Getting my Open Water Diver License and Diving in Sipadan

Now there are many questions asking if one is allowed to take his diving course in Sipadan, or is one allowed to dive in Sipadan without a license.

The answer here is, yes and no.


It is possible to take your open water license in Semporna, the mainland which is an hour boat ride from Sipadan.


Living on boat


A place called Sibuan Island. Pretty small, some minority tribes stay on it (they don’t have IC so I don’t think they can ever leave the island).




But with sand and beaches beautiful as a baby’s bottom.




And water clears as crystal.


Diving in Sabah


The chance to interact with the locals and experience life at sea







I couldn’t ask for a better place to learn diving and earn my first scuba license.





Fabien checking my weight belt for me



Putting on my fins in water (god see how clear the water is?)


Four arrived for the course, but only two managed to pass with flying colours.

Ladies and Gentleman, I am now officially a certified PADI Open Water Diver!!!!




You have no idea how excited I felt that day. I remembered screaming at the top of my lungs for joy the moment I ascent the water and spit out my regulator (after my instructor announced we passed underwater using sign languages).


And then I went for my first real dive after the license in Sibuan Borneo itself. Fabien led us this time.

Click on the video to see me attempt a boat dive for the second time (first time during the lesson).




You don’t get to do that in a pool do you?! Haha~ it’s so awesome!


And the answer to my first question, it is possible to learn diving in Sipadan? Yes, if you are pursuing your Advanced Open Water course, it is possible that they bring you out to Sipadan to learn because by now you are a qualified diver.

I didn’t pursue my Advanced course, firstly because of limited time, I was running short of days to stay in Semporna/Sipadan (oh god how I wish I can stay there forever) even though it only takes two days to finish advance course; secondly, I was running out of budget. It’s simply too costly to take up TWO diving license in such a short period of time.

But as a reward to myself, I booked a permit and a 3-dive ride into Sipadan the very next day.

That day, we were guided by (so they claimed) The King of Sipadan, DiveMaster Jeff, who has been diving in Sipadan for the past 10 years and probably know every single corals like the back of his fin.


Really funny dude, lol


While Fabien (DiveMaster in training) was responsible for taking another team of Advanced Open Water divers out to sea that day.




We made a pit stop at Mabul Island (45 mins away from Semporna) to pick up some other divers staying there. Mabul is a simply magnificent, mind note to stay here the next time I visit.

I took some really nice photos and you can download the full photo here (I didn’t put any watermark so you can use it as wallpapers)

The first one is wide screen shot (because I own a wide screen LCD)


Mabul Island_Wide Screen, Click here for large



Mabul Island, Click here for large



Click here for large.


We have the tanks and BCDs ready,




The water’s blue and clear as ever,




Sipadan was ready for us.


Sipadan Island from afar


Fabien have the Advanced Open Water Divers dived out of the boat following us beginners later with Jeff.

Here’s a video of them doing simultaneous boat dives.




Here you find many other divers from other boats and country


A group of rich Chinese divers (they have uniform custom-made pink and yellow diving suit and each of them has a underwater camera)



My dive buddies chilling on board (the one standing comes from Michigan and has travelled for 9 months in Asia, 5 of which he spent in China and can speak fluent Mandarin, the other two are brothers who have also travelled for several months)


During breaks (dive intervals), we would head back to the island to chill or to have lunch.


Small island with no accommodation (rest house ashore)



Dive buddies playing ping pong


I found these two Caucasian kids playing DS Lite during dive intervals.




Kids? Diving? Diving suit? DS Lite? Why don’t I have that kind of childhood when I was young?!!! @#!$!@#%#!%$&


I can only say that, Sipadan, IS A SUPA GORGEOUS PLACE to dive in. The coral reef, the drop off where you can see not hundreds, but thousands of fish circling inches above you, sharks and turtles every few metres away; where you will swim above a forest of corals of all shapes and colours and into the drop off below, you will reach a point when you can’t see the surface, the bottom, where there’s only water behind you and to your sides and facing only a wall, an endless HUGE wall of corals and fish.

Where the endangered green turtle as big as me minus the legs swim so close you can almost touch them, or dive into an underwater cave where you will find a turtle’s tomb where all the turtles lay in peace.


The only regret I have when leaving the island, was that I do no own an underwater camera (casing). Those magnificent views can only be left in my memories.

As we finished our last dive, the sun was reflecting beautifully on the deep blue sea. It was magical.




(Video of me saying bye to everyone)