Sibuan Diving
Sibuan island is a macro divers paradise and like Pulau Mabul, one of the best islands in the area with almost guaranteed pygmy seahorses and mandarin fishes.
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More about Sibuan Diving
Sibuan is a macro diver's paradise, and like Pulau Mabul, one of the best islands in the area for the small and the spectacular: pygmy seahorses here are about as close to guaranteed as the ocean allows, and the mandarinfish put on their dusk show on cue. Part of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, the island itself is the postcard of the group — a long blade of white sand that earned it the nickname Battleship Island — about half an hour's boat ride from Semporna. There are photographs on Sibuan photos.
A confession from a decade of guiding here: the first pygmy seahorse someone points out to you, you will not see it. The guide's finger will be three centimetres away and you will stare at bare gorgonian. Then your eyes adjust to the trick, and Sibuan becomes the site you never want to leave — the fans reliably host Bargibant's pygmies, and the sand between them turns up flamboyant cuttlefish, seahorses and frogfish.
Sibuan Dive Sites:
- Left Shoulder
- Mandarin Point
- Mandarin Bay
- Froggy's
- Drop-Off
Mandarin Point and Mandarin Bay are self-explanatory — plan one late-afternoon tank there and stay for the light show. Depths are diver-friendly across the island, and snorkellers get real value here too, which makes Sibuan the park's best mixed diver/non-diver day.