Sipadan dives OW or AOW

[tstormdiver]

Yes, we will be staying on Mabul. From the itinerary I've been given, we'll be doing 3 boat dives a day + unlimited shore diving. I'm sure it'll be quite a wonderful change from the cold, dark, murky quarries I typically dive & the Bahamas (while decent diving, I'm a little burned out after 6 trips there). For me, this this trip will be the trip of a lifetime!:cool2:

 

[Cabbie]

Tammy, you are going to have a ball. I hope you get to see a perfect "tornado" of barracuda. And there will be sharks. Inalara is right about depth though - it's VERY easy to go deeper than you intended so keep an eye on your gauges ! I think I ended up doing Barracuda Point about 5 times on my last trip because it was the most requested site. It can look very different depending on which way you approach it from and the currents which are running at any particular time. The fish are not superglued to the rock, so they'll be different every time.

The muck diving around Mabul / Kapalai is great. Last time I was there, the dive centre had stopped offering the sunset Mandarin dive, but were looking to re-start it soon.

I've done 2 trips there now and am certainly not ruling out a third as soon as I can get enough vacation time !!!

 

[gee13]

Yes Im really forward to be there in 7 weeks. Anyone know if they will do a guided night dive with you if you haven't done the Advanced part? If I can schedule in by the time Im there hopefully I would have at least completed the Boat, Night and Deep components.

 

[Inalara]

I don't know all the resorts, but most night dives I think were buddy dives OR you paid for a DM/Instructor to go with you, from what I was told, its not too costly, but if you are thinking about doing your AoW, then talk to them about putting it into your course anyway .

I know there are plenty of people that have done a night dive with an instructor outside of the AoW course, but it's probably worth checking with the resort you are staying at.

 

[ezywalker]

Great info, cheers everyone. I'm diving Sipidan and Mabul in 3 weeks Can't wait.

 

[tstormdiver]

Great info, cheers everyone. I'm diving Sipidan and Mabul in 3 weeks Can't wait.

What days are you going to be there, our group will be there April 13- 24th. I'll try to keep an eye out for you. My group (about 13 of us) will be staying at Boreo Mabul Dive Resort. I only have 15 days left until I leave & the excitement is reaching a crescendo! That 26hrs of traveling will be worth it.

 

[ezywalker]

Hi Tammy, sorry only just got back to the internet... I get there on the 19th for a week. I'm staying at a homestay, billabong scuba. I will pop over for a beer and we can hopefully share an amazing story or two

 

[kathydee]

ohh I loved Sipadan! I only had 27 dives & OW & had been out of the water for 10 months when I went last June. You can use Mabul or other dive spots as a nice warms up before plunging into the huge blue water of Sipadan.

As others have said, just watch your depth because it is easy to drop deeper than you planned. Bara point is amazing but so is the little coral shelf @ 7 meters at the end of the bara point dive!!! Sipadan is the only dive site where I felt I'd be happy staying 2 consecutive weeks underwater & never wanted to surface . At times we had some current but usually it just turned into a drift dive. If you are fighting current just keep a close eye on your air gauge. Watch your guide & stick close to your buddy & all should be WAY beyond expectation!

I think becoming incredibly spoiled from amazing diving - is the greatest danger of diving Sipadan so early in your dive career !!! I feel kinda sorry for those who learn to dive there ! We had 130ft vis! It was unreal!

 

[tstormdiver]

Hi Tammy, sorry only just got back to the internet... I get there on the 19th for a week. I'm staying at a homestay, billabong scuba. I will pop over for a beer and we can hopefully share an amazing story or two

Sounds like a plan. I will be with a group of about 12 others from my LDS. However, I won't be wearing the bright yellow drysuit (now quite faded) as in my avatar. It's probably one of the few times anyone may actually catch me wearing a wetsuit. I'm sure I'll get lots of teasing about that.

 

[ezywalker]

My bald head can be quite prominent at depth ;-) I'm travelling solo.