Another discovery we have Cousteau to thank for, Palau Sipadan is a treasure trove of potential sites and sights and one of the best places in the world to swim with turtles (green and hawksbills are the most common.). They graze on sponges here, cruising calmly though the waters and pecking away at the corals and rocks the sponges sprout from and lay their eggs on the island annually. You can arrange to be part of the experience, though it is sensibly heavily regulated. Barracudas seem equally relaxed and gather in hoards at Barracuda Point, like a sand storm of fish. Trevelly, snapper and reef shark are well represented and the bumphead parrotfish are pretty funny (their name gives away their appeal.).
Sipadan from the air is a circle of green forest surrounded by an apron of reef that is about five or six times the size of the island itself. Anemones grow thick on the sunny sides of the reef so there is colour and small fish a plenty.
Written by
Nick Shaw.
From the name, you’d be expecting Barracudas and you wouldn’t be wrong. Jacks join them in schools amongst the corals which grow out for flat stretches in large fields. Turtles, white tips, groupers, wrasse, reef sharks, parrot fish, tuna and frog fish … Read more...
Written by
Nick Shaw.
A tiny island but it has to be one of the best places in the world to dive for turtles. On the top of lots of best diving sites lists, there are a couple of great sites here, larger fish being the other big draw. Reef sharks, big parrotfish barracudas and schools of trevally. There are smaller fish as well, hugging the reef walls and drop offs mostly staying out of eating distance from the big guys. The consensus is that you need to have about 30 dives under your belt to dive here and it’s mostly drift diving.
You can’t stay on the island anymore because people were doing too much damage, the best access is from resorts on its island neighbours.
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From the name, you’d be expecting Barracudas and you wouldn’t be wrong. Jacks join them in schools amongst the corals which gr…