Sipadan Island

Site Category : Marine Park The tourist destination described today,Sipadan island, is situated off the east coast of Sabah. Visitors will first travel to Tawau either by land or by air then to Semporna, a fishing town by land. From Semporna you will take a 2-hours boat ride to Sipadan. The official name is Sipadan Park while the private tour operators will call this the Sipadan Resort. Don't worry they are one and the same thing. The government refers to all things found there,the water,the whole island,the plants and the animals. But the tour operators only refer to their own properties located on the island. Sipadan Island is another World Heritage Site,and it is the only oceanic one in Malaysia. It is also the world's renowned diving spot. There were many chalets owned by private tour operators on this island originally,but under pressure from environmentalists,they are relocated at Mabul Island which is 20-minutes boat ride away. And the number of divers allowed to go for the dive per day are also limited to preserve the environment. In the past there were no such restrictions. The coral reefs are beautiful,abundance of marine life. Not far from the shore,just about 6 feet deep water,the seabed suddenly drop off which plunges a sheer 2,000ft to the bottom of the sea. It is named simply "The Dropoff",and is among one of the world's top 5 wall dives. Other famous sites like Barracuda Point, White Tip Avenue, Turtle Patch and Hanging gardens ring the island. The sea creatures inhabiting Sipadan's waters seem t now that they are safe here,and that divers pose no threat to them. You can have eye to eye encounters with the giant Green Sea Turtles, or swim placidly through silver shoals of thousands of Jack and Barracudas. You can see dozen f turtles on a single dive. Sipadan is photographer's and videographer's paradise. Tour Operators :

• Nature Heritage Travel & Tours
• Tanjung Aru Tours & Travel
• Inno Travel & Tour Services
• Scuba Paradise
• Seaventures Dive Resort
• Sabah Divers