MV Celebes Explorer 9

MV Celebes Explorer 9 is the only Sipadan liveaboard diving option and clearly the best way to dive Sipadan dive sites every day. You can join different lengths of cruises every Tuesday and Friday. It is also a great option for full charter for groups of 10 to 15 people.

This 35m motor yacht is uniquely placed to allow 10 lucky guests to maximise their time underwater at the dive sites around the legendary Sipadan island. With capacity for 16 guests you are sure of plenty of space on board. You can hang out in the main deck's air-conditioned saloon reading a book from the library or playing cards. This doubles as the dining area where buffet-style meals are served. There is also a separate audio-visual room with TV and music system, where you can listen to music and watch films or underwater clips. There is also a 3rd indoor relaxation room on the upper deck where you can lounge on the sofa and have a drink.

Open air chill-out spaces include the shaded and furnished area at the stern of the main deck, and you can climb the spiral staircase to the sun deck. Here you can stretch out on sun loungers and soak up the sun or enjoy a cool refreshing drink as the sun sets over the Celebes Sea.

Divers suit up and step down to the dive tender where the can put on their BCD, mask and fins before diving the delights of Sipadan. Air and nitrox tanks are filled in Semporna and stored on the mothership. Note that diving is at Sipadan every day. There are 3 dives at Sipadan each diving day. On whole boat charters you will also do an additional dive at Mabul every diving day, except the last diving day.

All 8 cabins have air-conditioning and ensuite bathrooms. 2 double (or twin) bed cabins are on the middle deck (with large seaview windows and with doors that open to the outside deck), 6 twin bed cabins are on the lower deck (with portholes and with doors that open to a central corridor).

So if you want to experience more time underwater at Sipadan's dive sites than any other option can provide, it is time to act now and take your place on the MV Celebes Explorer 9.

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Dive experience: It is advisable that guests have open water certification and can dive with good self-control of buoyancy.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, marine park fees and permits, Semporna jetty fees, scuba diving equipment, dives (as detailed in the trips above), experienced English-speaking divemaster(s) (3-4 divers per DM), tanks, weights and weightbelts. Goods & Services Tax (GST 6%) is included in our prices (unlike some other agency websites that you might visit).

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Tawau airport or hotel to Semporna transfers (guests' responsibility, included in whole boat charters), dive insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only).
Dive computers: These are not available for rent. Guests should bring their own. If you dive without a computer your depth will be limited to that of the dive guide.

Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 13 per tank) to be paid in advance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival.

How to get there: You will board the MV Celebes Explorer 9 in the afternoon every Tuesday (3 nights and 7 nights cruises) and Friday (4 nights cruises). You need to be in Semporna at the operator's office (opposite Starbucks) by around 15:00 in readiness to depart around 15:30. If the boat is in port (most Tuesdays) you will board directly and overnight on board in Semporna, before the boat cruises to Sipadan in the early morning. If the liveaboard is in Mabul (eg most Fridays) you will be transferred by speedboat to the liveaboard to overnight onboard in Mabul, so you must make the 15:00 check-in. In either case there will be no diving on day 1. Diving begins in Sipadan on day 2 Note: land transfers are not provided. Guests are responsible for their own arrival at Semporna jetty. The road journey from Tawau Airport takes around 75 minutes. There are taxis and buses available at the airport.

Tawau arrival flights:
From Kota Kinabalu:
Malaysia Airlines: MH2121 (07:40-08:30), MH2137 (12:30-13:20)
Air Asia: AK 6272 (07:30-08:25), AK 6260 (09:10-10:05)
Malindo Air: OD1700 (10:55-11:45)
From Kuala Lumpur:
Air Asia: AK5746 (07:25-10:15)
Malaysia Airlines: MH 2660 (07:30 - 10:20).
From Sandakan:
Malaysia Airlines MH 3093 (09:20-10:00)

Tawau departure flights:
To Kota Kinabalu:
Malindo Air: OD 1701 (12:25-13:25), OD 1703 (18:30-19:30)
Air Asia: AK6261 (10:30-11:25), AK 6263 (15:05-16:00)
Malaysia Airlines: MH2122 (09:15-10:05), MH2134 (18:15-19:05)
To Kuala Lumpur:
Malaysia Airlines: MH 2661 (10:45-13:25), MH2665 14:15-17:00)
Air Asia: AK5747 (10:40-13:35), AK5749 (15:40-18:30)

If your cruise ends on a Tuesday you will awaken on board in Semporna and disembark after breakfast. Alternatively, if the liveaboard is staying in Mabul, you will be transferred by speedboat back to Semporna. You can expect to be in Semporna at around 08:30 hrs.

The last dive of the trip will be before 14:00 hrs on the penultimate day. This operator has a stricter than usual policy on flying after diving and they recommend flights after 14:00 hrs to ensure a full 24 hrs from the end of the last dive. The operator may refuse diving that is within 24 hrs of your scheduled flight time.

Non-diver rate: There is no non-diver discount.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of approximately 45% of the published price depending on length of cruise. With capacity for 16 guests (and a maximum of 10 guests) there is an increased chance you may have a twin share cabin to yourself anyway.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 9 guests and 1 extra person may join the cruise free of charge.

Whole boat charter rate (per night):
Full charter of 10 people: 3 night cruise - US$ 2,637, 4 night cruise - US$ 2,779, 7 night cruise - US$ 2,961.
Full charter of 15 people (Sipadan and Mabul diving days): 4 night cruise - US$ 3,726, 7 night cruise - US$ 3,957.
Full charters also include 1 extra dive at Mabul on each diving day (except the last diving day) and pick up at Tawau airport and return transfers to the port in Semporna on scheduled embarkation and disembarkation days.

Add-on package: If this is your only planned visit to Borneo Malaysia then we strongly recommend that you consider a 2 night add-on stay at the Sepilok Nature Resort, Sandakan in Sabah, to allow you to witness the not-to-be-missed jungle adventures with Orangutans.

There are 8 Standard cabins on board. 6 twin bed cabins are on the lower deck and 2 double (or twin) bed cabins on the main deck, all with ensuite bathrooms.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 10 / 10 - hot water

Customer reviews:

Everything was amazing, Our full charter of CE9 was the highlight of our holiday and the boat surpassed expectations.They went over and beyond and changed the services based on our request (an extra night away from the port so we could do a snorkeling stop in Mabul on our last morning). Staff were amazing, boat was amazing, dives were great." - Skye Cornell, Cambodia, 18 February 2020 ...

The older boat has its fair share of bad reviews on the internet and maybe rightfully so. But the Celebes Explorer 9 is positively luxurious. Huge lounge/dining area, sunning deck and the common rooms are almost worthy of a 5-star resort. It probably helped that we were 4 guests on a boat meant for 14 and so really had lots of space. The housekeeping crew are warm attentive and helpful. The chef cooked up a variety of simple but delicious dishes during the 4 nights I spent here. Cookies, bananas, milk, tea and coffee are almost on tap. Fresh fruits are served with every meal and during the surface intervals. Diving in Sipadan is truly world class. The currents are gentle here allowing for relaxed dives, The marine life is diverse and bountiful. Healthy corals (for now) and beautiful vistas made for good diving. The visibility was not always crystal clear, but we always had 10-15m visibility. Sharks and turtles are a given on almost every dive. Barracudas, schools of jack, humphead parrotfish, batfish etc are abundant and make this a wonderful place to dive at." - Ramnarayan Rajagopal, India, 03 March 2020 ...