;

Email Signup | Subscribe | Login
For Divers since 1975 The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975

Email Signup | Subscribe | Login

"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes

Malaysia Diving Reviews:
Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

What's this?

Active Subscribers Go Here

Average Overall Ratings (over last 3 years, 5 of 85 reports
Advanced:	Beginner:
UW Photography:

See selected reports
	------- Select a Dive Operator -------- -- All Dive Operators in Malaysia -- Borneo Divers Sipadan Water Village Sipadan-Mabul Resort

Malaysia Diving Guide

Subscriber Content Preview

=> All details shown
Active subscribers go here

Other Destinations ' Reviews

Dive Op / Resort	Live Aboard?	Area	Title / Review	Rating Advanced / Beginner	Diving Date	Reporter/ # Dives	Photos/ Helpful Votes
*Scuba Junkie*		Mabul	"Enjoyable dives in Sipadan - less so for the rest" We stayed at Scuba Junkie Mabul for 10 days diving 9 days. We could secure 5 Sipadan days and 4 non Sipadan days. The non Sipadan ... Full report		7/2024	Heejae Cho 500+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ [same]Borneo divers*		Sipadan	"No dive boat when we surfaced" On one dive I went on, it was me and a dive master diving. There was also two snorkelers with a guide and the boat driver. The div... Full report		7/2024	Joan Huke 100+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.*		Borneo	"Borneo Divers Mabul Resort and Sukau Rainforest Lodge" Mabul Resort – Borneo Divers. This trip included diving in Borneo with Borneo Divers – Mabul Resort, and touring Borneo with S... Full report		4/2024	Henry O Ziller 500+ Dives	2
*SeaVentures*		Mabul, Kapalai, Sipadan	"A fantastic dive trip to Malaysia/Borneo" We spent 8 nights at SeaVentures, a decommissioned oil rig off the coast of Sabah, North Borneo, converted into accommodations, ca... Full report		10/2023	Richard P Tucker 250+ Dives
*Seaventures Dive Rig*		Borneo	"Better than I my wife told me" The Rig - - - - - - - This is an old decommissioned oil platform. WHen you arrive they take you for an orientation tour of the faci... Full report		8/2022	Richard Blackburn 1000+ Dives	1
*Borneo Divers/ Kapalai*		Sipadan	"Diving was great, resort a challenge" Trekked across Malaysian Borneo with Wild Planet Adventures [GREAT animals including orangutan & elephants & sun bears oh my]! The... Full report		3/2019	Fred M Drennan 500+ Dives	1
*Borneo Divers/ Borneo Divers Mabul Resort*		Mabul Island	"Bucket List Malaysia" This report is part of a two week trip that included Sipadan Island and the Similan Islands in Thailand. You must dive Sipadan at ... Full report		3/2019	Jeffrey Watkins 250+ Dives	1
*SMART Dive Center/ Siapdan Mabul Resort*		Mabul island	"Dive and stay at SMART Sipadan Mabul Resort " At Tawau Airport, you’ll be greeted by representatives for SMART (Sipadan Mabul Resort) who coordinate the one- hour bus transfer t... Full report		6/2019	David 250+ Dives	2
*Borneo Divers/ Borneo Divers Mabul Resort*		Sipadan	"Borneo Divers Mabul Resort - Mabul and Sipadan diving" Borneo Divers is located on the small Island of Mabul which has loads of great dive sites, some right off the shore and some a bit... Full report		5/2019	David W. 250+ Dives
*Layang Layang/ Layang Layang Resort*		Layang Layang	"Layang Layang Atoll Diving with Hammerheads" After diving in Sipadan in April, I decided to go to Layang Layang which I heard is the second- best known diving spot in Malaysia ... Full report		4/2019	David W. 250+ Dives	1
*Mataking Dive Resort/ The Reef Dive Resort - Mataking Isl*		Mabul island	"Mataking Island Dive Resort" Stayed on Mataking Island for 5 days and 4 nights at the Reef Dive Resort. The resort runs the whole private island, and the comfo... Full report		10/2018	David W. 250+ Dives
*Scuba Junkie/ Mabul Beach Resort*		Mabul/Sipadan	"Overall good diving operation" RESORT As far as resorts go, this one is pretty well- run while also having the quality of feeling at times overrun. Way too many ... Full report		6/2019	Angela Richards Dona 500+ Dives
*Pulau Sibu, Mersing 86800 Malaysia 011 60 7-222 86/ Sea Gypsy*		East Coast	"exciting, be ready " had two back to back dives, the first aborted dive then a reDive took place due to current, poor vis and a child diving with no op... Full report		6/2019	Robert G Gish 100+ Dives
