Semporna & Sipadan

Sabah's east coast, home to Sipadan, one of the world's top dive sites, plus Mabul, Kapalai's water villages and the Bajau sea villages. A mecca for Chinese divers.

Semporna (meaning "perfect" in the Bajau language) is a small town on the southeast coast of Sabah, Malaysia, part of Tawau Division and facing the Celebes Sea. It is the sole gateway to islands such as Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai and Mataking and to Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The town itself is just a jetty, a fish market and a few streets of supplies; the real destination is out at sea. Sipadan Island, 36 km to the south, is one of the world's top dive sites, and neighboring Mabul and Kapalai are the main bases for water-village resorts and dive certification courses. Tun Sakaran Marine Park to the northeast (Pearl Island, Warship Island, Mantabuan and others) is the main area for snorkeling and island hopping, and the stilt villages around town are home to the stateless Bajau (sea gypsies). The climate is 26–32°C all year. From March to October the seas are calm and visibility is at its best, with April–August the peak season for Sipadan. From November to February the northeast monsoon brings rain and rough seas, and snorkeling and island-hopping trips may be cancelled, though diving can still go ahead. Getting there: fly first to Tawau Airport (direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, plus Chinese charters in some seasons). From the airport to Semporna takes about 1.5 hours by car (shared transfer about RM 30–50 per person, and resorts usually arrange pickups), and then a speedboat from the town jetty takes 20–60 minutes to the islands. We recommend staying 4–6 days: an OW/AOW certification takes 3–4 days, and Sipadan permits are limited to 178 per day. Most resorts require a stay of more than 3 nights before allocating permits, so book 1–3 months ahead. Tips: Semporna falls within the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE), with a nighttime sea curfew and military and police stationed at island resorts, so simply travel with a reputable operator; use reef-safe sunscreen; medical facilities in town are limited, and do not fly within 18–24 hours after diving; and ask permission before taking photos in Bajau villages, and do not hand out money or items to children.

Top sights

Sipadan Island – Malaysia’s only oceanic island, rising from the seafloor 600 meters below. Barracuda storms, parrotfish schools and turtles are everywhere…
Mabul Island – Just 15 minutes by boat from Sipadan, Mabul is the resort base and a world-famous muck diving mecca. It is also the main choice for earning…
Bohey Dulang – A volcanic island in the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, where a climb of more than 600 steps to a 353-metre summit reveals emerald lagoons and a…
Kapalai Resort – A full over-water resort built on a submerged sandbar, with wooden walkways linking overwater bungalows. At low tide a white sandbar emerge…
Tun Sakaran Marine Park – A marine park made up of eight volcanic islands and coral-reef lagoons, and the main stage for Semporna's island-hopping snorkeling. Climbi…
Mataking Island – A private resort island about one hour by boat from Semporna, with fine white sand, an underwater post office and a turtle hatchery. It sui…
Bajau Laut Village – A village of stilt houses and boat dwellers, where children paddle dugout canoes and faces are smeared with rice-powder sunscreen. It is th…
Semporna Town & Waterfront – The starting point for every island trip, a small town of piers, dive shops, seafood stalls and the Bajau fish market. The Regatta Lepa boa…
Sibuan Island – A small white-sand island in Tun Sakaran Marine Park. You can snorkel the shallows for turtles and coral, and it is a popular spot for phot…
Mantabuan Island – One of the clearest small islands on the northern route, with a pure white sandbar stretching into the water and rich coral for snorkeling…
Maiga Island – A small island in Tun Sakaran Marine Park near Bohey Dulang, with white sand and clear shallows good for snorkeling, and a Bajau settlement.
Pom Pom Island – A resort island in the open sea northeast of Semporna, with white sand all the way around, a turtle beach and an overwater-bungalow resort…
Timba Timba Island – A small island near Mataking, its snow-white sandbar and the glassy shallows, which look like “crystal glass,” make it a photo stop on the…
Kulapuan Island – A small island on the open sea south of the southern route, ringed by shallow reefs and white sand. Sea turtles are often seen while snorke…
Bukit Tengkorak Archaeological Site – A dormant volcanic crater archaeological site on the outskirts of Semporna town, with a pottery workshop dating back about 3,000 years and…

Where to eat

Fat Mother Seafood Restaurant – Semporna's best-known Chinese seafood restaurant, familiar to almost every diver, where cream prawns and mantis shrimp…
Fish Village Seafood Restaurant – A waterfront live-seafood restaurant where you choose fish, prawns and crabs from the tanks and specify how they are co…
Bismillah Restaurant – A mamak stall popular with divers having breakfast before heading out to sea; roti is made fresh at the door, it is che…