Sipadan: Divers' must-go destination

As usual, whenever middle class people like me travel, I travel AirAsia.

A test of skill: the word keep scrolling from right to left. Seeing Rob making try after try to capture the whole word but unsuccessful, I take up the challenge and got this shot at the first try

Call me crazy or call me a good traveler, I bought my air tickets for this Sipadan trip as early as September 2007.

Penang --> LCCT, LCCT --> Tawau, Tawau --> LCCT, LCCT --> Penang

Fare only (not including airport tax, fuel surcharge and etc) = 0.88 + 8 + 8 + 0.88

Cheap rite? But there's a price to pay. We, a bunch of 7 people had to spend 5hrs in LCCT waiting for our next flight to Tawau. And that is not all, on the way back, we, a bunch of 4 people had to spend a night in LCCT from 12am to 7am for the next flight back Penang, and straight away back to work without even stepping foot back home.

Because the clever me plan so early ahead, I had no way of knowing if I'd be free around this period. Clash big time, I'm half way through a project at this moment and it is the worst time to travel. But I can't just waste the package and the air tickets right? Die die must go. I traveled with a heavy heart. During my trip, on a Monday morning, I dream of my boss, he ask me why I was not at work -_-"

The trip
Early Saturday morning, the van from Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort came to fetch us from Tawau to the jetty in Semporna. It was a one and a half hour journey, I slept all the way to Semporna.

Arriving at the jetty in Semporna

I took a 4D3N diving package which includes transportation from airport all the way to Kapalai Resort, diving trips, food and accommodation. The package alone cost me more than half of my monthly salary.

This is Mr. Rob, my colleague from SJ

The boat ride is another half an hour to reach Kapalai Resort, the resort built entirely above water.

The arrival

The water is unbelievably blue. On our arrival, we were welcomed with a smile, a cold towel, welcoming drinks and lunch, buffet style. From the time we get into the van in Tawau onwards, we do not need to worry about our heavy luggage at all. They were all being taken care off. When our chalet was ready, my luggage was already waiting for me in the room. And you may ask why was our luggage so heavy? Neh...all those diving equipments lor...

The welcoming drinks

Life in Sipadan-Kapalai revolve between [eat, dive, rest & relax] 3times a day, followed by sleep and this routine repeat itself for as long as you're there. I was there for 4 days, so that was what I did for 4 days :)

Crystal clear water + lazy chair

First orientation dive started not long after lunch. We were briefed about how dive schedule was arranged, how we can plan our own dive and etc. We couldn't check-in to our chalet yet as they were still arranging the rooms, we changed in the common toilet and went for our first dive.

The rooms were still not ready after the first dive. I was very tired and was a bit dizzy from the dive, with a T-shirt over my wet swim suit, me and other 2 just lay our head on the table and sleep. I really fell asleep there and then.

Evening nap

It was after the second dive that the room was ready. We get ourselves 3 chalets, 3girls + 2guys + 2guys. It was a spacious chalet with 2 single bed and 1 king size bed.

The toilet is big too and it looks new.

(photo by KLTan)
Dip in the bathtub while looking out at the clear blue water...how nice~

Sitting in the balcony facing the sea is 2 lazy chair. With the soft breeze blowing almost all the time, it's just simply relaxing...because my chalet is facing the North, there's no direct sunlight peering into the balcony. That's what I call a brilliant planning by the resort.

Since now that no resort is allowed to operate in Sipadan Island, visitors can only make daily trip to Sipadan. Resort can only operate either in Mabul Island or Kapalai.

Out of the 4 days package, we visited Sipadan trice. Usually, we'd go there in the morning about 9.30am, do a dive and spend our 1hr surface interval there. Light snacks like bread, coffee and biscuit was prepared for us. We'd continue with a second dive before going back to Kapalai.

The signboard at Sipadan Island

The third dive would be somewhere near Mabul or Kapalai.

On the last day however, we had our first dive at Sipadan very early in the morning. The boat left Kapalai at 5.30am, it was raining quite heavily. Definitely a bad time to do a dawn dive.

In the boat on our way to Sipadan Island at 5.40am

This is how dark it is when the boat leaves Kapalai to Sipadan. It rained so heavily, the water felt like small little arrow poking our skin. It was damn painful! And it was cold too...

1 dive master + 9 dive buddies + 2 snorkelers

At night, sometimes we would do a night dive or a sunset dive. If we're too tired, we'd just sit in the air-cond TV room to watch Astro after dinner. Or we can play ping pong in the game room or just simply lay on the lazy chair chatting while feeling the breeze.

Everybody sitting in the common hall watching a video of ourselves...the video was recorded during our dive that morning...we can purchase it if we like the video

There was one day when I wanted to watch the sunrise in Kapalai so badly, I make myself wake up at 4.30am to wait for it. I've watched sunset so many times in US, but I've never once seen a sunrise.

It wasn't the right day to be watching sunrise because that day was a cloudy day. I sat there under the pondok from 4.30am, I waited and waited and waited, and finally gave up at 5.45am.

The sky condition at 5.43am, confirm no more sunrise :(

I went back to sleep and that was when I dream of my boss asking me to go to work. Sigh...

Woke up again at 7.30am to a rainy day. That day was meant to be a rainy day, no wonder no sunrise.

Very soon, it was the end of the trip. Boarding the 2pm boat, we make our way back to Semporna. All in all, it is a memorable trip for me.

Special thanks to all the travel buddies cum divers. Cheers~

So, buddies...any plan on where should we dive next year?

More on Sipadan underwater soon...

Next Sipadan entry: Sipadan: The underwater perspective