Pom Pom Island Resort

Pom Pom provides a traditional tropical island escape. There are no motorised water sports or loud nightlife venues. The environment focuses entirely on the natural world. Guests come here to disconnect from busy schedules and enjoy the slow pace of a remote marine sanctuary. The island is shared with a newer neighbouring property named Mussah Poteh. This provides some context for the setting. Mussah Poteh offers newer hardware while Pom Pom Island Resort retains the classic eco-resort atmosphere with deep roots in local conservation. The mature trees provide natural shade across the grounds.

The resort features generously sized villas built to blend with the tropical foliage. Every villa shares a similar spacious footprint of roughly 80 to 85 square metres. The villas are designed for twin or double sharing. Children receive reduced rates when sharing with parents. Solo travellers should ask about the single-occupancy supplement. The published package rates include the Malaysian Tourism Tax and Jetty Levy Fee.

The Water Villas stand on stilts over the Celebes Sea. These villas offer private decks with ladders leading directly into the water. They feature private bathtubs alongside standard amenities. The timber construction shows some weathering from the sea air but the direct marine access makes them highly popular.

The Beach Villas sit along the shoreline under the palm canopy. Families prefer these for their solid ground and immediate access to the sand. You get a large private veranda and an en-suite bathroom with a standing hot shower.

The Garden Villas or Hexa Villas are tucked slightly further back into the island foliage. These provide the same generous floor space and amenities as the beach units. They are the most economical choice for guests focused primarily on diving or conservation activities.

Your stay includes full board with meals at the resort restaurant. The central restaurant serves buffet-style breakfast, lunch and dinner. You get a free flow of coffee, Sabah tea and chilled juices. The buffet keeps you well fed after diving with a focus on Asian staples. Fresh fruit is local and seasonal, watermelon and papaya most days.

Inform the team of any dietary requirements well in advance. The resort implements a daily surcharge for coeliac or gluten-free meals.

For non-divers the resort provides a tranquil setting. Facilities include the Yin and Yang Spa offering volcanic stone massage and traditional Shiatsu. There is a small fitness centre, a billiards room and equipment for kayaking or beach volleyball.

Pom Pom Island is a critical nesting ground for endangered green turtles and critically endangered hawksbill turtles. The green turtles nest all year with a distinct peak between June and September. Adult female green turtles here average nearly 97 centimetres in carapace length and deposit around 69 to 87 eggs per clutch. The hawksbills typically nest from March to June and deposit larger clutches.

The resort conservation team patrols the beach every night to protect these nests from poachers and natural predators like monitor lizards. They carefully relocate the eggs to two secure 35-plot hatcheries managed in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Wildlife Department. The sand inside the hatcheries is replaced completely every year to prevent root growth and bacterial build-up. Artificial shading reduces sand temperatures to balance the sex ratio of the hatchlings. Incubation takes roughly 45 to 75 days with hatching success rates averaging between 78 and 87 per cent.

Guests are encouraged to ask about the current programme on arrival. The resort runs a digital alert system called "Turtle on Call". You join a messaging group at check-in. The team sends live updates when a turtle arrives to nest or when a clutch of eggs is ready to hatch. The hatchlings are released at sunrise or sunset to give them the best chance of survival against predatory birds.

The Pom Pom Dive Centre is a fully equipped PADI 5-Star facility. The dive centre operates a valet diving system. The staff handle everything from transporting cylinders to washing and storing your gear in a secure room post-dive. Standard air comes in 12-litre cylinders.

The diving around Pom Pom is gentle and highly rewarding. It is an ideal place to learn to dive. The centre enforces a strict ratio of two students to one instructor for introductory try-dives. Certified divers have access to nitrox to extend their bottom time safely. You can dive the house reef directly from the jetty. The centre also organises guided night dives to see nocturnal predators hunting.

The western side of the island hosts TRACC or the Tropical Research and Conservation Centre. This independent marine science organisation works extensively on coral restoration. They have planted over 75,000 coral fragments over the last decade. They use innovative methods like glass bottle reefs and interlocking steel Reef Stars to rebuild reefs damaged by historical blast fishing. TRACC operates as a long-term volunteer and educational camp offering Cambridge A-Level courses in Marine Science and PADI Divemaster internships. You can easily see their artificial structures while snorkelling or diving the nearby slopes.

House Reef and Jetty

Skill level: All levels | Depth range: 5–40m The immediate waters off the resort jetty offer a protected sloping coral wall. You drop in and follow the artificial structures down the slope. The site is a haven for macro life including nudibranchs and ghost pipefish. Snorkellers enjoy excellent visibility in the shallows. The dive centre strictly controls access so you must dive this site with a guide.

Mandarin Heaven

Skill level: All levels | Depth range: 5–15m Dived from the jetty, Mandarin Heaven has a gentle slope covered in staghorn coral patches and rubble. It is famous for its resident population of mandarinfish. Divers visit at dusk to watch their elaborate mating rituals. The fish dart upward in pairs to spawn. You need patience and a red-light focus torch to capture the action without startling them.

