a break between dives for a quick cup of tea and some biscuits. Most divers congregate at the old Borneo Diver's Resort jetty

Rainy season is between mid December and mid February so bear in mind if you're thinking of getting away during Christmas. The nice thing about going during these months is that the crowds are manageable. Sometimes it may just be you and the divemaster on a dive - no rush, no hassles. We went in early March and although the vis wasn't too good and currents were pretty unpredictable plus the rains would catch up on us from nowhere, it was great for muck diving if micro is what you want. Good diving months are from months April till November. Best diving months is in July and August.

The currents can be unpredictable and divers must at all times stick close to the divemasters. There have been cases of lost divers, only to be found a distance away or not to be found at all..

Barracuda Point

dive boats

Probably the most popular site at Sipadan. Usually, the visibility is pretty good here from anywhere 20m to 30m but currents can be unpredictable. This dive site is preferable for those who are experienced due to the current uncertainties. Had a chance to catch up with a leopard shark along the way, several white tip sharks and a few snoozing turtles. Average depth is about 15m. Barracuda point is so named because of the large shoal of barracudas often found in this spot. We didn't get to see them on our dive here but it seems that sometimes they move on to south point or disappears for a couple of weeks or so and then turns up again. Here on the shallower shelves, we found quite a bit of coral rubble. We also found a number of divers especially those with underwater cameras with gloves on. A question posed to the dive centre later had this reply, ' because some of our guests have allergies or they work with their hands such as surgeons so they need protection.' The best protection is not to touch anything if possible. We found many inexperienced underwater photographers resting on corals, thrashing around with their fins and had to 'lift' quite a few of them off the corals in the course on only one dive. There really should be more discipline across board for all dive centres. Some practise responsible diving and some don't. No matter what, in the end, it's the coral reefs that suffer.

Coral Gardens

pic courtesy of Moti Uttam

This is where divers usually ascend after making their way through barracuda point. This takes divers through a pleasant underwater garden with soft corals and hard corals, a variety of coral denizens , whitetip sharks, unicornfish, a great variety of triggerfishes hovering in schools, a lonesome napolean wrasse here and there etc. The currents can be a bit difficult here and inexperienced divers can get carried out into the open sea. The shallow seabed of between 5 to 10m is a great place to level off for a safety stop after a dive at barracuda point. Look into nooks and crannies and you may just discover a spider crab or a mantis prawn or even the beautifully painted blue ribbon eel. But remember, unless you're an experienced diver, leave the photography to professionals.

South Point

pic courtesy of Moti Uttam

Average depth is about 20m. The currents can be pretty rough and may reverse during dives so stay close to the divemasters. However, if there are strong currents, there could be lots of pelagics swimming through for some plankton chow. It's been known to have large shoals of fusiliers , batfish, sweetlips , snappers, rainbow runners. Other slow moving marine life such as the lionfish, crocodilefish, pufferfish, stonefish and turtles have their regular hangouts here. For those wishing to meet the large school of bumphead parrotfish or hammerheads that may flow through with the currents - that'll have to be very early in the morning.about 5.30am or so.as we were told by a divemaster. This means that special arrangements have to be made with the divemasters for a boat and crew to take you there. Check with your divemasters though. If the water temperatures are cool enough, there may be a chance sighting of manta rays or whale sharks.

Hanging Gardens

spot a crab.. the orangutan crab??pic courtesy of Moti Uttam

Divers will back roll into a shallow reef crest and slowly make their way to the drop-off and down the wall. Average depth here is about 18m. There may be currents here so stick closer to the wall and the divemaster will often advice to follow the current flow. An amazing sight! The entire wall is covered with soft corals, large gorgonian sea fans, black corals, barrel sponges, Dendrophyllia corals, Tubastrea corals. Small caverns with sleeping whitetips and if you look closer, you may even get to see the jewfish. If you look even closer, you may get to see the tiny eggs it may be carrying in its mouth.

With plenty of corals, divers are bound to see a lot of micro stuff . divemasters at the resorts have become quite skill at spotting small creatures tucked away under coral skirts etc.so if you're into the small stuff, stick with the divemasters.

Upon ascending we had a wonderful encounter with as many as 11 male turtles and 1 female turtle. The male turtles were clambering over each other to get a good grip on the female. At any one time there were 4 males clinging on to the female with the rest tailing the group. Sometimes, such orgies could cause the female to drown. turtles breathe air, in case you may not know..

mabul divesite ...