Sipadan Island is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres from the seabed, and is formed by living coral growing on top of a volcanic cone. It lies near the borders of Indonesia and the Philippines, in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo. It is the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world.

The best dive sites in Sipadan are Barracuda Point, The Drop-Off, Hanging Gardens, South Point, Turtle Cavern, Whitetip Avenue and Paradise. Sipadan is known as the turtle capital of the world. Its large breeding colony of green and hawksbill turtles can grow to a metre long and weigh over 140 kg. Sipadan’s marine life is also rich and diverse. There are over 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of species of coral. Besides turtles, schools of barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, manta rays, big-eyed trevallies and hammerhead sharks are common.

The diving season in Sipadan is all year round, although the conditions do vary throughout the year. March-July and October-December offer the most consistent conditions. Surface conditions are usually calm, sometimes glassy, water temperatures consistently bathing warm and weather usually hot and sunny. Visibility during these periods is usually between 15 and 30 metres.