*Seaventures/ Seaventures Dive Resort*		Sipadan and Mabuol	"Diving Sipadan from the Oil Rig" Wanting to try something different, we chose to stay at the Oil Rig Hotel: Seaventures to dive Sipadan Island in Malaysia (one of ... Full report		5/2019	David W. 250+ Dives	1
*Mabul Water Bungalows/ Mabul Water Bungalows Resort*		Pulau Sipadan and Mabul island	"Superb diving at Mabul Water Bungalows and Sipadan" All I can say about diving at Sipadan is WOW… The sheer amount of fish alone was amazing, we especially loved seeing the funky loo... Full report		5/2019	David W. 250+ Dives	1
*Kapalai*		Sipadan	"Excellent Macro dives" We stayed at the Sipadan- Kapalai Dive Resort for 4 days, it was lovely with traditional- style wooden chalets surrounded by crystal... Full report		6/2019	David W. 250+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Sipadan, Mabul	"Sorely in need of updating. " The resort is sorely in need of an update. Two members of our group fell through the boards in the walkway!. Numerous issues in ou... Full report		10/2018	Tim McMann 250+ Dives	1
*Sipadan-Mabul Resort*		Sipadan, Lankayan Island	"Borneo 5/18" Diving at Sipadan was AMAZING- for the shear quantities of fish (Bump Head Parrott Fish and Barracuda, especially). Comfortable boa... Full report		5/2018	Lisa Carangelo 500+ Dives
*Billabong homestay*		East Borneo	"Budget diving at Sipadan and Mabul islands" Sipidan, Mabul (and Kapalai) are three small islands off the east coast of Borneo, Malaysia. From Australia they can be reached by... Full report		3/2017	Andrew Falconer 500+ Dives
*Sipadan Kalapai Dive Resort*		Sipadan	"Great Trip to Sipadan" The hard part about getting to Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort is the travel time. From the USA, you need to get to Kota Kinabalu [BKI... Full report		12/2017	Mr Franklin Mah 250+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Kapalai*		Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai	"Sipadan did not disappoint" We spend 6 days at Sipadan- Kapalai resort and went to Sipadan island twice during that time. The other days we went to dive sites ... Full report		3/2017	Jana Johnson 100+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Water Village*			"Sipadan Adventure" Diving was phenomenal. Downside is that the dive operator is limited on how many divers can go in one day so on the days you are ... Full report		5/2016	Joel Nitzkin 250+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Sipadan, Mabul, Kapali	"Sipadan, Mabul, Kapali: spectacular diving" Spectacular diving. The SWV is on the island of Mabul. Depending on the number of other divers you may get to the island of Sipada... Full report		5/2016	Robert and Laura Mosqueda 500+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Water Village*		Borneo-Mabul, Kapalai, Sipidan	"Fantastic, other-worldly expedition to a photographic paradise" Sipidan Water Village Resort is one of many resorts that cling to Mabul Island off the northeast coast of Borneo. Sipidan is the ... Full report		3/2016	Paul Selden 500+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Mabul	"Excellent trip to Sipadan Water Village" I have had a fascination with diving in the Coral Triangle area for a number of years and had not done Borneo. This last August I... Full report		1/2016	Steven Evers 500+ Dives
*Oceanic Quest*		Brunei	"Wreck dive in Brunei " Brunei is once a life place to dive. It was a quite funny dive trip for us meaning rigid town without smoking and drinking alcohol... Full report		3/2015	Toshihisa Tsunoda 500+ Dives	1
*Seaventures*		Sipadan	"Sipadan" Palau Sipadan, Malaysia Last week of Oct 15 Winter again in the US so it is time to ... Full report		10/2015	Mike 500+ Dives	1
*Sipadan-Mabul Resort*		Sipadan	"Disappointing diving in Sipadan" We are experienced and well- traveled divers with many excellent experiences under our (weight) belts. I was looking forward to div... Full report		9/2015	Carolyn Tyler 250+ Dives	2
*Borneo Divers*		Sipadan	" amaging Sea venture in front of the Borneo divers." Sipadan is amazing even though　visibility is bad in September. turtle white tip, turtle white tip, sometimes schooling jack ... Full report		9/2014	Toshihisa Tsunoda 500+ Dives
