Kapalai Photo & Video Gallery
Kapalai reef is famous for its amazing macro marine life and these underwater pictures from its dive sites show why: a unique cast of rare species living on the sandbank beneath the luxury stilt resort, set above the turquoise Celebes Sea. Guests staying at Kapalai have this relaxed snorkelling heaven at their doorstep; divers based at Kapalai or on Mabul get easy, superb macro and muck dives with frequent turtle encounters along the way.
Snorkelers can experience sea turtles cruising along the shallows. You can dive here all year. Visibility is at its best from March to October, and the wider window from mid-February to mid-November is good diving with slightly softer visibility at either end. From mid-November to mid-February the weather is a mix of cloud, rain and sun, and Sipadan is closed for the whole of November.
Photographers who work these sites point to the favourable natural light in the 3–8 metre band: bright, colourful scenes that flatter every camera. The house reef holds tiny rare nudibranchs, ghost pipefish and the famous flamboyant cuttlefish: perfect close-up subjects. Diving runs all year round. The clearest water comes between March and October; mid-February to mid-November is still good diving, with visibility a little softer at each end of that window. Mid-November to mid-February brings a mix of cloud, rain and sunshine. Sipadan itself is closed throughout November. And if you're staying on Mabul, diving Kapalai is a must: its muck variety differs from Mabul's own and it combines beautifully with morning Sipadan trips where the pelagics own the bill.
Book your diving at Kapalai today (online discounts). The gallery below sets the scene.
Book your dive trip to Kapalai
