Description
Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort is located on a wide sandbank offering a mile long white sand beach with the majority of the resort built on sturdy stilts over the clear, blue waters. Each simple but comfortable wooden bungalow is built in a Kampung (village) design, traditional to this area of Borneo.
There are incredible dive sites here, considered to be among the top five dive areas in the World, some of which you can swim to straight from the beach. Sipadan is just minutes away with amazing number of rare and colourful species including the techni-coloured cuttle fish. Alternatively, should you wish for a different underwater experience, the Mabul dive area offers muck diving.
Please note that a stay here can only be booked through Scott Dunn as part of an itinerary with at least 7 nights accommodation in total.
Accommodation
Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort has 59 twin and triple en-suite wooden chalets with private balconies all linked by wooden walkways over the clear blue water.
Childcare
Children are very welcome to come and stay at Sidapan-Kapalai Dive Resort. However, there are no specific facilities available for children. Due to the over-water nature of the resort and as diving is the main activity for a stay here, it may well be better suited to older children.
Facilities
Freshly prepared meals are served on the terrace of the buffet style restaurant. There is a full PADI Dive Centre offering a variety of courses for all levels of experience and snorkelling and kayaking equipment is also available.
Activities
Activities at Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Centre are obviously geared towards diving, which is exceptional in this region, but for non-divers, snorkelling and kayaking are enjoyable and the beach is idyllic, an ideal spot for doing very little.
When to travel
Like the rest of Malaysia, Sabah’s climate is hot and humid. Expect temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s throughout the lowlands. The state’s rainfall averages about 300cm annually and though it rains throughout the year, the heaviest rainfall generally occurs between October and January. At higher elevations the temperature is refreshingly cool, dropping to colder temperatures at night. Mount Kinabalu has its own climate and, above 3500m, temperatures can drop to freezing.
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Location and directions
Sulu Sea, Borneo, Malaysia
A few minutes by boat from the islands of Sipadan and Mabul. Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is located on a sand bar called Kapalai, in the middle of the celebes sea.
How to get there
Flights are available to Tawau Airport from via Kota Kinabalu. From Tawau Airport, it is about 1.5-hour to the Semporna jetty, followed by a speedboat to Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort (approximately 45-minutes).
Please note that there is a jetty Fee of RM10.00 per person per entry. Payment will be in cash (only) and an official receipt will be issued accordingly. Please note that you may have to pay the jetty fee again if you are visiting other islands around Semporna.
