All Sipadan dive sites
The full index with depths and conditions.
Site indexThree metres of reef flat, then nothing. The wall at Drop Off goes vertical within a fin kick of the shallows, and it is the clearest demonstration anywhere of what Sipadan actually is.
Drop Off sits directly in front of the old jetty on the eastern side of the island, where the resorts stood before the 2005 relocation. It is the most-dived site at Sipadan and the one almost every permit day includes, usually as the first dive of the morning.
The defining feature is proximity. At most wall destinations you swim out over a slope before the drop begins. Here the reef flat sits at three to five metres and ends abruptly — you can stand in the shallows, take four kicks, and be over 600 metres of water. Divers who have read about the seamount understand it here rather than on paper.
The dive typically works the wall between 15 and 30 metres, drifting gently south, then finishes long and shallow on the reef flat. Run times of 55 minutes and beyond are normal because the ending is so shallow. Current is usually mild, which is why guides choose it when the exposed corners are running hard.
Turtles, in volume. Green and hawksbill turtles are dense here, resting on ledges along the wall and feeding on the reef flat. Twenty or more sightings on a single dive is unremarkable. This is the site that produces the photographs people show at home. The full species picture is in the marine life guide.
Whitetip reef sharks on the sand patches and ledges, usually resting rather than moving.
Bumphead parrotfish on the shallow reef at first light, in groups, audibly crunching coral. The early dive slot exists for this.
Wall life. Gorgonians, sea fans, sponges and dense reef fish along the vertical face. Nudibranchs, leaf scorpionfish and pipefish for divers who slow down.
The blue. Jacks, barracuda and the occasional shark pass off the wall. Less reliable than Barracuda Point but the wall face itself is better here.
Advanced Open Water is required, as everywhere at Sipadan, but Drop Off asks less of you than the corners do. Current is generally manageable, entries are straightforward, and the long shallow finish is forgiving on gas.
That makes it the site guides use for the first dive of a permit day, for divers newly certified, and whenever conditions rule out the exposed sites. If you dive Sipadan once, you will almost certainly dive here.
One genuine hazard. The wall gives no depth reference. With clear water and nothing beneath you, divers descend further than intended without noticing — this is the site where computers most often log an unplanned 35 metres. Watch your gauge rather than the view, particularly on the first dive of the trip.
Photographers get the best wide-angle opportunity on the island here: the wall face, turtles at close range and good light in the shallows. Camera settings are easier than at the current sites because you are not fighting water.
Ask for the long shallow finish. The reef flat at three to eight metres holds turtles, bumpheads and excellent light, and it costs almost no gas. Divers who surface at 45 minutes leave the best part of the dive behind.
The wall descends beyond 600 metres. Recreational diving runs 3 to 40 metres, with most of the dive between 15 and 30.
It is the gentlest of Sipadan's main sites — mild current, easy entries and a shallow finish. Advanced Open Water is still required, as everywhere at Sipadan.
Green and hawksbill turtles in high density, whitetip reef sharks resting on ledges, bumphead parrotfish at first light, and dense wall life including gorgonians and sea fans.
The reef flat ends at three to five metres and the wall goes vertical immediately, with no intervening slope. You can be over 600 metres of water within a few fin kicks of standing depth.
Usually mild, which is why guides select it when the exposed corners are running hard. It can pick up on a strong tide.
Almost certainly. It is the most-dived site at Sipadan and features on nearly every permit day, typically as the first dive.
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