TRACC Restoration Sites

Skill level: Beginner | Drop-off begins: 4–5m The shallow drop-off near the TRACC camp serves as a living laboratory. You navigate through fields of glass bottle reefs and concrete modules designed to stabilise the rubble slope. The biodiversity recovery is remarkable. You can spot blue-ringed octopuses and resident moray eels adapting to the artificial habitats. Flawless buoyancy is essential to protect the growing coral fragments.

Lobster Wall and New Life

Skill level: Advanced | Main wall depth: 10–40m Lobster Wall is Pom Pom's premier drift dive along the perimeter. The vertical drop-off is riddled with deep crevices and overhangs sheltering spiny lobsters. Strong currents sweep along the wall. The adjacent New Life site features a blend of wall and slope topography that has shown strong recovery in macro biodiversity.

Frog Fish Farm and Pandanan Bay

Skill level: Beginner | Depth range: 5–15m Located off nearby Pandanan Island, this site features a shallow reef transitioning into a sandy rubble bottom. It is a premier muck-diving location. The calm water allows you to search slowly for camouflaged frogfish hiding in the sand. You can also spot jawfish and numerous sea slugs. A macro lens with a narrow depth of field is ideal for isolating the camouflaged frogfish against the rubble.

Bohayan Reef and Kalapuan

Skill level: All levels | Depth range: 5–25m Bohayan features a beautiful sloping wall adjacent to a traditional island stilt village. It is an excellent spot for novices advancing their wall-diving skills. The main attraction is the tiny pygmy seahorse. These tiny creatures live on red gorgonian sea fans at around 17 metres. The nearby island of Kalapuan hosts traditional coastal stilt villages and new TRACC bottle reefs.

Sipadan is Malaysia's only oceanic island. It rises roughly 600 metres from the seabed. You go there for the pelagic encounters. The resident chevron barracuda school often forms a dense column in the current. You can also see bumphead parrotfish herds and patrolling grey reef sharks.

Diving Sipadan from Pom Pom requires planning. The resort holds a small Sipadan permit allocation. If this quota is full the resort can attempt to source extra permits from other operators. Extra permits carry a surcharge on top of the standard government levies. The boat run across the Celebes Sea takes roughly an hour. A Sipadan permit day gives 2 dives from Pom Pom or Mataking and three from Mabul, Kapalai or the Celebes Explorer.

Sabah Parks issues 254 Sipadan permits a day. All divers must hold an Advanced Open Water certification or equivalent. Diving hours run from early morning until the afternoon. There is no night diving at Sipadan.

Sipadan permit days can be arranged as part of your booking. If you pre-book a dive package with the right minimum stay your permit can be guaranteed. The exact dates depend on the resort schedule and the team steers you through the process. Sipadan is closed to all visitors every November to let the marine environment rest.

If your main goal is to dive Sipadan every single day you should look at resorts on Mabul or Kapalai. Pom Pom is best treated as a relaxed macro destination where a Sipadan day trip is a bonus.

Your journey begins at Tawau Airport. The overland transfer to the coastal town of Semporna takes 70 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. You arrive at Semporna's Pelancong or Bangau Bangau jetty. From there you board a speedboat for the 45-minute crossing to Pom Pom.

The resort operates strictly fixed transfer slots. The boats from Semporna to Pom Pom depart at 12:30pm and 4pm. The return boats from Pom Pom to Semporna leave at 9am and 1pm.

Be sure to align your flights with these specific times. Allow time to reach the final 4pm boat: missed slots incur an extra transfer charge. Island boats do not run after dark. The team helps you match your flights to the boat schedule during the booking process.

Mornings start early with breakfast in the open-air restaurant. Divers gear up for a two-tank boat trip to nearby islands like Pandanan or Mataking. Snorkellers can join the boat or step straight off the beach to explore the house reef.

Everyone returns for a buffet lunch. The afternoon is completely unstructured. You can take a kayak out on the water or book a massage at the spa. Late afternoon is the time to watch the shoreline for turtle activity. Divers often head out at dusk to dive Mandarin Heaven before dinner.

Reviews highlight the excellent access to nature. Guests love stepping off the jetty to snorkel with turtles on almost every outing. The quiet atmosphere appeals heavily to couples and families wanting a true digital detox.

The honest limits relate to facilities. The resort provides complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby and clubhouse only. Mobile reception is patchy on the island; many guests count that as part of the appeal. Check which mobile networks provide coverage before buying a local SIM card. The full-board dining provides plenty of fuel for diving but the buffet variety can feel repetitive on a longer stay. Guests also note the presence of sandflies on the beach. Pack a strong insect repellent to keep your evenings comfortable.

Pom Pom is perfect for families wanting a safe island environment. It suits couples looking for peace and quiet. Beginner divers benefit from the gentle currents and attentive instruction. Snorkellers get an excellent house reef right on their doorstep.

You should base elsewhere if you want high-speed internet in your room or a vast culinary selection. Hardcore divers wanting daily Sipadan permits or intense drift dives should choose a resort on Mabul or Kapalai.

• Mataking Island Resort
• Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort
• Borneo Divers Mabul Resort
• Tun Sakaran Marine Park
• Pom Pom Island

Send your planned travel dates, the names of everyone coming and your diving certification levels. The team comes back with the details of what can be arranged for your time on the island.