*Sipidan-Kapalai Dive Resort*			Whenever I meet a new experienced scuba diver I ask "where is the best place you've ever been diving?" One friend that spen... Full report		8/2014	Paul Barrett 250+ Dives
*Watercolours Dive Center*		Pulau Perhentian Besar	The very bad: Unfortunately the Malaysian Govt, despite charging a Marine park conservation fee, does not do any enforcement. Fi... Full report		7/2014	hin lee 250+ Dives	3
*Borneo Divers*		Sipadan	Short answer - amazing! My dive partner is an IDC PADI Staff Instructor who has been diving 28 years since age 12. Sipadan was h... Full report		4/2013	Charlie Wright 250+ Dives
*Universal Divers/ Tunabay*		Perhentian Islands	Honestly, no regrets! I did my "homework" with Tripadvisor. It is the best source to gauge what to expect. In Dec 2013 I am going ... Full report		6/2013	Andrew Colin Thompson <100 Dives
*Seaventures*		Borneo, Mabul and Sipadan Isl.	I think staying on the rig is a pretty wonderful and unique experience for the right person. Overall, the rig is massive so it isn... Full report		10/2012	Benjamin Mandell 100+ Dives
*Kapalai Dive Resort*			Food was average. The place is loaded with Chinese but contrary to other opinions they were not any impolite. 90% of them do not d... Full report		8/2013	Sy Rabins 250+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*			The dives in Sipadan were definitely special, I would say it is at least as good as Palau. We saw large schools of barracuda and... Full report		10/2012	Brian C 250+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Sipadan	I was very pleased overall with Sipadan and Mabul, as well as the Borneo Divers resort. Even though I didn't get to dive Sipadan ... Full report		6/2012	Elizabeth Crapo 250+ Dives
*Sipadan-Mabul Resort*		Sabah	Mabul Water Bungalow is a beautiful 5 star luxury resort that sits on top of the water. The service is fantastic, the food pretty ... Full report		7/2012	Jamie Pollack 500+ Dives
*MV Celebes*		Sabah	The MV Celebes is an old, creaky, dilapidated, depressing, smelly boat that should be retired. My cousin and I were booked for one... Full report		7/2012	Jamie Pollack 500+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Water Village*		Sipadan	4 of us travelled from the UK to Sipadan. This is a long way for most divers and, for us, involved 3 flights, a bus and then a boa... Full report		11/2011	Graham McGregor 250+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Sipidan, Mabul	Lots of Aussies for Borneo divers (BD); but, Lu was quite NICE. My 2nd week was at Uncle Chang's resort (UC) which was budget but... Full report		10/2011	Eldon Okazaki 1000+ Dives
*Sipadan-Mabul Resort*		Sipadan, Mabul	Mabul Water Bungalow was a very well organized and managed resort. Eva the manager was always on patrol to insure the customers we... Full report		9/2011	Mike Cavanaugh 500+ Dives
*MV Celebes Explorer*		Sipadan	I would recommend the MV Celebes Explorer (MVCE) for the diving and access to Sipadan, not for the accommodations or the food. Co... Full report		7/2011	Paul 250+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Sipadan	Here is a brief report of Borneo Divers/ Sipadan. The Journey I came from Canada via India on a teaching trip, rested at Hydera... Full report		5/2011	Bob Penhearow 100+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai	The house reef at Mabul Resort is the best house reef we have ever encountered. It had nice corals, turtles, huge cuttlefish, a p... Full report		3/2011	Brigitte Lacouture 100+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ Mabul Resort*		Sipadan	Sipadan is amazing even though I was there off season. Apparently april is the best time of year to go. In august we had rain at... Full report		8/2010	jonathan scolnick 100+ Dives
*Seaventures Dive Rig*		Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai	(Same review submitted to tripadvisor) Our family of four divers stayed on the Seaventures Dive Rig for six nights in late Dece... Full report		12/2009	Jennifer Widom 500+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Mabul, Sipadan	Planes, Trains, and Automobiles would best describe the trek from California to Borneo Divers located on the island of Mabul in Ma... Full report		9/2009	Eric Eckes 500+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Sipadan/Mabul/Kapalai/Siamil	The rooms are very nice. We were in a standard unit. There is no air conditioning but when there is a breeze they are quite comfor... Full report		7/2009	Susan Simpson 500+ Dives
