Sabah Grand Dive Tour

This package suits divers with 3 weeks to spend. It works well for couples making one long trip to Borneo. Repeat visitors who have done Sipadan already often book this to see the rest of the state. You will need an Advanced Open Water certification for the deep wrecks and the Sipadan wall. The team can arrange for you to complete this qualification during the first leg of the tour.

Kota Kinabalu and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park

Skill level: All levels The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park sits just off the state capital. The marine park covers 5 islands including Gaya and Manukan. You pay a single daily conservation fee to access all 5 islands. The diving here is gentle with shallow fringing reefs and moderate visibility. It lacks the deep walls found on the east coast. This makes it an excellent place to warm up and test your equipment after a long international flight. Plan to spend 3 days here.

Labuan

Skill level: Advanced Four verified historical shipwrecks lie off the coast of Labuan. The American Wreck is the remains of the USS Salute. The Australian Wreck is the SS De Klerk. The Cement Wreck and the Blue Water Wreck complete the circuit. This leg demands an Advanced Open Water certification for the depths involved. Three days gives you enough time to dive all 4 wrecks.

The Semporna Islands and Sipadan

Skill level: Advanced Sipadan rises 600 m from the seabed on an extinct volcanic seamount. You dive a wall home to resident green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). The chevron barracuda (Sphyraena qenie) school frequently forms a dense column on the reefs. You might spot grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) patrolling the drop-off. Mabul and Kapalai sit a short boat ride away. They offer some of the best muck diving anywhere for frogfish (Antennarius spp.) and flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi). Sipadan requires an Advanced Open Water certification. You should allocate a full week for this region.

Lankayan Island

Lankayan operates as a private eco-resort in the Sulu Sea. The island features several sunken vessels like the Mosquito Wreck and the Jetty Wreck. You can observe nesting turtles on the beaches in season. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) pass through between March and September and are seen occasionally. This is a quiet retreat far away from the busy Semporna archipelago. Five days provides a relaxing end to the trip.

Darvel Bay (Optional addition)

Darvel Bay is an emerging destination accessed from Lahad Datu. The main attraction is the Blue Ring Hole at Takat Tenggiri. This is a sunken coral depression rather than a true blue hole dropping from 15 to 24 metres. You can also dive the Japanese Timber Wreck here. This is a cargo ship sunk in the early 1980s. A 2026 marine survey recorded 415 coral species in these waters. Two days is sufficient for this stop.

The domestic aviation network links these distinct destinations. You fly into Kota Kinabalu International Airport to begin the trip. Flights from Kota Kinabalu connect directly to Labuan. From Labuan you fly back through Kota Kinabalu down to Tawau. Tawau serves as the main aviation hub for Semporna. From Tawau you eventually travel north to Sandakan to reach Lankayan.

Confirm the resort boat schedules at booking to align your flights with the transfers. Lankayan operates a highly rigid single daily transfer. The inbound boat departs the Sandakan PSR Jetty precisely at 10:00 AM. Guests must book flights arriving at Sandakan strictly before 09:00 AM. Most divers choose to arrive in Sandakan the day before to sleep on the mainland. The outbound boat departs Lankayan at 07:00 AM. A missed boat results in heavy surcharges for a private charter. The journey from Sandakan to Lankayan takes about 90 minutes depending on sea conditions.

Transferring from Tawau Airport to Semporna takes 70 to 90 minutes by road. The speedboat out to Mabul or Kapalai requires another 30 to 45 minutes depending on the tide. Island boats do not run after dark. The final boats leave around mid-afternoon. Arrivals into Tawau after 15:00 reliably miss the final resort boat transfers. Late arrivals must overnight in Tawau or Semporna town.

If you fly from Europe you will likely land in Kuala Lumpur between 15:00 and 18:00. The final flights to Tawau depart at 18:05 and the last Sandakan flights leave at 15:25. You will require an overnight stay in Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu before proceeding to the east coast on the following day. Travellers from Chinese cities often catch low-cost carrier flights arriving in Kota Kinabalu before dawn. These early arrivals allow smooth connections to the first wave of Tawau flights at 07:45.

Here is how a three-week itinerary flows in practice.

