Is there a cheaper way to dive sipadan ?

The cheapest way to dive Sipadan is to stay at the town of Semporna on Borneo proper. There are several ops there, some more highly regarded than others. You dive Sipadan/Mabul by dayboat and stay in pretty basic lodgings in a dismal town. It seems to work okay for hardcore divers, backpackers, and the like, but the experience doesn't conform to what most people look for in a holiday experience for which they travel long distances on their annual dive getaway.

hiya,

we went to kapalai dive resort on our honeymoon - far from cheap but I can tell you it was absolutely incredible and worth every cent! Depends on your budget and what you're after of course but can recommend it highly.
cheers
Martin

We used North Borneo divers last year and they were fantastic, good fun but really professional, we were looked after and felt safe. It's owned by a guy called Jerry, originally from Europe but now living nearby. He has all local staff who have worked for him for some time, our instructor was called Choc and he was wonderfully charismatic.

They arranged accomodation in Semporna at the Dragon Inn, nice rooms on stilts over the water, resturant wasnt much to speak about and internet a rip off but close to town and dive op is right there. They ferry you out and back to Sipadan by fast boat, an hour I guess.

Semporna is a dive, not somewhere I felt too comfortable wandering around on my own. Good food at a couple of little places around the Semporna inn, a place in town which is upstairs overlooking the main drag which had ok food, great salads and juices and dirt cheap internet, oh and scuba junkies for Pizza and a beer when there was power!

From chatting to others there is an oil rig you can stay on, light on the pocket but didnt come highly recomended. Neither did Scuba Junkies - gung ho attitude of ever changing staff.

If we had forked out a little more I would have liked to stay on Mabul (?) seemed you had the best of both worlds, good diving through the day, more if you wanted it and lovely island to relax after

X
May the winds be with you

the seaventures oil rig was cheaper than the resorts, the downside being that it's really ungy, else it was very good! excellent divemasters, no sandflies and mosquitoes, good food... check www.seaventuresdive.com

As has been said above the Seaventures Platform is one option that is affordable and will remove most of the hassle from your stay. You say you got quotes from various dive operators - In fact it is sometimes cheaper not to go direct with the resorts.

The Platform is the cheapest 'resort' and is not bad. The rooms are nothing special but the food is good and plenty of it, you are only a short boat ride away from the best dive sites (and directly beneath the resort is a good dive) and staying on a coverted oil rig is in fact a bit of a novelty.

Remember that the price is all inclusive and by the time you add up your accommodation, meals, transfers etc etc some of the 'cheap' ways to do it turn out to be not that cheap. Plus you need to spend over two ass-numbing hours on a speedboat and stay in the dungheap that is Semporna.

I think anyone going to Sipadan should be prepared to spend because it could be one of the best experiences of your life. However if you are on a budget then take a close look before deciding to stay in Semporna because you WILL have complaints and you may not save any cash.

We took our family of 4 on a budget trip & stayed at Sipadan Water VIllage. We booked in Tawau & got the Malaysian price. (had to work for that a little bit but it was at least 1/3 less than lissted). As we had just come from the GBR we felt the price was very good as diving costs were included in our package price. Staff we amazing - we felt we got an excellent deal. Kids loved sleepingon the water, seeing sharks come in to catch food. Having sea snakes & parrot fish fighting over chicken bones we threw them after dinner was fun. 14 yr old loved to annoy the nemo's by the dive shop, lots of lion fish, great night diving at the resort. Then there was Sipidan. Spoiled us for the rest of our life. Nothing has come close!!

I stayed at Borneo Divers Mabul Resort which was quite expensive but I also looked at Uncle Chang's. Its basic but it's on Mabul island so you are closer to Sipadan than if you stay in Semporna. Best thing is its only 50 malaysian ringgit for accomodation and all meals per day.

Check it out www.sipadanbackpackers.com<BR><BR>PM me if you want to know anything else on Sipadan.

Hello,

I'd thought I'd try and resurrect this thread. I'm potentially heading over to Malaysia in October, if I'm going I want to dive Sipidan too.

Having had a look above the seaadventures rig seems the best option. However, having checked that out it might cost me double as I'll probably be on my todd.

Also, this thread is 5 years old, anyone been there recently that can advise on cheapest Vs best experience options?

Cheers!

Krisja.

So much depends on your budget. It was a couple of years ago when I was there so things may have changed. However, in Semporna you can stay at the Seafest Hotel at a reasonable cost (about 25 GBP per room when I stayed) and although it is something of a monstrosity to look at is a decent enough hotel and only a few minutes walk to the various dive centres. I looked into a few of the dive outfits and they all seem to cater mostly to the budget/backpacker end of the market. I dived with Sipidan Scuba who were ok but nothing special. Semporna is a bit of a dump but as you are usually out diving from 8am to 4pm it's still well worth it if you cannot afford the expensive island resorts.

Cheers