Sipadan - Kapalai?

Just been to that area, if you´ve never been there, get ready for a great dive!!
Sipadan Island is AMAZING, try to spend there at least two whole days. Some people dived in Mabul island (muck diving), no coral but lots of the stuff you want to see (frog fish and so on...). We tried in Mataking island, thank god we did it before Sipadan, because it´s nothing compared to the rest. Disappointed about it.

Kapalai rooms are beautiful but the resort has grown too quickly and it has trouble accommodating wishes that fall outside the standard "two dives at Sipadan and one dive at Mabul or Kapalai" each day. Perhaps things will be better for you - I was there in August when the place was full - but I wasn't at all impressed by the dive shop. We were allowed a grand total of one dive at Mabul. The problem with the "unlimited shore diving" at Kapalai is that there's only really one site were you can go. Admittedly you should be able to see frogfish, pipefish, stonefish and, in the evening, mandarin fish, but you wouldn't want to be diving the same place (#12) all the time. FWIW, our (boat) dive at site #14 was best by a country mile.
Be careful getting your hopes up. Mabul/Kapalai are very interesting but they're no Lembeh Straits. Sipadan also came as a disappointment after reading so many people glorify it as one of the best places on earth. It's a bit like going to see a good film at the cinema. If you know nothing about it you'll love it. If you believe the hype, you WILL be disappointed.
I'm not sure what you mean about what to take, but they have enough rental gear for you not to worry on that level. And if you're travelling with Air Asia and their 15kg allowance, bear in mind that you can pay an extra 30 ringgit to take a dive bag regardless of weight. It works out a lot cheaper than paying excess baggage.

thanks quiquep, and Froghopper!
We will be arriving Friday in Semporna, and Saturday at Kapalai water village.... will try and get that #14 dive site more than the #12 spot, as sure, it gets kind of boring seeing the same old stuff. Believe me, I spent the last two months diving the same old sive sites on Koh Tao, and it DOES get old, pretty quickly!!!!
Air Asia does have a sports bag allowance but from their website it looks like it has a 15k limit (no worries there)... Add that to the carryon allowance (reg bag) and we're set.
:)
Hopefully we'll get good visibility. We totally understand that this is not Lembeh (where we will go again soooooon). Merci bien for the warning... though, and we are leaving our expectations behind.... just hoping for fun and good diving. With any luck, the dive shop will be a little less impersonal, who knows, right?
:)
dave

That sport bag allowance seems to be a direct response to the complaints divers have had. That, plus the time and expense of getting up to Clark makes me think that it's not quite the bargain it seems to be.