*Layang Layang Dive Resort*		N/A	After diving in Sipadan in March, I've decided to go to Layang Layang, in order to dive two best dive spots in Malaysia. As much a... Full report		3/2009	Stanley Zuk 1000+ Dives
*Borneo Divers*		Mabul/Sipadan	This was the best diving that I did in recent years and one of the best dive sites that I’ve been to. Saw many turtles, sharks, ba... Full report		5/2009	Edward Leibowitz 250+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Borneo	I've always wanted to go and dive Sipadan, and finally, after so many years of diving I arrived in Sipadan Water Village on Mabul ... Full report		3/2009	Stanley Zuk 1000+ Dives
*Kapalai Water Village*			The Resort was amazing, safe, friendly and all about diving. There is only one problem that is a glaring one and that is the perm... Full report		8/2008	Gregg Witkin <100 Dives
*Mabul Water Bungalows*		Mabul/Sipadan	The Good. . . . The big fish action on Sipadan rivals that of Palau and the coral has to be among the most diverse and healthiest on ... Full report		11/2008	Jon Hoffmann 250+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Water Village Resort*		Mabul Island, Borneo	The Sipidan Water Village Resort is built on stilts in the middle of the Celebes Sea. It is connected to Mabul island by a wooden ... Full report		9/2008	Jonathan Blake 1000+ Dives
*SMART/ Mabul Water Bungalows*		Borneo	A very good diving and resort experience. Friendly, eager, polite staff. This is definitely a dive/ snorkel destination - very li... Full report		9/2008	Michael Igoe 250+ Dives
*sipidan water village*		mabul & sipidan	It was a long 21 hours flying time and another 9 in two hotels before we arrived at Sipidan Water Village, an hour's boat ride off... Full report		9/2008	anne warburton 250+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village Resort*		Borneo	The Village itself is located on the island of Mabul, and diving is done on Mabul, Sipadan, and, Kapalai. There is an extra daily... Full report		9/2008	Bob & Pat Thompson 100+ Dives
*Celebes Explorer*		Sipadan	UNDERCURRENTS Have you ever been on a liveaboard with ... Full report		7/2008	Judith Kendall 250+ Dives	1
*SeaVentures*		Mabul/Sipadan	This trip was a little disappointing from a weather standpoint. The winds kicked up the waves and in combination with clouds, real... Full report		5/2008	Rick Tuss 500+ Dives
*Layang Layang*		Layang Layang	Layang Layang Trip report April 14 thru the 28th It took over 3 days to arrive in Layang Layang from Los Angeles. Flew JAL from... Full report		4/2008	scott johnson 500+ Dives
*Layang Layang Resort*		Layang Layang	Layang Layang is an island the Malaysia government built on an atoll 200km Northwest of Kota Kinabalu in to protect their interest... Full report		3/2008	Ricky Tuss 500+ Dives	1
*Sipadan Water Village*		Mabul Island/ Sipadan Island	The best organized dive operation I've ever encountered. As well as having lots of room and thorough briefings, dive masters aske... Full report		3/2008	Victor A. Bary 250+ Dives
*Mv Celebes Explorer*		Borneo, Sipidan Island	The MV Celebes Explorer accommodations were somewhat dated and in need of renovation. We had the "honeymoon" cabin which was acces... Full report		8/2007	David McDougall 250+ Dives
*Borneo Divers Mabul Resort*		Borneo	Terrific place to see mandarinfish, turtles, blue- ringed octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish. Our p... Full report		3/2007	Yvonne Lanelli 250+ Dives
*Sipadan-Mabul Resort/ SMART Water Bungalows*		Mabul-Sipadan	This is my sixth visit to the Water Bungalows over the last three years. The quality of the bungalows, food, and operation of the... Full report		9/2007	Steven Levin 1000+ Dives
*SMART/ Mabul Water Bungalows*		Borneo	Mabul Water Bungalows an up- scale partner of Sipadan- Mabul Resort (SMART). Great accomodations, good restaurant, great service, n... Full report		8/2006	John Sommerer 250+ Dives
*Seaventures*		Sipadan	This was our first time at Sipadan, but wow factor aside, if serious diving is your business then you can't go past Seaventures. ... Full report		7/2007	Leigh Clark 100+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village - Borneo*			This place never ceases to amaze me. Every trip is like going home again. The staff, from the GM to the maint. workers, go out of... Full report		6/2007	Bill Hardee 250+ Dives
