Pom Pom Island

Pom Pom offers a deeply relaxed atmosphere. The island operates at a much slower pace than the busy dive hubs further south. You can choose dives for every certification level and enjoy an uncrowded holiday. The fringing coral reef extends up to several hundred metres wide around the western perimeter. The shallow waters make it an exceptional environment for learn to dive courses and snorkelling and island hopping packages.

Pom Pom Island Resort is the primary property on the island. It features a large wooden clubhouse and a network of water villas extending along a 300-metre jetty directly over the reef. You can also choose detached beach villas set beneath palm canopies or garden villas positioned further inland. The resort offers family configurations and operates on a full-board basis. There is no kids club because the island itself serves as the playground. A newer neighbour called Mussah Poteh operates next door but Pom Pom Island Resort remains the established base.

Guest feedback highlights a few recurring themes. The buffet is home-style and the Wi-Fi works best near the main building. Sandflies are confirmed on the beaches so you must pack a good insect repellent and apply it before walking on the sand.

The island serves as a vital nesting ground for the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Pom Pom Island Resort runs two sea turtle hatcheries with a "Turtle on Call" alert system. Peak nesting occurs from June to September. The marine biology team actively patrols the beaches to protect nests from poachers. They relocate the eggs to the secure hatchery for incubation. The team releases the baby turtles into the Celebes Sea at sunset safely away from light pollution. You can ask the staff about the current programme when you arrive to see how you might be involved.

Pom Pom Island is globally recognised as the working headquarters for the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre (TRACC). The surrounding ecosystem suffered severe structural damage from decades of blast fishing. This destructive practice left vast fields of unstable coral rubble that prevented natural reef recovery. Newly settled coral polyps would be crushed as the rubble shifted in the tide.

TRACC has pioneered advanced marine rehabilitation techniques here. The team has planted over 75,000 coral fragments across highly innovative artificial reef structures. They use micro-fragmenting methods developed by Dr. David Vaughan to allow hardy coral species to grow and fuse over concrete bases at accelerated rates.

You can see the Bottle Reefs in the shallows alongside ARC modules on the crest and Step Reefs gripping the steep 60-degree rubble slopes. The team also conducts manual extraction of crown-of-thorns starfish to protect the fragile recovering corals. You can learn about marine biology and active ecosystem restoration on these recovering reefs.

The dive sites around Pom Pom and the neighbouring islands offer classic coral slope diving. The reefs present colourful underwater gardens that do not require the intense focus of a muck dive nor the intimidating currents of a sheer wall.

Pom Pom House Reef and Jetty

Skill level: Beginner | Depth: from 4–5m at the drop-off The drop-off begins very shallow and makes this a highly accessible laboratory of marine biology. You navigate through fields of artificial Bottle Reefs overlaid on a sloping rubble field. Look for blue-ringed octopuses (Hapalochlaena spp.) in the crevices alongside resident moray eels and frequent sea turtles. Pom Pom Island Resort strictly prohibits unguided buddy diving on the house reef for safety reasons. You need to maintain flawless buoyancy to avoid snapping newly planted coral fragments.

Mandarin Heaven and Turtle Alley

Skill level: All levels | Depth range: 5–15m The gentle slope features staghorn coral patches where you can find resident mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus). The site is famous for their elaborate dusk mating rituals. Photographers require extreme patience and red-light focus torches to capture the rapid upward-spiralling spawning rise. You must avoid bright white lights because they spook the fish. Dive this site at dusk for the chance to watch the spawning behaviour.

Northern Tip and Eastern Plateau

Skill level: Advanced | Drop-off begins: 27–30m The northern and eastern extremities of Pom Pom's fringing reef feature near-vertical walls that intercept the tidal flow. These sites are subject to very strong currents and function as fast drift dives. Massive deep-water gorgonian sea fans cling to the rock. You can spot transiting pelagic fish including the sawtooth barracuda schooling heavily in the currents during the day. The extreme depth makes this unsuitable for snorkellers.

Lobster Wall and New Life

Skill level: Advanced | Main wall depth: 10–40m Lobster Wall is Pom Pom's premier drift dive along a vertical drop-off riddled with deep crevices and undercuts. Spiny lobsters shelter in the overhangs while pelagic fish pass in the blue water. New Life is an adjacent site featuring a blend of wall and slope topography that shows strong recovery in macro life biodiversity. Drift diving protocols are essential here and you must deploy a surface marker buoy.

