Diving Health & Safety
Please read our 'Customer Guide to a Safe Sipadan Diving Holiday'.
Emergency Contact Numbers
DAN Emergency Hotline: 0061882129242
DAN Malaysia Emergency: 059304114
DAN Singapore Naval Base/ Hyperbaric Chamber: 0067581773
TravelAssist (outside US): 2152452461
DCI/DCS Concerns:
Semporna Navy Base – Decompression Chamber: 089785101
Labuan Chamber: 0124010598
KK Chamber: 088251326
Semporna Hospital: 089781695
Clinic Syed: 089781811
Dive Physician (Labuan): 0124010598
Missing / lost at sea emergency:
Marine Police Semporna: 089782020 Ext 2914
Marine Police Sandakan: 089226395
Semporna Police: 089781222
Customer guide to a safe diving holiday
Please arrange for your personal diving and health insurance prior to your arrival.
Listen carefully to all dive briefings to ensure that you have a safe dive holiday.
Providing that you dive within the limits it is extremely unlikely that you will need any treatment for decompression injuries.
You are responsible for your own health so do not dive under the effects of alcohol, tiredness, drugs, illness, dehydration and some prescription medicines.
If you have any doubts or questions about your fitness to dive then discuss these with the staff at the Mabul dive center.
Every diving professional will have first aid training and all boats and equipment will be regularly inspected and serviced.
PADI is the largest diver training organisation in the world and all of its professional members work within rigidly defined safety standards.
Hospitals in the cities are of international standards.
There is an Hyperbaric chamber at the Naval base between Semporna and Tawau.
Contact DAN (Divers Alert Network): +61-8-8212 9242
Diving here is as safe as the diver and the operator make it — and our job includes both halves. Start with our Customer Guide to a Safe Sipadan Diving Holiday, and keep the essentials below where you can find them.
Emergency contacts (save these before you travel):
- DAN Emergency Hotline: 0061 8 8212 9242
- DAN Malaysia Emergency: 05 930 4114
The rules that actually prevent problems: dive insurance is not optional — carry DAN or equivalent coverage and know your policy's evacuation terms. Respect the no-fly interval after diving (a great excuse for a Kinabalu or Sepilok day at the end of the trip). Stay hydrated in this climate like it's part of the dive plan, because it is. Dive your certification and your comfort, not your ego — the sites here reward calm divers and punish nobody who says "not today." And tell your dive centre about medical conditions honestly; the forms exist to protect you, not to exclude you.
On the water: every reputable operator here runs oxygen kits and trained staff; if yours seems casual about safety briefings, that's information — act on it. The nearest hyperbaric facilities are regional, which is exactly why prevention and insurance carry the weight.
Questions about medical fitness, conditions, or insurance for your trip? Ask us before you book — it's a conversation we have weekly and handle discreetly.