Dreamdivegirl
Contributor
Hi, I'm involved in a dive business in Sabah so can provide feedback on the weather / diving conditions in December.
December is in the 'Wet Season' here in Borneo. However, Sabah is also known as the 'Land Beneath the Wind' as it is not impacted by the North East monsoons. There is an increased chance of rain later in the afternoon during the Wet Season - having said that, December in the past two years has been lovely most the time (blue skies, calm winds).
Due to the North East trade winds the only diving accessible from Kota Kinabalu is in the local Marine Park (the sea state is too rough offshore to go to longer distance sites like the Usukan Wrecks or Pulau Tiga). You don't get the best diving conditions from KK this time of year but should still find some nice diving.
Diving in December should still be good at Sipadan and Mabul / Kapalai. There are limited permits per day with an allocated number provided to each Resort / Dive Operator. Go earlier in December to increase your chance of getting a permit (it will get really busy over Christmas / New Year there). The diving at Sipadan is awesome and memorable so worth going eve if just for one day of 3 / 4 dives on Sipadan. You can find cheap Dive Operators in Semporna (as already mentioned by other members). Just remember with diving that cheap does not always mean the best - so check out your happy with the Dive Operator you choose to go diving with.
Wherever you choose to go diving, have a great time!
December is in the 'Wet Season' here in Borneo. However, Sabah is also known as the 'Land Beneath the Wind' as it is not impacted by the North East monsoons. There is an increased chance of rain later in the afternoon during the Wet Season - having said that, December in the past two years has been lovely most the time (blue skies, calm winds).
Due to the North East trade winds the only diving accessible from Kota Kinabalu is in the local Marine Park (the sea state is too rough offshore to go to longer distance sites like the Usukan Wrecks or Pulau Tiga). You don't get the best diving conditions from KK this time of year but should still find some nice diving.
Diving in December should still be good at Sipadan and Mabul / Kapalai. There are limited permits per day with an allocated number provided to each Resort / Dive Operator. Go earlier in December to increase your chance of getting a permit (it will get really busy over Christmas / New Year there). The diving at Sipadan is awesome and memorable so worth going eve if just for one day of 3 / 4 dives on Sipadan. You can find cheap Dive Operators in Semporna (as already mentioned by other members). Just remember with diving that cheap does not always mean the best - so check out your happy with the Dive Operator you choose to go diving with.
Wherever you choose to go diving, have a great time!
