1 caves · down to 30 m
Cave diving in Sipadan
- Caves1
- Max depth30 m
- Dive centres1
Diving and fills
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Why come here
Sipadan is one of the world's best-known dive islands, for its sheer walls and big schools of fish, and it has one dive that draws cave divers: Turtle Cavern and the passages of Turtle Tomb, right next to the jetty, with the skeletons of sea turtles on a floor of white sand. According to the sources you go inside only with a cave certification and a guide who knows the cave. You dive Sipadan only with a Sabah Parks permit through a resort on Mabul, Kapalai or in Semporna, with a fixed number of permits a day; plan for two dives on your Sipadan day and for a closure in November.
Don't miss
- Turtle Cavern & Turtle Tomb (Sipadan): a bell-shaped tunnel into a maze of chambers and passages, with the skeletons of green sea turtles on the floor and in one corner the skeleton of a dolphin.
On a rest day
- Mabul: The island ~15 km north of Sipadan, with the villages of Kampung Mabul and Kampung Musu, home to Bajau Laut and Suluk people.
- Tun Sakaran Marine Park: Sabah Parks' marine park off Semporna, with islands such as Boheydulang and the sand cays of Sibuan and Mantabuan.
- Semporna: The harbour town on the coast, gateway to the islands and home to the Bajau Laut, one of the few peoples who still live on boats.
All 1 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Cavern & Turtle Tomb (Sipadan)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Full cave | 30 m | Backmount | Full cave |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Dive centres and fill stations
1 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Seaventures Dive Rig (Mabul)
Dive rig off Mabul (office: Wisma Sabah, Suite 305, Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen, Kota Kinabalu)
Training: Cavern · PADI
Guided dives: Turtle Cavern & Turtle Tomb (Sipadan)
Dive resort on a converted oil rig off Mabul, with a Sipadan permit per stay. By its own 2015 posts it ran the PADI Cavern Diver course (four dives over two days) with dives in Sipadan's cave; ask whether that is still offered.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Mabul and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Mabul, Semporna
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- MabulBooking.com ↗
- SempornaBooking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 999. Navy chamber in Labuan (Recompression Chamber, Pejabat Selam, Markas Wilayah Laut Dua): 087 412 122 (according to starfish.ch, undated); have your resort or DAN (+61 8 8212 9242) check where you can go now.
Access and rules
- Permit: diving at Sipadan is only possible with a Sabah Parks permit, which goes by rotation to licensed resorts and dive centres; independent diving is not allowed. Plan with the strictest figures: 176 permits a day (southeastasiadiving.com, 2026; Wikipedia: 178 since 2019; other sources 237–257) and two dives a day (Sabah Parks rule since 2022, still given in January and May 2026; one source says three are allowed again since May 2026). Also: Advanced Open Water at least, 40 m maximum, at most five divers per guide. Resorts often tie a Sipadan day to a stay of a few nights.
Closed or restricted
- Closure: in November 2023 Sipadan closed for a month to recover (NST); according to amazingborneo.com (updated January 2026) the island closes every year from 1 to 30 November. Assume you cannot dive Sipadan in November and ask your resort.
Fees and opening hours
- Costs: permit RM 350 a day for foreigners (RM 250 for Malaysians) plus a conservation fee of RM 100 (RM 50), since January 2023; usually included in the resort's package.
Gas and fills
- Gas: not checked; ask your resort which gases it fills.
Getting around
- Travel: fly from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau, then 40–60 minutes by taxi to Semporna and by boat to Mabul or Sipadan. You cannot stay overnight on Sipadan itself.
Good to know
- Read this first: Sipadan is an island for wall dives and big schools of fish, with one famous overhead dive: Turtle Cavern and the passages of Turtle Tomb, next to the jetty. According to the sources only for divers with a cave certification and with a guide; most divers stay on the wall.
News
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