Dive site
Sipadan (Barracuda Point)
Sabah, Celebes Sea, Malaysia
- Typical depth
- 25 m
- Type
- Drift
- Level
- Intermediate
Notes
Sea-mount with barracuda tornadoes and turtles.
Marine life
- Corals
- pristine wall corals, sea fans
- Sharks
- whitetip reef shark, grey reef shark, occasional hammerhead
- Turtles
- green (very abundant), hawksbill
- Pelagics
- chevron barracuda (tornado), giant trevally, bigeye trevally, dogtooth tuna
- Reef fish
- bumphead parrotfish (schools), snapper, triggerfish
Site features
- Oceanic Island
- Wall
- Drift
- Permit-Capped
- Marine Reserve
- No Overnight Stays On Island
When to dive
- Best
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb
Sipadan is divable year-round but conditions are best Apr–Dec. Strict daily permit cap (currently 178 permits/day) — book with a licensed Mabul/Kapalai operator. Barracuda Point famous for the resident swirling barracuda tornado and green turtle abundance.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 20–40 m
- Water temp
- 27–30 °C
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Permit required
- Min cert
- Open Water; Advanced recommended for the wall and current
Location
4.1144° N, 118.6286° E
Sources
Curated from 1 source
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