Sipadan

Sipadan is Malaysia's only oceanic island, rising about 600 m from the seabed in the Celebes Sea off Sabah's east coast^[1]. Sipadan Island Park, managed by Sabah Parks, covers 16,860 hectares^[1]. The island is a world-renowned scuba diving destination^[1].

More than 400 fish species and hundreds of coral species have been classified here^[1]. Green and hawksbill turtles are frequently seen and mate and nest at the island, while barracuda, big-eye trevally and bumphead parrotfish gather in large schools^[1]. Manta rays, eagle rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks visit the area^[1].

The reefs around the island hold hundreds of coral species^[1].

Sipadan formed as living corals grew on top of an extinct volcanic cone over thousands of years^[1]. Beneath the island is an underwater limestone cave with a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers^[1].

Sipadan lies in the tropical Celebes Sea, with warm water year round.

Dive trips to the island began in the 1980s, and the first resort opened in 1984^[1]. On 23 April 2000 gunmen kidnapped 21 people from the island's resort and took them to Jolo; all were eventually released^[1]. Malaysia and Indonesia both claimed Sipadan until the International Court of Justice awarded it to Malaysia in December 2002^[1].

Sipadan was declared a bird sanctuary in 1933 by the North Borneo colonial government and re-gazetted by Malaysia in 1963^[1]. In 2004 Sabah Parks declared it a marine park, and six hotel and resort facilities were closed because of ecological impact^[1]. The protected area was expanded by 6,846 hectares in 2015^[1].

The draw is diving along the reef wall that drops from the island, with schools of barracuda and trevally and frequent turtles^[1]. The limestone cave beneath the island holds the skeletal remains of turtles that became lost and drowned^[1].

Visitors need a permit from Sabah Parks, and since 2019 176 permits have been available each day, shared between dive resorts and dive centres^[1]. The island lies in Semporna District, and the nearest town is Semporna, about 36 km away^[1].

In 2016 four dive marshals were appointed to monitor diving activity, and the island was closed for a month in November 2023 to let the ecosystem recover from human disturbance^[1]. The daily permit cap limits the number of divers^[1].