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Dive Review of SeaVentures in
Malaysia/Mabul, Kapalai, Sipadan

SeaVentures: "A fantastic dive trip to Malaysia/Borneo", Oct, 2023,

by Richard P Tucker, CA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 12663.

Photos Submitted with this Report


Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations For Subscribers Only Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude For Subscribers Only Environmental Sensitivity For Subscribers Only
Dive Operation For Subscribers Only Shore Diving For Subscribers Only
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ For Subscribers Only
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced For Subscribers Only
Comments We spent 8 nights at SeaVentures, a decommissioned oil rig off the coast of Sabah, North Borneo, converted into accommodations, cafeteria, game room, sundeck and PADI dive center. SeaVentures is close to the island of Mabul and is only a 20-minute boat ride from Sipadan. SeaVentures arranges airport pickups and drop offs. We arrived in Tawau too late to get to SeaVentures that day, so instead they picked us up at our hotel lobby in Tawau the next morning.

It was an unforgettable holiday, and we’re already looking at our schedules to arrange a return trip! The rig closes each November for renovations (it needs to be scraped and repainted each year), so mid-October we had the place almost to ourselves. On a couple of days, only six divers were at the rig. That also meant that extra slots were available for Sipadan, and we were able to dive there on four consecutive days. We arrived at the rig around noon and were taken out on two check out dives: one in the nearby Mabul muck, and one at the house reef under the rig. Divers reach the dive boats by taking an elevator down to the sea; when diving under the rig the elevator goes right into the water, making entrance and exit remarkably easy.

On Sipad ... Subscribe to get the full story. For Subscribers Only  Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites SeaVentures   SeaVentures

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Micronesia, Red Sea, Hawaii, Caribbean, Florida, California, Sipadan
Closest Airport Tawau Getting There We flew Cathay Pacific San Francisco to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur to Tawau. After spending a night in Tawau, SeaVentures picked us up and drove us to Semporna, where we met a dive boat that took us to the SeaVentures rig. Coming home we spent a night in Semporna and arranged for a driver to take us to the airport near Tawau the next morning.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry Seas calm, choppy, currents, no currents
Water Temp 87-88°F / 31-31°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Divers needed to do a check out dive before diving the house reef.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish For Subscribers Only
Small Critters For Subscribers Only Large Fish For Subscribers Only
Large Pelagics For Subscribers Only

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter For Subscribers Only Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's For Subscribers Only Shore Facilities For Subscribers Only
UW Photo Comments There is a sheltered camera room with a lot of power, and a dedicated rinse tub. ... Subscribe to get the full story. For Subscribers Only  Active subscribers continue reading here
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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