Is it true?

[gusvs]

what I hear about Sipadan, that the visibility has become very low after the storm last year (I think), and that the barracudas and other pelagics are gone? I am going there in a couple of weeks and would like to know.

I hope it is still worth going........

 

[YCW]

Hi gusvs,

There is a trip report by Zept about diving in Sipadan a couple of months ago. There are quite a bit of info there about Sipadan as well. Nothing like what you have heard though. You can read them at http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?threadid=11961&s=&perpage=15&pagenumber=1&display=show I haven't been there myself (is in the plans). Sure hope the diving continues to be great there.

 

[gusvs]

Hi YCW,
Thank you for the info. I have read Zept's great trip report, and according to it the diving seems to be good still. However, I read a trip report by someone on Rodale's forum, saying that especially the visibility had become poor.

/Gustaf

 

[gusvs]

The link for the report on Rodale's:

http://www.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=1084

 

[Christian]

Vizibility on Sipadan has always been variable. There are a lot of nutritios deep water updwellings around the island, since it situated alone off the continental shelf. However this is very good for marine life - it gets very rich and varied. 30 meter (100 ft) viz happens, but it is mor common with 10-20 meter (30-60 ft).

/c

 

[YCW]

Gusvs,

Call up one LDS owner who was there in July. Things are still great according to him.

There must be someone on this board who was there recently, care to comment?

 

[scuba734]

I went diving at SIpadan-Mabul-Capailai in April this year, visibility is perfect. I am not very good at estimation, so I can't say how many feet, but it was like diving in a huge aquarium. When I came back and showed my video tape to my diving friends, they decided to go, but then it was in July. Thye reported that the sea was quite rough, and they had to skip a couple of dives, due to sea and wind condition. But what they saw, convinced them that they will go back again in April next year.
We did not stay at Sipadan, but in Mabul, which is a bit less expensive. There are 2 resorts, that I can see, next to each other. I was in Sipadan-Mabule Resort, while my friends stayed at Water Villege at Mabul. Water Village is newer and consists of huts, at the end of piers, just like those huts in Maldives, that had been circulating in e-mail lately (at least in Bangkok), but no air. Sipadan-Mabul building is a bit old, but clean with airconditioner.
If you like wreck diving, talk to the people at Sipadan-Mabul Resort, they also arrange a trip to Kudat. Lots of wrecks.

 

[Mikimaru]

If you like wreck diving, talk to the people at Sipadan-Mabul Resort, they also arrange a trip to Kudat. Lots of wrecks.

For those who may be interested in the Kudat Wrecks, you may want to check out Michael Aw's article linked here:

http://www.24hoursdive.com/Kudat.htm

I hope to make it to Sipadan someday !

 

[gusvs]

Tanks all for your great information. I will definitely look up the Kudat Wrecks, sounds interesting.

/Gustaf

 

[Christian]

For wrecks, you could also try Labuan, which is an island close to Kota Kinabalu, the residential city on Malaysian Borneo. But, if wrecks are your main interest, there are certainly better places to go than Borneo. Don't know where you're travelling from, but Narvik in Norway in Scandinavia has very good wrecks for diving as well as Scapa Flow in Scotland (haven't been there myself, but friends that have say it is spectacualr wreck diving). If you preffer wrecks in warm water, maybee you should look into Chuuk Lagoon in Micronesia?