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Limited Sipadan permits available per day — secure your guaranteed diving or snorkeling permit in advance.

Sipadan · Dive Resorts

Diving Holiday Resorts

Sipadan is a protected area and the resorts are located on the islands of Mabul and Kapalai.

Spectacular purple and orange sunset over a Sipadan water village resort, with lights from the jetty reflecting on the calm sea.
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Mabul Island Resorts

The beautiful beach resorts and luxury over-the-water resorts available on Mabul island are suitable for both divers and non-divers:

Mabul Water Bungalows

View along the covered walkway connecting the award-winning overwater chalets at Mabul Water Bungalows, a 5-star honeymoon resort.

Mabul Water Bungalows is a luxury floating resort located at Mabul Island near Sipadan.

Sipadan-Mabul Resort

Find your private paradise in a garden cottage at Sipadan-Mabul Resort, surrounded by a lush tropical oasis of palm trees and lively greenery on Mabul Island.

Sipadan-Mabul Resort is a luxury resort located on south-east side of Mabul Island and is overlooking nearby Sipadan island.

Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

Inviting view from the swimming pool looking towards the poolside chalets set amongst lush tropical greenery at Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.

Featuring 30 beach chalets (semi-detached) and villa rooms, Borneo Divers is a mid-range beach dive resort.

Sipadan Water Village

Spectacular high-altitude drone panorama of Mabul Island, showing the luxurious Sipadan Water Village in the foreground and the rest of the island's resorts and villages.

Sipadan Water Village is a luxury resort overlooking the Celebes Sea on the island of Mabul.

Seaventures Dive Rig

Seaventures Dive Rig, the converted oil-rig dive resort off Mabul Island.

There is of course the alternative option of staying on the Seaventures Dive Platform (modified oil rig) located about 500m from Mabul island.

Mabul Beach Resort

Beautiful wooden chalet at Mabul Beach Resort, set on the sand among lush tropical gardens and palm trees on Mabul Island.

Mabul Beach Resort is the budget-friendly beachfront option on the island, with en-suite rooms and dormitories run by the Scuba Junkie dive centre.

Kapalai Luxury Resort

Iconic overwater chalets of the Kapalai Dive Resort lined up perfectly over the calm, crystal-clear water.

For those looking for a secluded and romantic getaway, Kapalai Dive Resort is the perfect choice as it is located only a few minutes from Mabul and Sipadan islands.

Dive resorts further away from Sipadan

Mataking Island Resort

Aerial view of the private Mataking Island Dive Resort, showcasing its extensive coral reef.

Luxury dive resort located on private Mataking Island offering pure luxury as well as daily trips to the nearby islands and also Sipadan.

Pom Pom Island Resort

Rustic wooden signpost on a sandy path at Pom Pom Island, directing guests to the restaurant, spa, dive centre and villas.

Exclusive dive resort located on Pom Pom Island offers fantastic day trip opportunities to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park as well as other islands.

How these islands offer a different atmosphere?

Pulau Mabul, for example, is lively and lively, with a mix of resort bars, luxury international tourists, budget Asian and European travellers and of course the island life of the traditional Bajau Laut villages. After a day of diving, it's not unusual to see Sea Gypsy children playing football (and they will be proud if you play with them) on the beach while scuba divers unwind with a sunset drink at a jetty bar's.

Kapalai, on the other hand, feels like a dream 'Maldives style resort' built over the water. With only wooden walkways above its turquoise lagoon, it gives a sense of pure escape.

Mataking island a bit further away adds another dimension: privacy and exclusivity (it's a private island resort). It is one of the rare places where you can take a stroll at low tide along a sandbar (moses walk) and reach another islet (Mataking Kecil) where you can feel like you're walking all by yourself into the middle of the ocean. It's also popular among honeymooners who want to combine scuba diving with luxury services.

Meanwhile, Pom Pom Island Resort has its own charm with a sea turtle nursery and its house reef full of turtles while offering a day cruise tour to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park islands, which islands such as Pulau Bohey Dulang and Pulau Sibuan are some of Sabah's most famous gems.

If you are new to scuba diving, you should know is that it's important to choose right resort in this area of the Sabah as the conditions can be challenging especially at Sipadan island. Is more than just about your price range and the packages offered, it's also about access, safety, peace of mind and the quality of service can differ a lot between the mid-range to luxury resort and the more budget and backpackers style resort while the price will not be that much different finally so don't hesitate to ask fus for more details about the various options.

The medium range to luxury resorts with an established dive centers will maintain high standards of scuba diving equipment, professional and experienced dive or snorkeling guides speaking multiple languages, and safe speedboat operations. This makes a real difference, especially when you are diving in world-class but sometimes challenging currents such as at Sipadan's Barracuda Point. Staying at medium to luxury resorts will allow you to focus on the magic of diving these extraordinary waters rather than getting bugged down with the logistics. A diving holiday here is not just about the dives themselves, but choosing the right island will give me the whole experience package (other underwater activities, culture with the Bajau Laut, mingling with other tourists and travellers, evening and night activities, food and seafood bbqs, spa and massages, sports activities).

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