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Dive Review of sipidan water village in
Malaysia/mabul & sipidan

sipidan water village, Sep, 2008,

by anne warburton, ca, usa (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 24 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 4470.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments It was a long 21 hours flying time and another 9 in two hotels before we arrived at Sipidan Water Village, an hour's boat ride off the big island of Borneo. Mabul is a very small island with 3 resorts built on stilts jutting out over the turquoise water. Rooms were large and very nice with large porch attached to each. Drying rack on every porch (and/or line in bathroom) and two lounge chairs. Two jugs of water for drinking left in the rooms daily. Food was good and varied - some Malay and some American at all three meals. Liquor, beer and soft drinks are extra. Large gift shop (t-shirts, wooden carvings, sarongs, etc.) but no dive shop. Dive facility was large with benches and tables; cookies, water or hot chocolate available for the divers. Towels available. Small numbered lockers for fins, booties and non valuables. Same numbered pegs in another room for BCs. Recommended that you take computers with you to your room. Equipment all set up in the am and changed between dives. All but one of the DMs were good - pointed out many creatures - fusiliers, sargeant minors, butterfly fish, angel fish, anthais, barracuda, white tip and gray reef sharks, humphead wrasses, frogfish, sea snakes, grouper, leaf fish, crocodile fish, morays, nudis, scorpionfish, pipefish, etc. Most of the time we swam without current. Disappointed that the water was not clearer but with the two storms we had (one a typhoon) the water had to be stirred up. Many guards on Sipidan, a 45 minute boat ride from Mabul. We were checked in for the first two dives and then again for the third when we returned to the island in the afternoon. A mine sweeper with machine gun was docked at SWV one day and a helicopter with machine gun flew over one night and actually spotlighted one of our groups' room for several seconds. Looking for Philippino insurgents I guess. This was a good dive trip, water was warm and fish life plentiful.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving philippines, costa rica, belize, bonaire, curacao, lembeh strait, thailand, viet nam, cayman islands, turks, palau, yap
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 82-°F / 28-°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 10-60 Ft/ 3-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions 500 psi on the line
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments no rinse tanks on boats for cameras - only small buckets with salt water. Rinse tank at dive facility. Not a problem normally as boats returned to dive facility between most dives.
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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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