Mabul Island -- Pulau Mabul is a small 20 hectares oval shaped island, ringed with sandy beaches and perched on the northwest corner of a larger 200 hectare reef. Lying 15 km to the north of Pulau Sipadan, only 15 minutes away by boat, the reef is on the edge of the continental shelf and the seabed surrounding the reef slopes out to 25m-30m deep. The island has a resident fishing community and is covered in coconut plantations. This unusual setting makes for some interesting scuba diving. Through small and mostly bottom dwellers, many of Mabul's sea creatures are unique, stunningly colourful, often rare and sometimes bizarre. The astonishing thing is that most of these creatures can be found on the house reef right in front of the resort.

Sipadan Island is a small rainforest covered tropical island rising from a depth of more than 600 meters from the bottom of the Celebes Sea. It is the only oceanic island in the region. The island is the top of a long-lost lava chimney from a prehistoric volcano. The very famous late French underwater explorer and filmmaker, Jacques-Yves Cousteau once remarked about Sipadan Island “I have seen other places like Sipadan… 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art.” Although that was many years ago, it is still true today. The island is arguably the top dive destination in the world.

Actually, Kapalai Island isn’t really an island per se. It is more like a sandbank of the Ligitan Reefs out in the sea. And the sandbank is only visible during low tide. It was an island long long time ago, but erosion from the sea has pretty much washed it away. Don’t let the description put you off. The location is really beautiful and has some of my favourite dive spots here. It is also the place I visited when I was still a rookie diver and still not very good with my buoyancy – more of this later.

Sipadan Island, Mabul Island and Kapalai Island are very near each other. These 3 islands are off Semporna town, East Coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

From your location, fly to Kota Kinabalu, then fly for 40 minutes to Tawau. From Tawau, go to Semporna by bus or taxi which will take about 1 hour. From Semporna, you will take the resort speed boat to Mabul Island where your resort is located. The boat ride will take another 45 minutes. Mabul Island will be your gateway to diving around the 3 islands.

If you prefer a leisurely pace, you can spend a night either in Tawau or Semporna. Tawau is the bigger town compared to Semporna. But both offer unique experiences and excellent fresh seafood.