Scuba Junkie

Scuba Junkie operates the Mabul Beach Resort as a PADI 5* dive resort on Mabul island and a popular dive training center in the Semporna. Daily schedules typically include 3 guided boat dives, with Sipadan access subject to park permit allocations (contact us as you will need to book your permit in advance) and sea and weather conditions. If you didn't get a Sipadan permit for the day, dive trips are conducted around around Mabul island and also at Kapalai, where calm sandy bottoms and gentle slops allow for reliable underwater visibility for both divers looking for macro life offer and non-divers looking for sea turtles and reef fishes.

En-suite rooms.

Accommodation options generally range from budget rooms to midrange private chalets along with dining space and communal spaces for dive briefings. The dive center's facilities includes a rinsing station, gear storage and a classroom for learning the theory during PADI courses (OW, AOW, Rescue, EFR and Divemaster levels). Rental of well maintained diving equipment is available and you are advised to choose it and try it during just after you check-in to ensure proper sizing and comfort.

Mabul Dive Center

Dive classes, training and your divemaster briefings emphasize careful buoyancy, conservation and clear procedures for drift entries common around Mabul's slopes and Kapalai's sandbank. Around Maubl island, groups are matched by diving level and experience while AT Sipadan, all divers must have at least the AOW Diver level. Snorkel trips include rental of masks, fins and snorkels along with life jackets. Snorkeling guides provide guidance for observation of turtles, reef fish and coral gardens without disturbing marine life (not touch policy).

Bringing reef-safe sunscreen is encouraged to support local conservation efforts around sensitive rehabilitation corals and sea turtle marine habitats.

Scuba Diving at Sipadan and Mabul

A typical diving day itinerary balance 3 dives at Pulau Sipadan (make sure you book your Sipadan permit in advance) with Pulau Mabul's muck diving macro dives looking for macro critters.

More about Scuba Junkie

Scuba Junkie is the dive operator behind Mabul Beach Resort — a Semporna institution that grew from a backpacker dive shop into one of the best-known PADI 5* operations in Sabah, with a reputation built as much on conservation work as on diving.

Check Dates & Prices at Scuba Junkie

Scuba Junkie runs daily boats out of Mabul with 3 guided dives as the standard day. On your Sipadan permit day that means 3 dives at Sipadan itself (permits are limited to 254 per day across all operators — contact us and book yours well in advance); on other days the boats work Mabul's muck and macro sites and Kapalai's sandy slopes, where easy conditions and reliable visibility suit divers hunting critters and snorkellers watching turtles alike.

The dive centre doubles as one of the area's busiest training schools, teaching the full PADI ladder — Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, EFR and Divemaster. Briefings put real weight on buoyancy, no-touch reef manners and clean procedures for the drift entries common on Mabul's slopes. Groups go out matched by level and experience; at Sipadan every diver must hold at least AOW. Well-maintained rental gear is available — try it on when you check in, not on the boat. Snorkel trips include mask, fins and a guide who shows you turtles without letting anyone harass them.

The eco reputation is earned in the day-to-day: reef-safe sunscreen expected of every guest, turtle nests protected and hatchlings released on the beach, and staff who treat the no-touch policy as a rule rather than a suggestion. If that ethos matters to you, this is the operator on Mabul that has made it their brand.

Rooms, meals and life on the island are covered on the Mabul Beach Resort page.