“We stayed 3 nights at Kapalai resort. Everything was great. Special thanks to Joshua and Noordin to guide me, resuming to dive after 2 years. The diving was well organised, conditions very good. The resort, starting with the booking, transfers, food, staff was excellent. Location of the resort, walkways with flowers, ease of entry for snorkelling and diving all superb. We will come back.”
ASIA DIVE HOLIDAYS
Sipadan & Semporna · Licensed dive-travel specialists
Tailor-made dive holidays across Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai and Lankayan. Guaranteed Sipadan permits before you fly.
- Based in Sabah
— 5 M · THE SHALLOWS
Dive destinations
Ten islands. One coastline. Very different dives.
From Sipadan's vertical walls to the muck flats of Mabul, every island in Sabah dives differently. Start where the diving matches you.
Sipadan
An oceanic island rising 600 m from the seabed. Barracuda Point, Turtle Cavern and South Point. Daily diver numbers are strictly capped.
Explore Sipadan →
Mabul
The base camp for Sipadan and a world macro capital in its own right. Flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish and mandarinfish live on the house reefs.
Explore Mabul →
Kapalai
A stilted village on the Ligitan reefs with no island beneath it. Step off your veranda onto a house reef busy with critters.
Explore Kapalai →
Mataking
Two islands joined by a sandbar at low tide. Gentle sloping reefs, a house-reef wreck and a boat run to the Sipadan area.
Explore Mataking →
Pom Pom
A quiet ring of sand and jungle in the Celebes Sea where turtles nest on the beach. As good for snorkellers and families as for divers.
Explore Pom Pom →
Lankayan
A quiet Sulu Sea island reached from Sandakan. Soft-coral gardens, small wrecks and seasonal whale sharks.
Explore Lankayan →— 18 M · ON THE REEF
Diving experiences
Tell us how you dive. We'll build around it.
Every itinerary starts with the diving you actually want. Then we match islands, resorts and boat schedules to it.
DEPTH 5–18 M · CURRENT LOW
Macro & muck
Mabul and Kapalai house reefs: frogfish, ghost pipefish, blue-ringed octopus. Slow dives, long bottom times, patient guides.
Macro trips →DEPTH 15–40 M · CURRENT MOD–STRONG
Pelagics & walls
On Sipadan's drop-off you may see barracuda tornadoes, grey reef sharks and green and hawksbill turtles in numbers you stop counting.
Wall & drift trips →SHUTTER PRIORITY · GUIDES 1:2
Underwater photography
Photographer-paced groups, camera rooms, rinse tanks and guides who know exactly which bommie the hairy frogfish moved to.
Photo trips →QUOTA · LIMITED DAILY PERMITS
Guaranteed Sipadan permits
Sipadan is a protected marine park with a strict daily diver cap. We confirm your permits before you travel.
How permits work →— SURFACE INTERVAL · WHERE YOU'LL STAY
Featured resorts
The dive resorts with Sipadan permits.
From an oil-rig-turned-dive-lodge to over-water villas on a sandbar. Every property we sell, we know personally.
Mabul Water Bungalows
Over-water villas on Mabul's quiet side. Spa, sunset decks and the same guaranteed Sipadan permits as its sister resort SMART.
More details →
Sipadan-Mabul Resort (SMART)
A long-established beach resort with its own dive centre and daily boat schedule. The workhorse base for Sipadan weeks.
More details →
Borneo Divers Mabul Resort
Chalet-style comfort from the operator that pioneered Sipadan diving. A strong choice for courses and first Sipadan trips alike.
More details →
Kapalai Dive Resort
Stilted chalets over a turquoise sandbar, 15 minutes by boat from Sipadan. The house reef is a macro dive in its own right.
More details →
Sipadan Water Village
A Bajau-style village of timber chalets on ironwood stilts off Mabul's reef edge, linked by boardwalks. Every chalet has its own sundeck.
More details →
Seaventures Dive Resort
A converted rig platform with a lift straight into the water and unlimited dives on its artificial-reef house site.
More details →— 24 M · ALONG THE WALL
Dive packages
Starting points, not fixed menus.
These are the shapes our travellers ask for most.
Sipadan Classic
Guaranteed Sipadan permits with days built around Barracuda Point and South Point. House-reef and Mabul diving in between.
Tailor this trip →
Macro & Muck Intensive
For critter hunters and macro shooters: unlimited house-reef time, night dives and guides with very good eyes.
Tailor this trip →
Combine with Borneo
Pair your dive week with orangutans at Sepilok, the Kinabatangan River or Mount Kinabalu. One itinerary, one point of contact.
Tailor this trip →— 30 M · WHO YOU'LL MEET
Marine life
What you can see and when.
Our marine-life library links every species to the sites, islands and months where sightings are most likely. Seasonal. This is the wild.
Sipadan · Closed Nov, reopens 1 DecGreen turtle
Barracuda PointChevron barracuda
Mabul · Muck sitesFlamboyant cuttlefish
Kapalai house reefMandarinfish
Sipadan wallsGrey reef shark
Lankayan · SeasonalWhale shark
Browse the marine-life library When to dive Sabah: seasonality calendar →
— 36 M · THE LAY OF THE SEA
— 38 M · WORD FROM THE WATER
Traveller reviews
Divers come back. Then they send their friends.
“Very helpful and patient. I have been contacting Asia Dive Holidays via email, because they were the only agency in Europe to help us with booking MV Celebes Explorer. In the end they helped me arrange the complete trip to Borneo: Lankayan, Sepilok, island tour, liveaboard plus most of the transfers. They were always ready to supply further information. And their rates were ok, they did not charge more than the locals. Thank you Feltricia.”
“After reaching out to Asia Dive about Kapalai Resort, I received a detailed response within a couple of days, outlining the resort's offerings and package details. A special shout-out to Amnah for her exceptional support throughout the booking process. Her prompt follow-ups, patience, and understanding in accommodating my requests made all the difference. As a first-time solo female traveller to Sipadan, Amnah's kindness and quick responses to my many questions gave me the peace of mind I needed to start my trip with confidence. …”