Sapi Island
Sapi Island is the largest of the 3 smaller islands in TAR Marine Park and probably the second most popular with visitors after Manukan Island.
How is the Beach?
Sapi Island offers two short-stretching white sandy beaches ideal for beach walks and exploring.
The first beach is in view of Gaya Island, while the second beach offers rocky outcrops beneath the water which makes this area excellent for snorkeling.
How is the Snorkeling and Scuba Diving?
Although the shallowest of coral reefs here have been impacted by tourists, the fish life is still prevalent thanks to the submerged rocky areas offering protection to a host of colourful marine species. Sapi Island is also great for scuba diving as the deeper coral areas offer great underwater scenes and a variety of fish to see.
Sapi Island features several restaurants and tour operators who can provide water sport activities.
Is there Wildlife on Sapi island?
Above the water, there's some wildlife life to see on the small number of trail paths through the jungle. Birds, monitor lizards, insects and Macaques that have come across from Gaya Island might be encountered. Macaques are interesting and highly intelligent creatures that make their way across the shallow sandbank between the two islands at low tide and can sometimes be seen diving for crabs in the shallows.
Note: Don't miss the must see islands of Sipadan and Mabul (Tawau airport).
More about Sapi Island
Sapi is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park's crowd-pleaser — the largest of the park's three smaller islands and, after Manukan, its most popular stop, for reasons visible from the boat: two short stretches of genuinely white sand, water in swimming-pool colours, and a fringing reef that makes first-time snorkellers feel like naturals.
The day-trip formula is simple and works: boats from Jesselton Point in Kota Kinabalu take about twenty minutes; the beaches handle swimming and lazing; the marked trails handle a stroll into the island's green interior (monitor lizards strut around like they hold the concession); and the snorkelling directly off the beach is easy, shallow and fish-rich — ideal for children and non-divers getting their first mask-time before the serious Semporna leg of a trip.
Sapi is also one anchor of the Coral Flyer zipline — the 250-metre line from neighbouring Gaya lands on Sapi's beach, which explains the periodic delighted screaming overhead and gives non-swimmers their own headline.
Honest expectations: weekends and cruise-ship days get busy, and the barbecue-lunch crowds concentrate around midday — go early on a weekday and you'll have the postcard version. Facilities (toilets, showers, snacks) are decent; pack out what you bring in.
Building a KK day around Sapi before or after your diving? Contact us — it slots perfectly into the no-fly day at the end of a dive trip.