Sipadan is a marvelous island located in the Celebes sea off the east coast of Sabah, North Borneo and has one of the worlds richest marine habitats. It is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 meters above the seabed.
This unique and one-of-a-kind ecosystem houses several hundred species of fish and corals that encapsulate the tiny island (13.5 ha) which was formed by living corals on what used to be a volcano a very long time ago.
The most famous ocean explorer, naval officer, researcher, filmmaker and co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung underwater breathing device, Captain Jacques-Ives Cousteau said the following about Sipadan island:
“I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art.”
I am blessed, humbled and extremely grateful to have had the amazing opportunity to go scuba diving and explore the underwater paradise at Sipadan. Not only is this gorgeous island difficult to reach but on top of it, you’re only allowed to dive there if you have a valid permit.
Here comes the crux though:
To get a permit one needs to wait at least three to six months with lots of applications being denied. Only a very limited number of divers (10 divers when I was on site) are given access on a predefined date. I was very fortunate because one of my dear friends who is a dive instructor in Malaysia managed to get me a permit within two weeks. So we went together to explore the underwater magic of Sipadan.
Today, I’d like to share with you a piece of this paradise captured through my camera lenses both above and underwater.
Let’s start the journey with a few facts about the island before I take you into the deep blue.
There are only two occasions that make me jump out of bed at four o’clock in the morning: One is if there’s an emergency and the second one which gives me positive chills, is when I have to go for an early morning dive.
My friend and I managed to squeeze in 4 dives in Sipadan as we had to leave the island latest at 3 PM in the afternoon. We dived at the following sites: Barracuda Point (twice), South Point and Hanging Garden.
We spent enough time above water. Time to explore Sipadan’s underwater paradise.
Gear up my friends, let’s dive.
Here’s where fish like to hide when there’s too many curious divers around :)
Here are some cuties for all of you who love turtles.
May I present to you a majestic species, my favorite underwater animal: sharks.
When we dived at Hanging Garden we were on the lookout for Hammerhead sharks but unfortunately, after being in the deep blue for 59 minutes (this being our 4th and last dive of the day) we had to give up without seeing any.
Nevertheless, I was blown away by the vast amount of different shark species (especially reef sharks).
I said paradise, didn’t I?
I’ve dived in many spectacular places across the globe but I’ve never seen such an untainted underwater ecosystem as I’ve witnessed here in Sipadan.
Last but not least, here are some images from the luxury resort we stayed at for a week when we explored the underwater worlds of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai island.
It’s been quite a while since my last dive, however I’m pleased to share with you that I’ll hit the water in a few days from publishing this post. It’s about time I reconnect with the underwater realm.
What about you?
Have you been to Sipadan AKA have you had the chance to explore this untainted underwater paradise?
Unless otherwise noted, copyright for all photos © Krisz Rokk
Photos were taken with my Canon PowerShot S95 and Sony DSC-TX10.