Sipadan Island Diving

Staghorn Crest

At this Pulau Sipadan dive site, you will find yourself beginning with a gentle descent along the drop-off, followed by a gradual diagonal descent along the wall, at the shallow end of which there is a garden of staghorn corals. Photographers take note - this site has brilliant light conditions during the afternoons which offers excellent illumination for superb underwater images.

On the face of the wall, take a close look into the numerous cervices, balconies, cavities and protruding vaults where you will see a profusion of marine life which have made their home there. You will find red seawhip corals, black corals, barrel sponges and a plethora of reef fish. In particular, watch out for groupers, nudibranchs, angelfish, gobies, grunts, shrimps and triggerfish. Due to the untouched nature of the Sipadan reefs, the coral formations have grown to huge sizes; the black corals in depths between 15 and 40 metres have bushes which have grown up to 2 metres wide.

Because of the variable currents which can be strong at this Sipadan Island diving spot, novices should stick close to the divemaster. However, more experienced divers with a yearning for adventure can strike out to about 30 metres away from the wall towards the expanse of open sea. Here, you will come across giant manta rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks, rare fox sharks and leopard sharks.

Staghorn Crest Reef Basics: Wall dive
Depth: 20 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 30m
Currents: Moderate - strong
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 26 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 13 km (27 minutes) south from Mabul and 11 km (20 mins) southwest from Kapalai
Access: Mabul and Kapalai dive resorts

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