Standard Twin and Double Rooms:
Compact 12.1-square-metre cabins with high-quality linens, storage space, freshly bottled reverse-osmosis drinking water and Wi-Fi.
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Converted oil platform off Mabul
Seaventures Dive Rig
Anchored 300 metres off Mabul Island, Seaventures is a decommissioned oil platform turned dive base with unlimited house reef access.
Converted oil platform off Mabul
An offshore dive base
Anchored 24 metres above the Celebes Sea, Seaventures is a decommissioned oil platform functioning as a dive base. You stay in one of 37 air-conditioned metal cabins and use a hydraulic lift to drop onto the house reef. Join three guided boat dives every day to look for the macro marine life of the Semporna archipelago.
The rig was originally built in Panama as an accommodation module to support the offshore oil and gas industry and it served that purpose until it was decommissioned in 1985. It was purchased in 1988, refitted as a hotel in 1992 and finally towed and anchored at its current Mabul location in 1997. Today it functions as a stationary liveaboard and a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Centre teaching everyone from beginners to deep technical divers.
The main deck serves as the nerve centre of the operation. It is completely open to the ocean breezes and houses the dive centre, the equipment bays, the buffet dining area and a bar. It also features a CCTV-monitored camera room for underwater photographers, pool tables, table tennis and a lounge for movie viewing. Above the main deck lie 3 stacked floors of metal cabins. Crowning the structure is the former helicopter pad. It has been converted into an expansive 360-degree open-air sundeck scattered with loungers and beanbags for sunset viewing and post-dive relaxation. The rig is a Green Fins Member operating with a focus on low-impact marine tourism.
You stay on a full-board basis with meals fitted around the diving day. Meals are served buffet-style in the communal restaurant on the main deck. The culinary programme leans heavily toward localised Asian dishes, curries and stir-fries alongside hearty Western options. There is a noted emphasis on fresh fruits, multiple vegetable varieties and tofu to accommodate vegetarians. Special dietary requirements are handled efficiently if requested in advance. A standard day includes breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside a 4pm tea-time service of freshly fried hot doughnuts.
Seaventures Dive Rig is an exceptional base if you want to fill your days with scuba diving, technical dives or macro photography. It operates as a stationary liveaboard where you can wake up, step onto the lift and head straight down for a muck dive.
Why stay here
Our view of Seaventures Dive Rig
A decommissioned oil platform
A decommissioned oil platform anchored 24 metres above the Celebes Sea.
37 air-conditioned rooms spread
37 air-conditioned rooms spread across 3 decks.
Three guided boat dives
Three guided boat dives a day to Mabul and Kapalai.
Unlimited unguided house reef
Unlimited unguided house reef access from 6am to 7pm daily.
A 45-minute speedboat ride
A 45-minute speedboat ride across 26 kilometres of ocean from Semporna.
Rooms
Air-conditioned metal cabins
VIP Family Rooms:
Considerably larger at 27 and 41.1 square metres, these rooms have a king bed, the capacity for an extra bed and a spacious living room with a sofa.
Enquire about this roomDeluxe Rooms:
3 exclusive units featuring a king-size bed, plush bedding, upgraded furnishings, satellite TV and a sitting area.
Enquire about this roomDormitory Rooms:
Quad-share bunk beds in 12.1-square-metre rooms with personal lockers and communal hot shower facilities.
Enquire about this roomFrom your doorstep
What a day here holds
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Kinabatangan River
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Wildlife you may see
Keep your binoculars close
Sightings are wild and never guaranteed: that is the point. These are the residents your guides will be listening for.
Packages
Ways to stay
Rates on enquiry, no prices are published.
The Danum Essential
2 nights at the flagship lodge: the canopy walkway at dawn, a night drive, and dinner beside the river.
Full board · on enquiry
EnquireDanum Intensive
A private week across the Lodge and the Study Centre: hides, flexible dawn starts and a vehicle that waits for the light.
Full board · on enquiry
EnquireBefore you pack
You do not need an advanced certification to stay on the rig or dive the house reef, Mabul and Kapalai. However the property requires Advanced Open Water if you want to dive at Sipadan.
Yes, tailored non-diver packages include full board and the opportunity to snorkel around the rig's pilings. Sipadan boat trips are for divers; non-divers can enjoy the sundeck and the daily boat transfer to Mabul.
You step from the speedboat onto a hydraulic metal elevator platform known as the rig lift. The lift then raises you vertically up to the main deck.
Sabah has no single dry season. Semporna receives roughly 2,342 mm of rain a year and it rains in some form on around 278 days. March and April are typically the calmest and least wet months. The Sipadan marine park is closed every November due to the onset of the monsoon season.
The Wi-Fi suits messaging and emails; plan your video calls for when you are back on the mainland.
How to get there
The journey is part of it
Guests are collected primarily from Tawau Airport or Tawau town. The road journey to the coastal port town of Semporna covers 83 kilometres and requires approximately 1 hour of driving. From the Semporna jetty a dedicated speedboat transfers you across 26 kilometres of open ocean directly to the rig. This boat journey takes between 45 and 60 minutes. The exact time depends heavily on prevailing sea states and weather.
Open the interactive mapExtend the journey
Nearby & combinations
Mabul Water Bungalows Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort Mataking Reef Resort Pom Pom Island Resort
Plan your trip
Plan your Seaventures dive trip
Tell the team when you want to explore the macro marine life and sunken house reef at Seaventures Dive Rig.
Sources referenced on this page: Sabah Parks — https://www.sabahparks.org.my/.