Diving Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai Island at Malaysia

Date: 6 - 12 March 2005
Duration: 7 days

Highlights:

Dive Sipadan, Dive Mabul, and Dive Kapalai.
Dive Malaysia Diving Sites.
Sipadan Island, Mabul Island, Kapalai Island.
Sipadan Island is a UN World Heritage Site located in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan). Sipadan�s wall and hanging garden of corals have been touted as one of the top five diving sites in the world, its turqoise waters turning azure as the drop-off plunges 2,000 feet into the bottom of Celebes Sea. The wall, a mere 20 feet waddle from the shore, offers a myriad of spectacular marine life � the resident schooling barracudas and jacks, a herd of the �reef buffalos� or bumphead parrotfish (Maori wrasse), white-tip sharks, giant groupers, and the ubiquitous abundance of Green and Hawksbill turtles makes the wall a never-ending underwater amusement park.
The wall is also adorned with healthy corals, known as the Hanging Gardens of Sipadan. Deep caves on the wall hide a number of turtle skeletons � unfortunate souls who couldn�t find their way back out. Hammerhead sharks have been sighted in the deeper waters over the years, as well as the occasional manta rays.
Mabul Island, a tiny islet 20-minutes boat ride from Sipadan, is a Mecca for macro-lovers. Its shallow waters hide a treasure trove of small critters: colorful nudibranchs, frogfish, crocodile fish, sea moths, oriental sea robin, blue-ring octopus, exotic shrimps and crabs are the �normal� fare. Mabul is also famous for its colony of playful mandarin fish, always ready for a flamboyant show of colors at dusk.
Kapalai Island is a small sandbank along the famed Ligitan Reefs, just minutes away from Mabul. Small as it may seem, Kapalai hides a surprising number of weird and wonderful critters such as seahorses, octopus, and nudibranchs. It also offers the bigger attractions: sharks, turtles, and schooling jacks.
Average visibility: 15-40meters
Water temperature: 26�C-30�C.

Itinerary:

DIVING MALAYSIA - 2005 MALAYSIA DIVING TRIP.
DIVING BORNEO, DIVING SIPADAN, DIVING MABUL, and KAPALAI ISLAND IN EAST MALAYSIA.
(Flights to Kuala Lumpur will be arranged separately. Please contact the coordinator (Irene) to find out the details)
Day 1 (6/3): Arrival at Kuala Lumpur. Transfer to domestic flight to Tawau. Land transfer to Semporna (1.5 hours). Overnight Semporna.
Day 2 (7/3): Boat transfer to island (45 minutes). 3 boat dives and unlimited house reef dives
Day 3 (8/3): 3 boat dives and unlimited house reef dives
Day 4 (9/3): 3 boat dives and unlimited house reef dives
Day 5 (10/3): 3 boat dives and unlimited house reef dives
Day 6 (11/3): 3 boat dives and unlimited house reef dives
Day 7 (12/3): Boat transfer to Semporna, then land transfer to Tawau. Flight to Kuala Lumpur.
TOTAL BOAT DIVES: 15. Unlimited house reef dives.
Air Asia ticket band depends on the time of booking and payment. The sooner the confirmation, the cheaper the airfare. Booking too close to the date of departure will increase the airfare significantly and the difference in price will be borne by the participant.