second or third dive.
Overhangs and crevices holding painted and slipper lobsters. Dived less often than the headline sites and the better choice if you want to work slowly with a camera.
Two less-visited stretches worked when conditions favour them. Fewer divers, and on the right tide the same schooling fish that draw crowds to Barracuda Point.
Coral Garden, White Tip Avenue, Drop Off and Turtle Patch. Manageable current, shallow finishes, and everything Sipadan is famous for except the tornadoes. Guides will place you here first regardless of what you ask for, and they are right to.
Barracuda Point and South Point. Both need competent drift technique, an SMB you can deploy from depth, and gas management that accounts for working against water. This is where the trip's best dives happen.
Hanging Gardens for wide angle, Lobster Lair and Coral Garden for slower work. Sipadan is a wide-angle destination overall — the serious macro is on Mabul's house reef, which is included in every package and worth as much camera time as the island. See Mabul island diving.
South Point early, then Barracuda Point. Neither guarantees anything. Two permit days roughly doubles your chances, which is the honest argument for the longer package.
What no site guarantees. Hammerheads, whale sharks and manta rays are opportunistic at Sipadan in any month, at any site. Anyone promising them is selling. Turtles, reef sharks and schooling fish, on the other hand, are close to certain.
Twelve named sites around a single small island, all stretches of the same encircling wall. Most are within a twenty-minute boat ride of each other.
Barracuda Point, when conditions cooperate — the barracuda tornado is what the island is known for. Drop Off is the most reliable and the best demonstration of the wall itself.
No. Guides select sites on the morning based on tide, current and swell. Requests are noted but conditions decide.
The wall drops beyond 600 metres, but recreational diving runs 3 to 40 metres. Most dives sit between 15 and 30.
Two or three, usually along the same section of wall, plus a dive back at Mabul on the return. What lives at each is covered in the marine life guide.
Barracuda Point and South Point. Both need confident drift technique and an SMB. Coral Garden and White Tip Avenue are the calm alternatives.
Send your dates and we will check what our operating partner can hold — including whether a second Sipadan day is available for your week.
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