Timba Timba East and West Reefs

Skill level: Beginner | Depth range: 1–10m Timba Timba is a highly popular day-trip destination featuring a long white sandbar. The gradual reef slopes flanking the island offer unparalleled shallow-water habitats. The western area features dense fields of branching staghorn corals reaching almost to the surface at low tide. The eastern area features a highly diverse coral matrix teeming with colourful reef fish and grazing green turtles. Snorkellers should follow their guides carefully on the western side to avoid breaking the dense corals near the surface.

Stingray City

Skill level: Advanced | Depth range: 20–30m Located in the deeper oceanic sections of Timba Timba's eastern reef ecosystem. The sandy bottom attracts large bottom-dwelling marine life. A resident school of stingrays glides over the sand. You can also see enormous cuttlefish alongside sea snakes and nurse sharks. Divers must maintain neutral buoyancy off the sand to avoid silting out the visibility.

Frog Fish Farm and Pandanan Bay

Skill level: Beginner | Depth range: 5–15m Located off the coast of nearby Pandanan Island. The shallow reef transitions into a sandy bottom environment covered in rubble. The lack of strong currents makes this an ideal muck-diving substitute for those unable to visit Mabul. The elusive frogfish (Antennarius spp.) blends into the sand. You can also spot nudibranchs alongside gobies and jawfish peering from their burrows. You should move very slowly over the seabed to isolate the camouflaged macro life.

Bohayan Reef and Kalapuan

Skill level: All levels | Depth range: 5–25m Bohayan offers a sloping wall adjacent to an inhabited island. The main draw here is the pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) often found clinging to red gorgonian sea fans at approximately 17 metres depth. These seahorses are often less than two centimetres long and closely mimic the polyps of their host fan. Kalapuan features traditional coastal stilt villages and acts as an expansion site for new coral bottle reefs. You need super-macro equipment to photograph the seahorses. Avoid excessive strobe flashes because these tiny creatures are highly sensitive to bright light.

Pom Pom offers exceptional snorkelling directly off the jetty. The shallow drop-off is perfect for viewing the restoration work and grazing turtles from the surface. You can also book snorkelling and island hopping day trips to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park and the nearby outer islands.

Timba Timba Island is known for its long white sandbar. It serves as a highly popular day-trip destination for operators based on Mataking and Pom Pom. The coral reefs extend from the islands toward the open ocean very gradually to provide unparalleled shallow-water habitats.

It is a long boat run across the Celebes Sea to reach Sipadan. Pom Pom operators receive a very small allocation of the 254 Sipadan permits issued a day by Sabah Parks. A Sipadan permit day from Pom Pom gives you 2 dives. You must hold an Advanced Open Water certification or equivalent to dive the island. Sabah Parks closes Sipadan to all visitors every November to allow the marine environment to rest. Pom Pom stays open during this month so you can still dive the local reefs.

A guaranteed Sipadan permit comes with the right combination of resort and dive package alongside a minimum number of nights. Exact dates depend on the resort you choose. The team steers you to the combination that fits your schedule. Read the sipadan permits guide to understand how the system works.

This destination suits families and non-divers wanting a quiet retreat. It also appeals to eco-conscious divers who want to support active coral restoration.

It does not suit hardcore divers wanting high-octane pelagic drift dives every single morning. If you want deep wall dives right on your doorstep you should look at Mataking Island instead. If your primary goal is diving Sipadan every single day you should secure a base on Mabul or Kapalai.

You can go diving all year. Best visibility runs from March to October. Mid-February to mid-November is good diving with softer visibility at the ends. Mid-November to mid-February is a mix of cloud, rain and sun. Water temperatures stay between 26 and 30 °C year-round. Sipadan itself is closed all November.

You fly into Tawau airport and take a road transfer to Semporna. The drive takes 70 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. The speedboat ride to Pom Pom takes about 45 minutes. Read the travel information guide for full practical details.

Boat transfers run at fixed times. Boats from Semporna to Pom Pom depart at 12:30pm and 4pm. Boats from Pom Pom to Semporna depart at 9am and 1pm. You must plan your flights to match these slots because penalties apply if you miss your scheduled boat. Island boats do not run after dark. If your flight arrives late you must stay overnight in Tawau or Semporna.

• Mataking Island
• Tun Sakaran Marine Park
• Kapalai
• Mabul
• Sipadan

Send your dates, the names of everyone coming and your certification levels. The team comes back with what can be arranged to fit your plans.