Sipadan Island

Getting there

About 45 minutes by speedboat from Semporna in calm seas.

What to do

• Dive among green and hawksbill turtles, barracuda at Barracuda Point, and more than 3,000 species of fish.

The weather here

Boats cross open sea, so wind and swell matter: check the morning forecast, and expect a trip to be cut short or moved when the sea is rough.

Good to know

• A Sipadan permit is needed and the number each day is limited: one day’s visit, at most two dives, Advanced Open Water or higher. Permits come only through Sabah Parks’ registered dive operators, bookable up to six months ahead.
• Most divers stay in Semporna or on nearby Mabul and visit Sipadan for the day.

Tuesday 3 November: the weather forecast shows no rain in the daytime.

• Monday 2 November: Light showers, 30°C / 28°C, rain 0.4 mm in the morning and 0.9 mm in the afternoon.
• Tuesday 3 November: Mostly clear, 30°C / 28°C, rain 0.0 mm in the morning and 0.0 mm in the afternoon.
• Wednesday 4 November: Light showers, 29°C / 26°C, rain 0.9 mm in the morning and 0.6 mm in the afternoon.
• Thursday 5 November: Light rain, 29°C / 27°C, rain 1.6 mm in the morning and 0.5 mm in the afternoon.
• Friday 6 November: Showers, 28°C / 26°C, rain 0.5 mm in the morning and 5.9 mm in the afternoon.
• Saturday 7 November: Light showers, 28°C / 27°C, rain 2.0 mm in the morning and 0.3 mm in the afternoon.
• Sunday 8 November: Cloudy, 28°C / 27°C, rain 0.5 mm in the morning and 0.1 mm in the afternoon.

Weather forecast issued Mon 2 Nov, 03:17 (MYT) from the MET Norway weather model; smoke forecast from Copernicus CAMS. Forecasts from models, not measurements.