The Climate and Best Time to Visit
The islands enjoy an equatorial climate, so the air temperature generally ranges between 28-34°C during the day and drops to about 22°C during the warm evenings. The region is generally unaffected by the monsoon seasons which affect other places in this part of South East Asia, although sporadic heavy rains can come down during the rainy season from December to March. Being islands, Sipadan and Mabul have cooling sea breezes that make even the high humidity level of 85-95% quite pleasant.
The dive season is year round but the best conditions for diving at Sipadan are thought to be from April to December when surface conditions are normally calm. Water temps are 26 - 30°C. Any time is a good time to dive here, but if you have the freedom to choose then April to December is the best time to plan a visit (excluding November). Find more information in our Sipadan diving guide.
How to Get There
Kota Kinabalu is the main gateway to all of Sabah's diving destinations, including Sipadan. It has an international airport (code BKI) which has direct flights to and from Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipeh, Kaoshiung, Singapore, Philippines and Brunei.
Flights - Boat Transfer:
The recommended flight from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau leaves at 7 am and arrives at 7:50 am, with Malaysia Airlines. This is the flight most Sipadan dive resorts favour and guests will be collected here and driven for about 1 hour to Semporna, where a boat will transfer you the 45 minutes to your resort on Mabul Island or Kapalai. Your diving activities will start in the afternoon. Later flights are available but can cause problems with transfers and will almost certainly mean no diving on the first day.
There are direct flights from Kuala Lumpur (code KUL) to Tawau with Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia but these may mean a long wait for a pick up, or an overnight in Semporna and pick up from your hotel next morning. Check the airport transfer times on each resort's page on our website. You can stay at the Seafest Hotel or Dragon Inn in Semporna. Air Asia is free-seating and Malaysia Airlines is not. Both have emergency exit seats with acres of leg-room. For Air Asia you need to be at the front of the queue to secure one of these, although many are pre-book only.
Flights back from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu are with Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. If you do not wish to stay overnight in Kota Kinabalu, you can fly direct to Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia or Malaysian Airlines. Guests who will be flying within 24 hours after resort departure may be subject to diving restrictions at the end of their stay.
Note - flight times are subject to change. Please refer to the airline web sites to check for changes and for booking information. We recommend that you consider taking out insurance to cover scuba packages and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive quote:
Choose Your Own Accommodation
Complement your Sipadan dive resort package by extending your stay and exploring more of Sabah's wonders. We've partnered with HotelsCombined.com to offer you the widest selection of accommodations across Sabah. Use their website for instant confirmations and secure bookings, 24/7 customer support, and a price match guarantee. Browse their selection of hotels and resorts to find the perfect pre- or post-dive stay.