1. Days 1 to 3: Arrive in Kota Kinabalu. Dive the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park to test your equipment and finish diving at least 24 hours before your flight to Labuan. You can complete any necessary advanced training here.
2. Days 4 to 6: Fly to Labuan. Spend 2 days diving the four historic shipwrecks with at least 24 hours between your last dive and the flight to Tawau.
3. Days 7 to 13: Fly to Tawau via Kota Kinabalu. Transfer overland to Semporna. Ride the boat to your chosen resort on Mabul or Kapalai. Spend a week diving Sipadan and the local muck sites.
4. Days 14 to 15: Transfer back to the mainland. Travel overland to Sandakan or fly via Kota Kinabalu after a 24-hour no-fly interval. Spend a night in Sandakan to ensure you catch the early morning boat.
5. Days 16 to 20: Take the 10:00 AM boat to Lankayan. Spend 5 days diving the wrecks and watching the blue water for passing pelagics.
6. Day 21: Take the 07:00 AM boat back to Sandakan. You must complete a 24-hour surface interval between your last dive and your commercial flight home. You spend this final day off-gassing in Sandakan before flying back to Kuala Lumpur.

You have several excellent choices for the Semporna leg. Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort stands entirely on stilts over a shallow sandbank. There is no land beneath it except at low tide. You can dive the house reef unlimited by day from the wooden walkways. Mabul Water Bungalows offers premium villas on the east side of Mabul. It features the SMART-TEC dive centre. Sipadan Water Village features Bajau-style timber chalets built over the reef. Sipadan-Mabul Resort gives you a traditional beach resort feeling on the south-east side. Borneo Divers Mabul Resort operates as a historic property running a small turtle hatchery on its beach. Seaventures Dive Rig lowers you directly to the water from a converted oil platform. Mataking Island Resort and Pom Pom Island Resort sit further north for a quieter stay.

In the Sulu Sea the Lankayan Island Dive Resort operates as the only accommodation on the island. It features beautiful beachfront and over-water wooden chalets.

When you transit through Sandakan you can stay near the airport or by the Sandakan Yacht Club. The yacht club sits just 15 minutes from the airport. It serves as the launch point for luxury speedboat transfers deep into the Kinabatangan river. Semporna town maintains reliable banking facilities for your mainland transit needs.

Guaranteed Sipadan permit. A guaranteed Sipadan permit comes with the right combination of resort, dive package and minimum number of nights. Not every resort guarantees exact dates. Which dates can be guaranteed depends entirely on the resort you choose. On a properly planned trip the chance of diving Sipadan is very high. The team steers you to the combination that fits.

Your package covers the internal flights in principle to connect the different legs. It covers the mainland vehicle transfers between the airports and the jetties. It includes your resort accommodation alongside the return boat transfers. Your dive tanks and weights are provided for every dive. Full board meals are standard at the remote island resorts. Ask the team for the price that applies to your specific booking.

You can drop a leg to fit a shorter two-week schedule. Many visiting divers skip Labuan to focus entirely on the east coast. You fly directly from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau instead. This leaves you a full week in Semporna followed by a full week in Lankayan.

Sandakan and Lahad Datu operate as the main hubs for the jungle. You can visit the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre on a half-day stopover in Sandakan. The facility opens from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 16:00 with the Friday morning session ending at 11:00. You cannot carry backpacks or water bottles onto the boardwalks due to the highly aggressive macaque population. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre sits right next door. You follow high-level canopy walkways suspended above the forested enclosures.

The Rainforest Discovery Centre features a spectacular 620-metre steel canopy skywalk. The Trogon Tower gives photographers a vantage point 26.5 metres above the forest floor. The famous Kinabatangan River sits 2 hours away from Sandakan by road. A scenic marine transfer by private speedboat takes two and a half hours. The river offers excellent odds of spotting wild proboscis monkeys and Bornean pygmy elephants. The dry season from May to August forces the elephants toward the riverbanks.

Lahad Datu connects you to the primary rainforest of the Danum Valley Conservation Area. You reach Danum Valley via a two-and-a-half-hour overland drive down unpaved logging roads. The Tabin Wildlife Reserve sits roughly 45 kilometres from Lahad Datu. It features a highly productive secondary forest alongside an active mud volcano. You can book a Combine with Borneo package to integrate these wildlife lodges into your diving schedule.

When to dive Sabah is a common question. Sabah offers diving all year although Lankayan Island Dive Resort closes annually in January and February. The best visibility runs from March to October. Mid-February to mid-November is good diving with softer visibility at the ends of the season. Mid-November to mid-February brings a mix of cloud, rain and sun. The water temperature stays between 26 and 30 °C year-round.

Sabah Parks issues 254 Sipadan permits a day. Sipadan Island is closed to all visitors every November to allow the marine reefs to recover. Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking, Pom Pom and the Tun Sakaran Marine Park stay open for top-tier macro diving during this month. A November version of the grand tour swaps Sipadan for more time exploring the local reefs.

• Two Coasts
• Combine with Borneo
• Diving in Labuan
• Diving in Lankayan
• Diving in Sipadan

Send your dates along with the names of everyone coming and your current certification levels. The team comes back with a detailed itinerary showing what can be arranged for your travel window.