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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Sipadan location page.
Overview
Sipadan's house reef: the crest sits in 3-5m of water before the wall falls vertically toward 600m down the flank of the drowned volcano that Jacques Cousteau's 1989 film 'Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle' put on the map. Green turtles are the constant here - they graze the wall and rest on ledges in the shallows, often a dozen in sight at once - joined by hawksbill turtles, whitetip reef sharks, and passing schools of bigeye trevally and bumphead parrotfish. The shallow shelf makes it the island's gentlest entry, but the drop is sheer and current can build along the lip.
Briefing note
A daily Sabah Parks permit is required - only 176 are issued per day across all operators, so book a multi-day package months ahead. No overnight stays on the island; touching or feeding marine life is prohibited inside the marine park.
What you'll see
5 species curated- year-roundGreen sea turtlePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundHawksbill turtlePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundWhitetip reef sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundBigeye trevallyPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundBumphead parrotfishPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Feb | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 18–28 m | mild |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| May | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Jul | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Aug | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| Nov | 28–29 °C | 18–28 m | mild |
| Dec | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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