caflynn
Guest
That's right, not a one!
Overall, though, I had a very nice trip to Mabul/Kapalai/Sipadan.
I went with Uncle Chang's, which I recommend to anyone on a budget. It is a fun place to stay with decent food and good people. The crowd that ends up there is fun as well, lots of independent long-term travelers. Also, they are honest when it comes to Sipadan permits - none of this lying about your identity funny-business.
I did 4 dives at Mabul, 3 at Sipadan, and 2 at Kapalai. The area was not the underwater Disneyland I was expecting, but still very good diving. I saw my first frogfish, first ribbon eel, first white tips...lots of exciting stuff. It was nice to spread out my dives over the different sites - it works out perfectly to focus on big stuff at Sipadan, medium sized stuff at Mabul, and tiny little things at Kapalai. Sorry if my jargon is too advanced for any of you beginners
I have to say, I was quite shocked and a little depressed to hear dynamite exploding while I was diving Kapalai. As soon as we surfaced everyone in my group couldn't wait to ask the DM what in the double-hockey-sticks those heart-stopping booms were...and we were very surprised to hear that not far away they were still fishing with dynamite. Too bad for the marine life, and the unsuspecting divers. It was LOUD.
Overall, though, I had a very nice trip to Mabul/Kapalai/Sipadan.
I went with Uncle Chang's, which I recommend to anyone on a budget. It is a fun place to stay with decent food and good people. The crowd that ends up there is fun as well, lots of independent long-term travelers. Also, they are honest when it comes to Sipadan permits - none of this lying about your identity funny-business.
I did 4 dives at Mabul, 3 at Sipadan, and 2 at Kapalai. The area was not the underwater Disneyland I was expecting, but still very good diving. I saw my first frogfish, first ribbon eel, first white tips...lots of exciting stuff. It was nice to spread out my dives over the different sites - it works out perfectly to focus on big stuff at Sipadan, medium sized stuff at Mabul, and tiny little things at Kapalai. Sorry if my jargon is too advanced for any of you beginners
I have to say, I was quite shocked and a little depressed to hear dynamite exploding while I was diving Kapalai. As soon as we surfaced everyone in my group couldn't wait to ask the DM what in the double-hockey-sticks those heart-stopping booms were...and we were very surprised to hear that not far away they were still fishing with dynamite. Too bad for the marine life, and the unsuspecting divers. It was LOUD.