*Ocean Rover*		East	Ocean Rover is the best liveaboard that I have been on. Unlike other operations, the crew and service on this boat is consistentl... Full report		5/2007	Leona Holaday 1000+ Dives
*SMART*		Borneo	The resort is on the Island of Mabul, about 15 minutes from Sipidan. The diving is exceptionally good. At Sipidan where we went ... Full report		10/2006	Phil Gans 250+ Dives
*Lankayan Dive/ Lankayan Resort*		Lankayan Island	Lankayan Resort was a delightful surprise. We were met at the airport by a representative of the company and taken to the harbor f... Full report		9/2006	Bill Ehler 1000+ Dives
*Mataking Reef Resort*		Mataking/Sipadan	I stayed at Mataking for 7 days and six nights. I paid for 2 long boat trips (3 hours round trip) to Sipadan (six dives total) an... Full report		9/2006	J Sloane 500+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ Borneo Divers Resort*		Mabul Island	We had the advantage of seeing the Resort's DVD before going, so knew that divers suited up at the Dive Shop and then went on boar... Full report		8/2005	Dale Finch 500+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ Kapalai Resort*			The resort is casual and very comfortable, a creation of boardwalks and bungalows stemming out from a tiny sandbar in the middle o... Full report		7/2006	Tracey Bennett 250+ Dives
*Sipidan Water Village*		Sipidan, Kapalai, Mabul	From LAX it took two days to get to Sipidan Water Village and it was well worth it. It is an amazing accommodation, with potted pl... Full report		6/2006	Tracey Bennett 250+ Dives
*Sipadan Water Village*		Sipadan, Borneo	Our stay at the Sipadan Water Village on Mabul Island had a great combination of wall dives with pelagics and turtles on Sipadan I... Full report		4/2006	Linda & Ron Welf 250+ Dives
*Reef Resort*		Mataking Island	My husband and I went to Mataking Island in December 2004, at the start of the monsoon season. Not the best time to go, but we wer... Full report		12/2004	Sharon Hurst 100+ Dives
*Borneo Divers/ Borneo DIvers Mabul Resort*		Mabul/Sipidan	Borneo Divers does a great job of getting you from Kota Kinabalu to the the resort and back. The resort cottages and clean and com... Full report		7/2005	Jerry Tuttle 1000+ Dives
*Kapalai*		Northeast Borneo	Kapalai is an exquisite retreat - the long trip is worth it simply for this setting. Everybody gets an overwater bungalow with lo... Full report		4/2005	Laura Todd 250+ Dives
*same*		Layang Layang	Even though there were few hammerheads, (one of the main reasons I went), I would return to Layang Layang any time. Try going as ... Full report		4/2005	Laura Todd 250+ Dives
*Pulau-Sipadan resort & touring/ Lankayan Island Resort*		Lankayan Island,Sabah	I do long dives and was not told up front about the 45 min limit. Which did not go over well at all. I had in person chats with t... Full report		3/2005	Sally Schroeder 1000+ Dives
*Pulau Sipadan Resort*		Kapalai, Sipadan,	Beautiful overwater resort on Kapalai, a sand spit that is submerged under water most of the day. No mosquitoes a definite plus. N... Full report		6/2004	John Orange 250+ Dives
*Kapalai*		Sabah	Kapalai is a beautiful water village, built on piers with no island. It offers great macro opportunities. Boat dives around the r... Full report		9/2002	Michelle Ginsburg 1000+ Dives
*Sipadan Dive Centre*		Sipadan	Good - 1. marine life was excellent / abundant / extremely varied with unusual critters. Would definitely go back, though not t... Full report		8/2002	Tony 1000+ Dives

See selected reports
	------- Select a Dive Operator -------- -- All Dive Operators in Malaysia -- Borneo Divers Sipadan Water Village Sipadan-Mabul Resort

Sort reports by date submitted

Dive Reviews for all Diving Destinations

Diving Guide to Malaysia

Undercurrent Online Members also have online access to the current and back issues as well as the current and past Chapbooks. See relevant reports by following links from our Worldwide Dive Travel Index.

Page computed and displayed in 0.47 seconds

Malaysia Diving Reviews: Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

Malaysia Diving Reviews:
Dive Resorts & Liveaboards