Last Minute Permits to Sipadan?

[ChappyDiver]

Hi Everyone,

We are currently in the middle of our backpacking trip through SE Asia (writing to you from an internet cafe) and were highly recommended by other travelers to skip our planned stop at the Cameron Highlands in favor of jungle trekking in Borneo. While considering this, we realized the modified route would make diving Sipadan a possibility and we'd love to do it if we can.

However, after reading a number of posts in this forum, I'm unsure as to whether we can show up with some confidence that we could get permits with a good dive-op for at least 1 day. Obviously we didn't plan this in advance, but if Nov. is the low season I thought maybe we might still have a chance. Are the 120 permits/day almost always used up this time of year? If the probability that we'd be able to get last-minute permits is very low then we'd go to a different area altogether and visit Kinabalu National Park.

Any advice/recommendations about the permits, or visiting Borneo in general is VERY much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[DevonDiver]

If you don't book in advance, then you will probably be relying on cancellations or no-shows to get a permit. Most dive shops have a short-list should any slots be available... but you'd need to be at the dive shop door, waiting, every morning.

I'd recommend that you don't risk a disappointment. Book in advance.

 

[The Wolf]

Hi Everyone,

We are currently in the middle of our backpacking trip through SE Asia (writing to you from an internet cafe) and were highly recommended by other travelers to skip our planned stop at the Cameron Highlands in favor of jungle trekking in Borneo. While considering this, we realized the modified route would make diving Sipadan a possibility and we'd love to do it if we can.

However, after reading a number of posts in this forum, I'm unsure as to whether we can show up with some confidence that we could get permits with a good dive-op for at least 1 day. Obviously we didn't plan this in advance, but if Nov. is the low season I thought maybe we might still have a chance. Are the 120 permits/day almost always used up this time of year? If the probability that we'd be able to get last-minute permits is very low then we'd go to a different area altogether and visit Kinabalu National Park.

Any advice/recommendations about the permits, or visiting Borneo in general is VERY much appreciated. Thanks!

It's not as bad as it seems. You have a good chance of getting at least one day out at Sipadan but allocate 3-4 days out at Mabul/Sipadan or if you decide to stay at Semporna and do a day trip out to dive.

There are a number of dive companies listed who you can check out. One is North Borneo Divers who do day dives out. They are decent, not 5 star and prices reasonable.

There is scuba junkies or Billabong scuba, If you are qualified divers already then this could work. They also have dorm beds at Semporna. They are more backpacker oriented with their prices but call ahead to check. Also double check the weather at the moment.

Otherwiser, Seaventures is a good option but probably a little bit pricey but still, a practical dive location as you get to dive as much as you want under the rig. If you don't mind the more expensive rates but will most certainly get dives at sipadan for sure, then borneo divers is worth considering.

Things to bear in mind:

1) Weather in sabah out at sea is awful at the moment but...fingers crossed, you could have a decent morning/afternoon dive before heading back to semporna. It's a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour's boat's ride from semporna to sipadan.

2) Currents are very strong so if you are diving with a dm, be aware not all dm's do employ a "sweeper" system so you could very well be diving with 1 dm and a host of other divers of different levels of experince. Always know which way you're going and stay close to the reef/atoll and always stay within your limits (i.e. depth of dive/time limit). Visibility can be iffy at the moment with the weather patterns the way they are.

Have a good trip.

The rest are high end.