Sipadan Kapalai Resort or Borneo Divers Mabul Resort

[travelem]

It is almost the same price by Dragon Air.

Sipadan Kapalai Resort has unlimited shore dive, Borneo Divers Mabul Resort has sunset dive.

Has anyone tried shore dive at Kapalai and sunset dive at Borneo? Which one is better? I am going by myself, is it difficult to find buddy?

Sipadan Kapalai Resort has water bungalow but no aircon, Borneo Divers Mabul Resort has swimming pool and aircon.


Which one is better for food and dive master? How many divers does one dive master carry for both resorts?

Any comments???

Thanks.

 

[Eskasi]

Kapalai is better as a resort IMHO. Ask for the new chalets. They just did a refit not long ago. You won't need A/C. It's quite cool. The unlimited dives are worth it as is the food. If you are by yourself, it's easy enough to make friends and tag along for any unlimited dives. For the boat dives, they will pair you up. Not a problem.

Vis at the shore dives can be pretty bad. It's Muck diving. However, the amount of life you will see will astound you. If you take photos, you will love it (Macro stuff).

Nothing wrong with Borneo divers. Kapalai just gives you more of a resort feel though and is a bit more upscale.... It's usually more expensive than Borneo divers too.....

 

[frogfish]

DM to guest ratio is standard in Sipadan/Mabul: 1/8 ( smart, borneo divers, kapalai)

 

[Scuba Susie]

I am a big SMART fan but I understand my fav Instructor, Harris, is now running the operations over at Borneo Divers. I just didn't like the location of Borneo and it looked a little like a strip mall to me. JMO..mind ya. Currently planning a trip back tp SMART in the Fall. Can anyone tell me the diff in diving between May and the Fall? We were there in the spring before.
Scuba Susie

 

[travelem]

Someone said the wave noise at the water bungalow of Kapalai Resort is kind of noisy at night. It can interrupte your sleeping. Is it that bad? I am kind of sensitive to noise.

 

[travelem]

How is SMART resort? Is it better than kapalai? How's the food, facilities, DM, house reef?

 

[Diver Dennis]

I never had a problem with wave noise at Kapalai although there was a turtle underneath my hut one night I could hear breathing once in a while before I went to sleep. they have a light that shines into the water by your deck and you can watch all sorts of interesting interactions.