Extreme diving in Semporna: barracuda currents and hammerhead sharks
Six days of current diving in Sipadan, the world's best dive site, with hammerhead sharks, barracudas and turtles on 600-meter vertical walls.
Description
Sipadan — Malaysia's oceanic island — is reckoned one of the five best dive sites on the planet. The island rises on a volcanic pillar dropping 600 meters to the floor of the Celebes Sea. Ocean currents strike the island and create extreme conditions: washing-machine currents that force the use of reef hooks, vertical walls where hammerhead sharks patrol in formation and spiralling tornadoes of barracuda wheel above the diver's head. Mabul and Kapalai, the neighbouring islands, offer muck diving with pygmy seahorses, blue-ringed octopuses and frogfish on sandy bottoms. Every dive in Sipadan requires advance booking, with a daily permit limited to 120 divers. The real risk of rip currents, depth and aggressive pelagic life turns each immersion into a test of skill and control.
Health & safety
- Decompression sickness is the main risk on deep dives
- Drift currents can separate the diver from the group: stay close to your buddy
- The blue-ringed octopus is one of the most venomous animals on Earth: do not touch
- Hammerheads do not attack, but they are unpredictable with camera lights: flashes forbidden
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrival in Semporna and check dive
Semporna, Malaysia
Arrival in Semporna and check dive
Arrival and first dive in Mabul for a skills check.
Arrival in Semporna from Tawau
Culture2hCheck dive in Mabul
Sports3hMuck diving in Mabul: pygmy seahorses
Nature2hSafety briefing for Sipadan
Sports1.5hSipadan: vertical wall and barracuda tornado
Sipadan Island, Malaysia
Sipadan: vertical wall and barracuda tornado
First day on the oceanic island with its 600-meter wall.
Dive at Barracuda Point
Sports3hDive at Turtle Cave
Nature2.5hDive at South Point in current
Sports2.5hReturn to Mabul and night muck dive
Nature2hSipadan: hammerheads and coral garden
Sipadan Island, Malaysia
Sipadan: hammerheads and coral garden
Second day with hammerhead sharks on the wall.
Deep dive with hammerhead sharks
Sports3hCoral Garden on the upper shelf
Nature2.5hMid Reef: oceanic reef sharks
Nature2.5hNight muck in Kapalai
Nature2hSipadan: West Ridge and Hanging Garden
Sipadan Island, Malaysia
Sipadan: West Ridge and Hanging Garden
Third day on the island with the most demanding dives.
West Ridge: maximal drift
Sports3hHanging Garden: dangling coral
Nature2.5hTurtle Patch: turtle plates
Nature2.5hReturn and rest in Mabul
Rest2hMabul and Kapalai: intensive muck diving
Mabul, Malaysia
Mabul and Kapalai: intensive muck diving
Day devoted to muck diving on the islands of the strait.
Eel Garden in Kapalai
Nature3hMandarin Valley in Mabul
Nature3hDive on the Mabul wreck
Nature2.5hNight dive: seaslug hunt
Nature2hLast dive and farewell
Semporna, Malaysia
Last dive and farewell
Farewell to the best diving in Southeast Asia.
Last dive in Sipadan
Sports3hReturn to Semporna and transfer
Culture2hReturn flight
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