Sipadan dives OW or AOW

[gee13]

Greetings all, Im going to Sipadan in May and I have an important question for you forumsters - Are most of the dives around Sipadan suitable for PADI OW or do they have specialist dives for AOW ie drift and deep. Im asking as Im currently OW but condsidering doing Advanced. Also what's the average depth of the dives around Sipadan? Thanks.

 

[Cabbie]

PADI OW with how many dives under your weight belt ? a few hundred then Sipadan will be a breeze. Less than 20, then it will be little more challenging I've seen "new" divers struggle on Sipadan - for some reason they were worried about the sharks

I would also leave the camera behind if you have a compact digital - take it on the Mabul and Kapalai dives for macro stuff instead

 

[huisen]

Hit it right on the head Cabbie.

I dived Sipadan without much and definately not enough experience. On the first dive at Barracuda Point, I encountered down currents which I wasn't prepared for. My girlfriend then proceeded to forget what her ascent indicator on her dive comp was for - throwing my stress levels up a few bars. I kept trying to indicate (even on my slate) to her what was doing my nut in but failed. All she knew was that I was pissed off with her. We then entered the drift section of the dive and we were in such an unhappy state we both missed the turn and got thrown off into the blue.

I surfaced with about 20 bar in my tank. I found it hard going getting out of the current which was going not just out but down as well. And I was towing my girlfriend. It wasn't fun doing the safety stop with a light tank and breathing hard so I had to vertical head down and fin lightly to keep my depth.

I fully admit to being out of my depth on that one. Certifications give you the knowledge and prepare you for it but nothing beats experience and experienced guidance. On a happy note, we dived the same site again the very next morning and the conditions were about exactly the same and we both really enjoyed it that time.

I would advise you to do your AOW as you will receive further (and some necessary) knowledge and training and also the dive centre might require you to have the certification to be allowed to exceed 18m/dive certain sites/night dive.

Cheers.

 

[gee13]

By the time I get to Sipadan Im hoping to have clocked in 30 dives. Ive currently done 17. As a relative novice, Ive already done boat dives, wrecks, gone to depth of 21 m, encountered strong currents, penetrated reef limestone caves. So Ive been fairly rigorous with the learning curve. If I dont get a chance to do my advanced before I go, I might look into doing so when Im there. Any feedback on the courses run by SWV? I noticed they don't have a drift dive course, my local here doesn't either. Id like to hear more from all of you that have dived Sipadan. Thanks again.

 

[Cabbie]

I'd be surprised if they didn't do the AOW drift specialty...I think all my dives there were one way!!

 

[tstormdiver]

Sounds like I'll be in for quite a treat in a few weeks!

 

[huisen]

Sounds like I'll be in for quite a treat in a few weeks!

Yes, you will!

I am going back in June, next year though, Layang Layang!

 

[Inalara]

I worked as a dive guide in that area for 4-5 months, its a great place as long as you remember and stick to your training and the basics of diving - i.e. don't abdicate your responsibility to the DM or anyone else.

Basically, as long as you can control your depth, Sipidan shouldn't really be a problem (on the whole), the issue is that people drop down there happily following the fish/shark etc not realising that with the good vis you can get there (The sun is strong and the light penetrates easily to 40+ meters), they have dropped over 10+ meters deeper than their intended dive depth, so don't be tempted to follow that shark/turtle/clown trigger fish etc no matter how close it appears.

There are 2 sites that have down (and on occassion up) currents, or as Huisen found, currents that can take you away from the wall and out into the blue all too fast, those are Barracuda point and South point, but don't be put off they are the most requested sites for a reason.

Most dives are/were guided there, so if the currents are too strong, they aren't likely to take you there, but talk to your guide and let them know your limits and they can keep you away from the points where the currents can turn (they should anyway) while still giving you a fantastic dive, some of the most fantastic things I've seen there have been in the 0-12 meter mark (young reef shark with a fresh bite out of it.... mating octopus...etc)

Of the rest of the dive sites, 90 % of the time that I was there, there was some form of current so you will experience drift dives, even if they don't offer them as part of the course, but when I was there, all dives were done with the current and the operators would drop you in at the start, and picked you up where you ended the dives (on all dives).

But don't neglect to dive in Mabul and Kapali and if you've done a night dive, then persuade the DM's to take you to see if they can find mating Mandarin fish... or just ordinary mandarin fish (during the day)... its an amazing place to dive, relax, enjoy and stay safe

 

[tstormdiver]

Thanks for that information. That's a real big help on what to expect & where to expect it. I do have some experience in currents & diving walls from a bunch of dives I have done in the Bahamas, so hopefully won't have any major issues. I will be there in just over 3 weeks & am sooooo looking forward to it. Fortunately most in my group have been there 2 yrs ago. Just myself & 1 other are newbies to the area. It'll be sooo neat to see all the different critters.

 

[Inalara]

I'm actually jealous of you guys, the diving is fantastic round there, and especially the muck diving round Mabul - and really most of the time, the currents are just gentle drifts.

I may just have to re visit it again, just it was hard enough to leave before