Where to stay to dive Sipadan

[happyfish]

Hi,

We are going to be in Borneo in August and I have been looking into diving Sipadan.
I have done some reading, both here and on other sites in regards to the permit issues.

I want to choose accomodation that will be nice/niceish, but also to give the best chances of diving Sipadan.

The choices seem to be:

Mabul Water Bungalows (but does this resort share permits with the other SMART resort)?

Kapalai-Island Resort (Sipadan-Kapalai)

Borneo Island Divers Mabul Resort

Sipadan Water Village (but this seems large and chances of permits seem low?)

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Regards

 

[tstormdiver]

My LDS stayed at Borneo Island Divers Mabul Resort for 12 days in April. We did 10 days of diving & in those 10 diving days we dove Sipadan 4 dives a day on 4 days. I managed 42 dives while we were there. We were a large group, so usually part of us dove one day & the other group the other. We were told that we were given a larger # of permits than usual because of our group's size. I will say that for my first time diving in Asia, I was most impressed with Sipadan. Also I will say that the house reef right off the resort is very nice with lots to see (Mandarin fish, cuttlefish of different sizes, turtles, octopi, Just lots of things).

If you happen to see a Nikon point & shoot digital camera, housing & strobe floating around, please let me know........ I lost mine. J/K

 

[DevonDiver]

For me, the diving on Mabul is amazing...don't overlook that. Pick a resort that allows you to get into the water there as often as possible. With the right dive guide, you will see some mind-blowing creatures on the shore dives around Mabul.

As for Sipidan permits.... state your requirement for permits at the time of booking....and as a non-negotiable factor. If the dive center concerned cannot guarantee permits, then find one that can.

Also remember, that you are not limited to dive with just one operator...even if staying at their resort (wwith the exception of the oil-rig). You can always get pick-ups from other operators for Sipidan trips. Email them all, and ask what provision they can make.

When I worked there, we used to regularly pick up divers from Mabul en-route to Sipidan.

If getting sufficient permits from a single operator is hard - just spread your bets and book permits/trips with different operators on different days.

 

[kirikuru]

personally, I like the Kapalai resort better. nice little place on stilts.

 

[DevonDiver]

But the diving on Kapalai is poorer than Mabul.... that is a magical island. After working there and diving 4-5 times a day, I inevitably grew bored with Kapalai and (even) Sipidan.... but Mabul always amazed me...every dive was a treat there.

 

[frogfish]

I have stayed at all the resorts you short listed and my personal favourite is Mabul Water Bungalows - Diving wise they are all the same, but the rooms and food were above the rest in my opinion (highly subjective I know...)

 

[xariatay]

DevonDiver's advise is spot on. "As for Sipidan permits.... state your requirement for permits at the time of booking....and as a non-negotiable factor. If the dive center concerned cannot guarantee permits, then find one that can."
If you book early, you should be able to get the permits! Get the resort to confirm at booking.
My friends stayed at Kapalai, they felt that it was very nice & they were able to squeeze in 4 dives at Sipadan in a day. However, they felt that it was too expensive (each day's extension was RM800 per pax & they had triple share room)...

 

[happyfish]

Thanks for the replies.
How early is early when booking - we are due to be there in 5 weeks.
We have a booking arranged with Borneo Divers (not paid yet) but have been advised permits can not be confirmed / guaranteed...

 

[cgf]

for our next holiday my wife and I planed to go to Mabul next August for third time. I heard the permit are still 120/130 but dives operators have grown, not at new islands, at Semporna, actually Jan 2008 I did not recognized Semporna, how many changes since Aug.2006!! No operators will guarantee diving in Sipadan, more chances for large groups then individuals. I read people who stayed at Mabul last April for a week, they managed to go to Sipadan one day *of course you pay the same, it's not Sipadan permit which makes you 'out of budget'*

there are a lot of differences diving Mabul and diving Sipadan, I prefer Sipadan

I'm sure I'll go to Sipadan again, but low season, for next August we try to go to Ko Samui for few days relax and then Ko Tao for diving (if i'll find where to go).
August is not matter how early you book, all resort are plenty of divers and till the day before they do not know how permits they will have.

about Borneo Divers it's interesting to see lastest reviews on tripadvisor.

nice bubbles.

 

[leo]

After reading some of the posts, I'm considering a vacation in Sipadan/Mabul area. I'd be with my wife, who doesn't dive, so I'm hoping to find some info to guide me to the right resort options:

- I'd love a bungalow over the water type resort

- We'd need a place that has a nice sandy beach (especially for the wife while I dive)

- When not diving, I love snorkeling from shore/bungalow, so a place that has a nice house reef is needed

- Cost is not an issue... we're not looking for the most budget place, but we don't want top-luxury... most important is comfort w/ a/c, internet, nice linens, and great local type food

- I have extensive diving experience, and prefer smaller groups and smaller boats

Thanks!