Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort
- Resort Location: Kapalai Island - Over the Water
- Number of Rooms: 59 Chalets
- Diving: Sipadan, Mabul, and Kapalai
- Prices: from 2,479 MYR per person (4 days / 3 nights)
- Dive Type: Boat and Shore Dives
- Nitrox: No
- Packages and Prices
Built on a breathtaking mile long sandbank of the Litigan Reef Sipadan Kapalai Resort is a naturally inspired chain of detached wooden chalets surrounding an open air restaurant / bar, and an outstanding dive center. The ultimate in serenity the resort boasts of powder white beaches, beautiful open air rooms, and easy access to the world class dive sites of Sipadan, Kapalai, and Mabul Islands.
Located on the Sulu Sea off of the northeastern coast of Borneo this environmentally friendly resort stands alone in the open sea surrounded by turquoise blue water and a world renowned marine ecosystem. Miles away from the world your days will be filled with sun tanning on the beach, relaxing on your private balcony, or experiencing the outstanding dive sites just a short distance away. From the windows of the spacious rooms guests can spend endless hours mesmerized by the sea and the amazing reef life just a couple of meters below. Sipadan Kapalai Resort is just a few minutes by speedboat from the celebrated islands of Sipadan and more crowded Mabul.
With a magnificent view of Sipadan Island, Sipadan Kapalai Resort offers divers over the water accommodation combined with unparalleled privacy. Don't miss out on the ultimate 8 Day / 7 Night Sipadan Diving Package and the fantastic serenity of the surrounding sea!
Gallery | Packages and Prices | How to Get There | Itinerary | Location
Rooms With A View
With 59 nicely decorated bungalows, Sipadan Kapalai Resort has one of the most ideal locations in in all of Borneo. The resort was designed for total serenity and relaxation while being surrounded by fantastic scenery and amazing diving!
All of the chalets are surprisingly roomy and offer huge private balconies, as well as, attached modern bathrooms.
Sipadan Kapalai Resort Offers Two Types of Accommodation: Twin Share and Triple Share.
Each Bungalow Features the Following Modern Amenities
- Fan Cooling
- Sea View Beach Front Balcony with Chairs
- Private Hot Water Shower and Bath
- Coffee and Tea Making Facilities
- Towels and Toiletries
- Bedside Tables and Lamps
- Indoor Seating Area
- 220 volt power points
- 24 Hour Electricity
The Chalets are all designed to give every guest incredible private views of the Celebes Sea, Sipadan, and Mabul Island. Wake to a morning breeze, enjoy the sunrise, and finish the day with the sun setting over the deep blue water surrounding beautiful Kapalai Island. Your own personal paradise!
Dining, Services, and Entertainment
The resort is centered around the beautiful open air restaurant, sundeck, and dive center. This is where you can spend your time between dives enjoying a meal, or after a day of diving enjoying a sea breeze and and an evening cocktail. Relax with your dive buddy or family and watch some Satellite T.V.
Meals are served buffet style in the terraced open air restaurant and consist of a variety of Western, Chinese, and Seafood cuisine. Coffee, tea, fruit juice, toast, fruit, cakes, pastries, eggs, sausages, rice, and noodles are always available between meals to keep you energized for your next world class dive.
Meals and Timing:
- Breakfast - 7:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
- Lunch - 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- Dinner - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sipadan Kapalai Resort strives to provide guests with all the amenities of home while being a world away.
Popular Facilities and Services:
- Open Air Restaurant
- Bar / Lounge
- Sand Volleyball Court
- Pool Table
- Table Tennis
- Board Games
- Darts
- Sea Canoes
- Babysitting Service
- Broadband Internet Connection
- Souvenir Shop
- Laundry Services
- Satellite Telephone and Fax
Resort facilities are available to all guests of Sipadan Kapalai Resort. Please contact the reception area for coordination of activities and services.
The Ultimate in Macro Diving!
If you've never tried macro diving this is definitely the place to start! Shore diving and snorkeling at Kapalai are free of charge, so dive as much as you like. At sunset catch the spectacular mating ritual of the colorful mandarin fish. It's easy to fall in love in love with diving at Kapalai as the reef is exceeding shallow and hosts an array of amazing creatures.
The dive center is staffed and operated by an enthusiastic and dedicated team of international dive professionals. All dive personnel are experts in the marine ecology of the local dive sites. You will be exposed you to one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. Photographers and videographers will be impressed with the special attention given to educating divers, promoting the protection of the reefs, and finding those hard to find subjects of interest.
Where park permit numbers allow, you will make a 4 dive trip to Sipadan. All Sipadan dives start in the morning with refreshments served between dives and the dive boat returning to the resort in time for lunch. If permits for Sipadan are not available there will be a 3 dive day around Kapalai and Mabul. You can expect a maximum of 2 dives on the day of arrival (depending on arrival time) and none on day of departure.
