Located in the Sulawesi Sea 35km off the east coast of Borneo, Sipadan lies right in the middle of the richest marine habitat in the world and is ranked in the top 10 dive sites in the world! Known to have more than 3000 species of marine life including large numbers of hawksbill and green turles, Sipadan was actually formed by corals growing on top of an extinct underwater volcano rising up 600m from the seabed.

One of the highlights of diving in Sipadan is the all famous spectacular tornado-like formations of the schooling barracudas and big-eye trevallys, and also the possiblity of spotting huge pelagics like manta rays and whale sharks!

At present, Sipadan is under the protection of the Wildlife Department which has put a stop on overnight facilities on the island itself. This is in aid of protecting the unique wildlife both on the island and in the sea. Divers intending to visit Sipadan would have to make day trips to Sipadan while spending the nights at the nearby islands of Kapalai and Mabul. Although this poses as a minor obstacle, it would only mean that the beauty of the marine life at Sipadan would be better maintained for generations to come!

Best time to Dive

Due to its location at East Malaysia, it is not affected by the annual Northeast monsoon and so is accessible for diving all year round.

What You Need

• Visa and Valid Passport
• Local Currency (Ringit, RM)
• Personal Medication
• Travel insurance (recommended)
• Snorkling:Able to swim in the sea
• Scuba Diving: Minimum PADI Open Water Diver Certification or equivalence for Leisure Diver

Getting to Sipadan

1 hour from Singapore to Senai Airport, Johor Bahru, by minibus
2 hours 30 min from Johor Bahru to Tawau, Malaysia, by plane
1 hour 30 min from Tawau to Semporna, by minibus
60 min from Semporna to Sipadan Island, by speedboat

AirAsia Flights

Accommodations on Tioman Island (Pulau Tioman)

There many resorts on Tioman Island but the common ones that Gill Divers visits are listed below.

Island Reef Resort

Select from one (1) of the packages in Island Reef Resort below

Island Reef Resort–2D2N

Tioman Island, Malaysia

One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort.
Learn more about Island Reef Resort

SGD 399

Leisure Diver

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Other Reef Resort–3D3N

Tioman Island, Malaysia

One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort.
Learn more about Island Reef Resort

SGD 399

Leisure Diver

View Schedule
Sign Up

Island Reef Resort–Customize

Tioman Island, Malaysia

One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort.
Create Custom Trip

fr SGD 99

Custom Trip

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Island Reef Resort

Select from one (1) of the packages in Island Reef Resort below

Island Reef Resort

One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort.
Learn more about Island Reef Resort

Island Reef Resort

One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort. One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort. One of the biggest island off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tioman island offers exceptional diving in the region. You will be pleasantly surprised by the Island Reef Resort.
Learn more about Island Reef Resort

Tioman Island Dive Sites

Pulau Chebeh (Chebeh Island)

Located northwest of Tioman Island, Chebeh Island has an abundance of large boulder formations, caves and tunnels, which makes it an exciting spot for divers seeking the thrill of squeezing through tight spaces as well as cavern divers. Notable marine life includes large puffer fish, trigger fish, napoleon wrassers, and if you’re lucky, manta rays.

Basic Diver
18 – 27m depth
12m visibility

Tulai Island (Coral Island)

Located northwest of Tioman Island, Tulai Island is known for its large formations of soft coral, including the white and blue gorgonian seafan, black coral, staghorn coral, feather stars, sea stars and cushion stars. Notable marine life include lionfish and napoleon warasse, as well as angel and butterfly fish.

Basic Diver
18 – 27m depth
12m visibility

Fan Canyon

Located southwest of Tulai Island (Coral Island), Fan Canyon is named after the grogonian fan corals that fill the valley walls. Divers are not allowed to enter the canyon itself in order to prevent damage to the fragile coral, but there is the tunnel at a depth of 16m that divers can swim through. Notable marine life include Marine turtles, barracuda and spotted groupers.

Advanced Diver
30m depth
10m visibility

Teluk Kador (Kador Bay)

Teluk Kador is Northeast of Coral Island. The underwater topography of the area consists of a rocky downward slope that descends to about 20m. Overhangs in the the rocks sometimes house moral eels or stonefish. Notable marine life include the blue-spotted stingray.

Basic Diver
5 – 23m depth
12m visibility

Magicienne Rock

Southeast of Pulau Cebeh, you cannot actually see Magicienne Rock from the surface, because the spire only rises to 8m below sea level. Big fish frequent this place, and it is not uncommon to see sharks, rays, bigeye trevally, yellowfin snappers, groupers and barracuda, not to mention a whole host of reef fish.

