Kapalai Resort, Near Sipadan, Malaysia
by Lucy Kublikowski

It has been a dream of ours to dive Sipadan, but the last time we seriously considered making it our annual holiday in 2000, the tourists were hijacked, and we didn’t feel sufficiently confident to go. This year we were back-packing in Asia, and were determined to make it part of our route regardless of the cost.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, thinking we would be able to get a package from one of the local travel agents, but a day of trekking around various outlets produced no results. We decided to take advantage of Malaysia’s answer to EasyJet, called AirAsia.com, and fly to Tawau on the off chance that we would be able to find a rep at the airport or in town.
Our flight cost about US$40 which is relatively expensive, but we didn’t have the luxury of time, and as you get closer to the date you want, the cost increases. It was the usual no-frills airline formula with drinks and snacks for purchase but perfectly adequate for the relatively short flight. Once at Tawau, we were unable to find a rep but there were a couple of offices in the airport, for the various resorts with accommodation on or around Sipadan.

Each office only deals with their resort so it is helpful if you know where you want to stay. The day we arrived, the Sultan of Selanagor had block booked accommodation in 3 different resorts and although our first choice was full we were pleased to be able to get a package for Kapalai, which included transfers to and from Tawau to the boat dock at Semporna, about an hour’s drive away.

It's difficult to say if we got a better deal by turning up in Tawau, and in effect making a last minute booking. We were told we were given a reduced rate, but we had nothing to compare it to. Our stay cost about GB£600 for 5 nights (for 2 people) including all our diving, which was virtually unlimited, full board and accommodation in a water villa. The only extras were drinks and we had to hire dive gear, which cost about GB£25 per day for 2.

A small but comfortable coach drove the new arrivals to Semporna, where we gathered at the Resort’s office and jetty. A speedboat then transferred us out to the resort, about 45 minutes away. Even though I knew the resort was build entirely on stilts, it was still an amazing sight to see an entire ‘village’ standing in the middle of the sea. As we got closer it became obvious that the resort is built over a shallow lagoon and the water takes on that idyllic turquoise hue that you see in travel brochures.

We alighted from out speedboat and were greeted with juice and toast, which was very welcome after our early start. New arrivals usually have to wait until the afternoon to get in their room, as the previous occupants can keep them until 1pm when the transfer boat departs. This doesn’t stop you doing your first late morning dive, as there are showers and changing facilities at the dive center.

Our first dive was a familiarization dive, from the jetty by the dive centre. I was expecting to be asked to perform the usual mask clearing and buoyancy tasks but it was really only to show us around the house reef, on which you can make unlimited dives. It turned out to be an incredible experience, first of all seeing a Flamboyant Cuttle Fish and then all manner of macro marine life.

Kapalai is famous for its wealth of macro marine life, and although most visitors are there to experience the diving on its neighbour Sipadan, there are plenty of divers (usually with huge underwater cameras and video units) who only want to see the stunning inhabitants of this beautiful lagoon, such as the Mandarin Fish, a colony of which lives barely 10 metres from the dive centre jetty.

You can choose where you want to dive each day, “SP” next to your name on the wipe board means you want to dive at Sipadan. Divers are grouped in twelves and allocated one of the boats with a Dive Master to accompany them. Kapalai has a sister resort actually on Sipadan, and it is usually based on their assessment of the day’s currents and visibility that the dive site is chosen. When we stayed at Kapalai there were 3 or 4 boats making the 15 minute journey across each day.

Once at Sipadan, we were usually deposited either at the north or southern end of the island, over the top of the reef. As you descend you are immediately overwhelmed by the colours, visibility and the mass of fish, it truly is like putting your head in a fish tank. It was then a short swim to the edge of the reef and the steep drop off down the wall. The currents can be pretty fierce and most days it was a bit of a roller coaster ride along the wall. Any reasonably experienced diver could adopt ‘the position’ and enjoy the ride, but it was easy to be carried away if you strayed too far away from the wall and out into the blue. At different depths the currents ran in different directions, so it was possible to ride it out and then back to where the boat had left you. Visibility was probably the best I had ever experienced but I am told was it was no where near as good as it can be. It was certainly possible to see 30-40 metres.

Almost immediately we were surrounded by turtles and constantly shadowed by white tip reef sharks, we never dived there without seeing dozens of each. On the northern end was Barracuda Point and we were lucky enough to see a very large school both occasions we dived at that site. The only down side for me was the huge groups of divers that we encountered, criss crossing the reef. On a couple of occasions our groups became mixed up and it was difficult to tell which dive master to follow.

Sipadan is particularly well known for its turtles and we weren’t disappointed. There seemed to be a turtle in every available crevice on the wall, some sleeping, some feeding or just swimming past us. At any point in the dive it was possible to look up and see the silhouette of a turtle above you. Towards the end we became almost blasé about them, there were so many.

In between dives, we were taken ashore to the sister resort where we could wash off, and have some free coffee or juice and fruit. There was a lovely sun deck with tables, chairs and sun loungers, but as of 30th December 2004, all resorts on the island are to be closed, so this will not be available. The closures are to allow the island to regenerate, meaning that resorts nearby such as Kapalai, will be busier and all divers will have to travel each day to dive around Sipadan.

After 2 dives at Sipadan we would head back to Kapalai for a quick wash off and then lunch. Your BCD, regs and tanks are taken for you, washed, changed and left set up for your next dive. You only have to check that your kit is set up OK and then it is put on the dive boat ready for your next dive. We had to hire gear such as wet suits and masks, the quality of which I was disappointed with, considering it was costing so much to hire. (Remember I was a back packer!) But it was adequate and I never had any real problems.

All meals were buffet style, and there was plenty of it and lots of choice. There was always a delicious fish dish but also chicken, beef or lamb and rice. Dessert tended to be fresh fruit. After lunch there was barely time for a snooze before it was time for the afternoon dive at Kapalai. Sometimes we dived directly off the jetty, other times it was a short hop in the boat to one of the nearby coral heads or areas of reef.

Our dive masters were particularly good at finding the macro marine life that inhabits the area, sea horses, mantis shrimps, nudibranchs, harlequin cleaner shrimps, and ribbon eels; it's completely different to diving at Sipadan but no less enjoyable. It doesn’t take long before you become adept at finding things for yourself, training yourself to look more carefully but also knowing where to look.

Back at the resort, it wasn’t long before it was time for the sunset dive. If you had the energy, you were encouraged to go out on the house reef and try to find some of the more timid inhabitants. I was determined to see the Mandarin Fish and it was easy to spot where they lived, as each time I dived a crowd had already gathered, armed with cameras and strobes, ready to catch every appearance by the tiny ornate fish. I waited patiently for my turn and on the second attempt was rewarded with 2 of them.

It was so enjoyable at Kapalai, we extended our stay by an extra 2 days. Our accommodation was in the older style bungalows, but never the less, it was very pleasant with a shower, bath and large balcony over the water. None of the rooms have air conditioning, relying instead on sea breezes for ventilation.

We had storms most nights, which meant sleep al fresco wasn’t a good idea but it would have been lovely if we could.

I wouldn’t advise Sipadan as a location for inexperienced divers, you have to be self-sufficient and one lady in our group was swept away by currents on 3 separate dives, which unsurprisingly put her off diving completely. I loved it, and would thoroughly recommend it, how the closure of resorts on the island will affect accommodation prices is yet to be determined, but if you can afford it, book now, you won’t be disappointed.


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