Report from Sipadan and Seaventures

[under water]

The problem with staying on Mabul is that the view is ruined by some really big ugly old oil rig just offshore...

No doubt! While there, someone who seemed to know what they were talking about, mentioned that the genesis of the idea of towing an an ugly oil rig and park it in front of the island resort came from a personal dispute between the folks who own each. If so, it truly is a testament to actions speaking louder than words.

 

[under water]

Very nice video, counting the days for my 5th return to Borneo Divers (actually only 50 days to go). Nice setup too, what's the nice focusing light I can see above the housing?

Though some of the scenes left me perplex : looks like there have been traces of coral bleaching in South Point (around 2:40 in your video), first time I see anemones getting totally bleached to white in Sipadan too, did you actually notice any serious bleaching?

Thanks..
The focus/video light was a Light & Motion Sola 600, purchased for the trip, but it broke on the first day . I was bummed to put it lightly.
Anyway, the remainder of the trip I had no lighting for the video and since I was relying on lighting, I didn't bring a filter I could use for video.
Some of the "bleaching" you see is probably some overexposure & post processing of the video to get color balance, washing out highlights. I didn't notice any significant bleaching while there. There were some areas where there were obvious signs of coral damage in the past.

 

[Wisnu]

Nice video and great pictures - make me more interested with EPL-1 to upgrade from my SP-350.
We also just back from Sipadan after climbing Kinabalu 2 weeks ago. We stayed at Billabong Scuba - budget resort - we enjoyed our time too, Baraccuda point is spectacular.

 

[The Wolf]

No doubt! While there, someone who seemed to know what they were talking about, mentioned that the genesis of the idea of towing an an ugly oil rig and park it in front of the island resort came from a personal dispute between the folks who own each. If so, it truly is a testament to actions speaking louder than words.

That's not true at all.

The oil rig is/was owned by the former chief minister of Sabah who hails from Labuan island who had planned to open a casino off the coast of Sabah next to Labuan. But the permit to open a casino was rejected by the federal government despite several attempts to get the permit and it dragged on for some time.

Someone suggested to him to convert it to a diving center instead and to park it off Mabul as Sipadan was gaining prominance at the time globally due to word of mouth and internet advertising/blogs and articles and instead of investing in building a resort at the time on Mabul (and buying land), he simply got approval from the state government to park the rig off mabul in safe waters (shallow waters) on top of an atoll.

His daughter in law now runs the business and has been doing so since the inception of seaventures.

And I didn't hear this form someone else who heard it from someone else.

 

[The Wolf]

That's not true at all.

The oil rig is/was owned by the former chief minister of Sabah who hails from Labuan island who had planned to open a casino off the coast of Sabah next to Labuan. But the permit to open a casino was rejected by the federal government despite several attempts to get the permit and it dragged on for some time.

Someone suggested to him to convert it to a diving center instead and to park it off Mabul as Sipadan was gaining prominance at the time globally due to word of mouth and internet advertising/blogs and articles and instead of investing in building a resort at the time on Mabul (and buying land), he simply got approval from the state government to park the rig off mabul in safe waters (shallow waters) on top of an atoll.

His daughter in law now runs the business and has been doing so since the inception of seaventures.

He tried also getting a casino license thru the sabah government but because of personal disputes with the then chief minister, that too was flatly turned down...

 

[Terryb]

Hey those are some great shots, I'm envious of your camera rig.

I was thinking of diving in Sipadan in February, any idea of what the vis will be like then? Looks like you had excellent vis on most of your dives.
Would you stay on the rig again?

Cheers,

 

[under water]

Hey those are some great shots, I'm envious of your camera rig.

I was thinking of diving in Sipadan in February, any idea of what the vis will be like then? Looks like you had excellent vis on most of your dives.
Would you stay on the rig again?

Cheers,

Thanks,
I made a lot of errors on the first trip with that camera rig, but some shots came out nice.

If I was to go back to Sipadan, I would probably stay on Mabul so that I could get more time underwater in the creature rich shallows around the island. Being the air hog I am, the 12L tanks, 2700 lbs fills and the 60 feet depth under Seaventurtes conspired to limit my dive time.
If you don't gulp air like I do or are more intertested in the big stuff at Sipadan, then it's a great option, since you will probably get a better chance to get to Sipadan from Seaventures.

I can't say what the viz will be like in February, since I have only been once in October, but I'm sure others will know.

 

[Dharshana Jayawardena]

Been to the rig 3 times. Like it because its a chilled & cheap place even though its not most luxurious! Who wants luxary when you are in the water most of the time. Sipadan is so consistent. Bumphead, Barracuda, Trevally - for sure all the time. I love the deep walls and the humongous seafans. I think 3 times is enough. Must go somewhere else.

I always wondered what people from Mabul island thought of the rig! Now I know!

 

[Terryb]

Sorry for the hijack

Under where would you likely book for your stay on Mabul?

Cheers,

 

[OnTheSpot]

The Pulau Sipadan diving season is year round and most normally expressed as having the best conditions between April and December, especially July and August. The rainy season tends to be between January and March where unsettled weather may result in a decrease in visibility, however in recent years however the timing of the rainy season has been less than certain.

Have a look at Borneo Divers Mabul Resort which offers excellent value.