Advanced Diver
8 – 22m depth
15m visibility

Malang Rocks

Located Northwest of Tioman Island, Malang Rocks has a shallow side that is home to potato corals, lettuce corals and sponges. In the deeper waters, sharks, including leopard sharks can be found. Other notable marine life include barracuda schools, yellow spotted stingrays, triggefish and lionfish.

Basic Diver
6 – 15m depth
10m visibility

Pulau Labas

Located Southeast of Pulau Chebeh, this dive site looks like a pile of rocks on top of the water. The unique topography allows divers to swim through caverns, and even explore the wreck of a Japanese fishing vessel in the area. Notable marine life include turtles, moray eels, sweet lips and blue spotted stingrays.

Basic Diver
15 – 25m depth
12m visibility

Tiger Reef

Tiger reef may have strong currents, but that only means that black-tipped reef sharks and barracuda schools frequent the place. The reef, which has a large array of brain, plate and fire coral, also hosts jacks, tune, trevally, yellow tail snappers and batfish. The topography of the area is mainly hard rock.

Advanced Diver
10 – 25m depth
10m visibility

Soyak Island Reef and Wreck

Located near Salang Village, this is a popular night dive spot as the area is populated by a myriad of soft corals. The wreck is also a major draw, and divers will be able to spot, among other marine animals, the 1.8m long giant grouper and black tipped reef sharks. Some divers have even occasionally spotted whale sharks in the area.

Advanced Diver
5 – 15m depth (25m for wreck)
10m visibility

Salang Bay

Right in front of the beach at Salang Village, Salang bay is a sheltered area perfect for snorkellers or people who are still getting used to diving. Schools of bumphead parrotfish populate the waters around this area, and the reef is shallow and accessible, with staghorn, tabletop, brain and blue coral making up most of the coral population.

Basic Diver
5 – 15m depth
10m visibility

Marine Park HQ

Located between Tetek and Ayer Batang villages, the marine park is the site of a chain of 8 wrecks at varying depths. Divers usually bring down pieces of bread to feed the fish in the area, and fish will usually mob you for any morsels you have. This is an important spawning point for fish, so look out for the tiny fry between March and May. Schools of jacks, trevallies and fusiliers also frequent the area.

Basic Diver
8 – 30m depth
10m visibility

Renggis Island

Just off the coast of the Berjaya Resort, Pulau Renggis is a small, rocky island often frequented by divers. Renggis Island has both a hidden wreck and reef for the intrepid diver to discover, and the hard coral formations around the island are a thing of beauty. Black tipped reef sharks and green turtles are a common sight at Renggis Island.

Basic Diver
6 – 16m depth
20m visibility

Bahara Rock

Southwest of Tioman Island, this site is chock full of marine life. Add a drop off covered with anemones, sponges, back coral and soft red and purple coral, and its no wonder that underwater photographers flock to this site to try to capture its immense scale and beauty.

Advanced Diver
5 – 25m depth
20m visibility

Jahat Island

20 minutes by boat from Salang Village, the Jahat dive site is a maze of tunnels, corridors and caves made by a huge jumble of large boulders. Divers can expect to see sharks and barracuda here.

Advanced Diver
5 – 25m depth
10m visibility

Pulau Sepoi

Pulau Sepoi is great of drift diving, and along the way, a diver might get to see manta rays, eagle rays, schools of jacks, yellow banded snappers, turtles, and sharks.

Advanced Diver
18 – 25m depth
16m visibility

Tioman Trip Itinerary

Tioman Island 2D3N Itinerary

Day 1

1900             Gather @ Gill Divers
1930             Departure for Mersing Jetty
2230             Rest stop (Night divers buy battery for dive torch)
2345             Arrival @ Mersing Jetty

Day 2

0015             Depart on ferry for Tioman Island
0315             Arrival @ Tioman Island
0330             Check into resort
0900             Meet-up at Dining area for Breakfast, followed by morning brief
1030             1st Dive
1230             Lunch
1400             2nd & 3rd Dive
1900             Dinner / Night Dive (Advanced Open Water Divers and above)
2030             Dinner (Advanced Open Water Divers and above)

Day 3

0700             Meet-up at Dining area for morning brief
0715             1st Dive
0900             Breakfast
1030             2nd Dive
1200             Lunch
1300             Check out and Departure from Island
1700             Arrival @ Mersing Jetty
1730             Depart on bus for Singapore
2100             Arrival @ Gill Divers (Home Sweet Home)

Please note that the above timing is an approximate. It may be subject to road / traffic / tide / weather condition on the day of trip.