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.

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