Learning to Dive in Sabah

The short version

Sipadan diving rules

The coral reefs of the Semporna archipelago are famous for their macro life and steep walls. You can complete your scuba training at a dedicated island resort on Mabul or Pom Pom. You will need an Advanced Open Water certification to dive at Sipadan, where Sabah Parks issues 254 permits a day.

Sipadan is the dive site people fly to Sabah for. It is an oceanic volcanic pinnacle that drops steeply into the Celebes Sea. Sabah Parks strictly limits access to minimise environmental degradation and issues exactly 254 Sipadan permits a day. The island is closed every November to allow the reef to recover and reopens on 1 December. During this closure month all diving and snorkelling at Sipadan stops.

Since October 2022 Sabah Parks has strictly enforced a regulation requiring any diver entering Sipadan waters to hold a minimum of an Advanced Open Water certification. The rules limit dives to a maximum depth of 30 metres. This means that a complete beginner cannot just sign up for an Open Water course and dive Sipadan the next day. You would need to complete both your Open Water and Advanced Open Water training. Most operators also mandate that you do a checkout dive at a local reef like Mabul to ensure you have the buoyancy control required for Sipadan's steep drop-offs and unpredictable currents.

If you are a beginner who wants to dive Sipadan you should ask the team to build an itinerary that includes enough days to complete your advanced training. A Sipadan permit can be guaranteed with the right resort and dive package; the team confirms the stay requirements for your dates. Day-trip operators also have access to Sipadan permits so the quota is shared across the region.

Sabah dive training locations

You have several choices for where to do your course. The Semporna archipelago is the main hub for diving in eastern Sabah. You can stay at a premium island resort like Pom Pom Island Resort or Mataking Island. These outer islands have beautiful beaches and their own dive centres. Pom Pom is a 45-minute speedboat ride from Semporna and is an active hub for coral restoration. Mataking is 40 minutes by speedboat from Semporna. It sits on the Alice Channel which plunges to 100 metres and offers dramatic wall dives.

Mabul is the centre for muck diving where you look for rare macro fauna in shallow environments. It has a dense cluster of dive lodges and resorts. Borneo Divers Mabul Resort is a long-established operator offering courses at several levels. Scuba Junkie operates a very active dive centre on Mabul and enforces strict safety protocols. There is also the Seaventures Dive Rig where you can do your training from a decommissioned oil platform accessible via a hydraulic elevator.

If you prefer to stay on the mainland there are dive centres in Semporna town itself. Operators like Infinity Scuba Dive Centre and TDB Semporna Dive Resort run highly structured courses. Infinity Scuba maintains a strict ratio of 1 instructor to 4 students. Semporna town operators rely on boat transfers to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park for open water dives. Tun Sakaran Marine Park was gazetted in 2004 and covers 350 square kilometres. It has 8 islands including Sibuan and Mantabuan where beginners often do their shallow training dives over recovering reefs. You can also do your training from Kota Kinabalu on the west coast before flying across to the east coast for your fun dives.

Scuba training schedules

Learning to dive takes time and you should not rush it. The exact number of days depends on the specific course and your own pace. If you just want to try breathing underwater without committing to a full certification you can do a Discover Scuba Diving programme. This is a 1-day experience that introduces you to the basics in confined water before a shallow open water dive.

If you want your full Open Water certification you need to allow several days for theory and pool sessions and open water checkout dives. You must ask the team to confirm the exact duration required for the course you choose when you make your enquiry. You also need to allow time to travel to the islands. Speedboat transits from the Semporna jetty to Mataking take 40 minutes and the journey to Pom Pom takes 45 minutes. The northeast monsoon runs from November through February bringing elevated swells to the outer islands so boat crossings can be rougher during those months.

The medical questionnaire

Scuba diving is a safe sport if you follow the rules. Before you start any course you must complete a standard medical questionnaire. This form asks about your medical history and any conditions that might affect your safety underwater.

It is very important that you answer these questions honestly. If you answer yes to certain conditions on the form you will need a doctor to sign off on your fitness to dive before you can get in the water. You should review the medical questions before you travel to Sabah so that you can get any necessary medical clearance from your own doctor at home. Safety enforcement is strict in Sabah. The Sabah Dive Squad Club coordinates medical safety talks and promotes safe diving practices across the state. Operators check that you have completed the medical questionnaire and obtained any required clearance before you board a boat.

Children's diving programmes

Diving can be a wonderful family activity. Many dive centres in Sabah offer programmes designed specifically for young people. If you are travelling with your family you can look into the Discover Scuba Diving experience for older children.

Children can learn about marine conservation while they visit. Pom Pom Island Resort runs a Sabah Parks-certified sea turtle hatchery where marine biologists protect green and hawksbill turtle nests. Guests can observe baby turtles being released into the Celebes Sea safely away from light pollution.

The minimum ages for children's diving programmes vary depending on the specific course and the training agency. You should ask the team to confirm the minimum ages at enquiry so that they can match your children with the right programme.

Rainforest and reef itineraries

A dive course fits well at the end of a wildlife trip. A classic Borneo itinerary pairs the primary rainforest of Danum Valley with the coral reefs of the Semporna archipelago. You can spend a few days looking for orangutans before heading to the coast. Danum Valley is a 438-square-kilometre lowland rainforest that was never logged.

The town of Lahad Datu is the arrival point for Danum Valley. There are no commercial flight connections between Lahad Datu and Semporna so you need to take an overland transfer. The drive takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours on mostly sealed roads. If you depart your Danum Valley lodge immediately after breakfast you can arrive in Semporna by 2pm. This arrival time fits the afternoon resort speedboat transfers to Mataking or Pom Pom.

Travel and health insurance is advised for any visit to Danum Valley and cover that includes emergency evacuation is sensible. You must also plan your flights carefully around your diving. You must allow 24 hours between your last dive and an onward flight. This 24-hour rule is a strict safety requirement. The Eastern Sabah Security Zone enforces a dusk-to-dawn sea curfew from 6pm to 6am so boat transfers and remote diving trips must conclude by mid-afternoon. Evening offshore cruising is illegal and strictly prohibited by all licensed operators.