For those of you who need more world class diving there is the chance for unlimited unguided shore dives for you and your dive buddy at the house reef just offshore. Kapalai is a muck diving paradise and known for critters of the most unusual sort. The dive sites around Kapalai are home to Giant and Dwarf Frogfish, several species of Pipefish, Fire Gobies, Mandarin Fish, many species of Shrimp, Crab, and Lobster. Perfect for divers who love underwater photography.
The resort is equipped with mono hull speed boats which will take a maximum of 10 divers per trip. Professional Dive Master services and boat staff are provided on every boat dive . Journey time to Pulau Sipadan from Sipadan Kapalai Resort is only 15 minutes, so you wont spend your holiday in transit!!.
PADI Dive Courses and introductory dives are available upon request.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Gallery
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We Have Been There! |
Rooms With a View |
Open Air Living |
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Double Bed Bungalow |
Modern En-Suite Bathroom |
Twin Bed Bungalow |
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Gourmet Meals |
Open Air Dining Hall |
All You Can Eat After Diving |
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Dive Center with Nitrox |
Tub with a View |
Lounge with Cocktails |
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Packages and Prices 2010 - 2011
Length of Trip |
Standard Chalet |
Single Supplement |
Total Dives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Days / 3 Nights |
2,479 Malaysian Ringgits |
1,239 Malaysian Ringgits |
8++ |
5 Days / 4 Nights |
3,279 Malaysian Ringgits |
1,639 Malaysian Ringgits |
11++ |
6 Days / 5 Nights |
4,079 Malaysian Ringgits |
2,039 Malaysian Ringgits |
14++ |
7 Days / 6 Nights |
4,879 Malaysian Ringgits |
2,439 Malaysian Ringgits |
17++ |
8 Days / 7 Nights |
5,679 Malaysian Ringgits |
2,839 Malaysian Ringgits |
20++ |
9 Days / 8 Nights |
6,479 Malaysian Ringgits |
3,239 Malaysian Ringgits |
23++ |
10 Days / 9 Nights |
7,279 Malaysian Ringgits |
3,639 Malaysian Ringgits |
26++ |
Dive Packages Starting Daily | Bookings, Enquiries, or Information- Contact Dive Adventures Asia
Reserve Your Space with Only a 30% Deposit and Pay the Balance 60 Days Prior to Departure
Resort Packages (based on 2 guest sharing) Include: all prices are per person (for a single supplement add 50%) and include accommodation, all meals, most drinks (drinking water, coffee, tea, etc.), round trip transfer Tawau - Semporna, round trip speed boat transfer Semporna - Resort. There is a surcharge of 180 MYR for land transfer after 18:00 hours. Please note that you must arrive in Tawau prior to 14:00 to make it to the resort the same day. If you arrive after 14:00 you will need to overnight in Semporna and transfer to the resort the following day. Groups of 5 or more guests will receive 6% off of the dive package price, and groups of 10 guests or more will receive an additional 1 extra space free of charge. Please contact Dive Adventures Asia for non-diver rates!
Diving Packages Include: Professional dive master services, 3 boat dives daily with one dive to Sipadan, Kapalai, and Mabul when possible (except on arrival and departure days), unlimited Kapalai house reef dives, scuba tanks, weights, and weight belt. When permits are available there will be more than one dive at Sipadan but this cannot be guaranteed.
Additional Charges: Equipment rental and national park fees are not included in the above prices and can be paid for upon arrival. Equipment rental is 30 MYR per day for a full set of equipment, depending on availability. Sipadan National Park fees are 40 MYR per day, approximately. PADI diving courses, and alcoholic beverages can be paid for at the resort.
How to Get There: Sipadan is located off the east coast of Sabah / Borneo, Malaysia's eastern most state. Direct flights are available to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu on Sabah from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and Singapore. The closest airport to Sipadan is Tawau, it is approximately one hour from Semporna jetty by mini van. Semporna is the speed boat departure point to Sipadan, Kapalai, and Mabul Islands.
Sipadan Kapalai Resort is located on a sandbar often referred to as Kapalai Island. It is a 45 minute speedboat ride from the port of Semporna. The resort will provide round trip transfer from Tawau Airport to Semporna and Kapalai Resort. You have the option of arriving in Tawau by plane or in Semporna overland.
Recommended Tawau arriving flights:
Malaysia Airlines, MH2121, 07.00-07.45 hrs from Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5152, 07.20-10.05 hrs from Kuala Lumpur
Air Asia, AK 5833, 09.30-10.20 hrs from Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5632, 07.50-10.35 hrs from Johor Bahru (Singapore)
Malaysia Airlines, MH2137, 13.15-14.00 hrs from Kota Kinabalu
*Please note that flight times are approximate and can be changed by the airlines.
Daily boat transfers from Semporna Jetty to the resort occur at approximately 09:30, 12:00, and 15:30.
Boat diving on arrival day is only possible if your depart on the transfer boat from Semporna at 09:30. If your flight arrives Tawau after 14:00 you will need to overnight in Semporna for pick up the following day. Airport pick up can be arranged after 14:00 for a small surcharge.
Tawau departure flights:
Air Asia, AK5153, 10.30-13.15 hrs to Kuala Lumpur
Air Asia, AK5834, 10.45-11.35 hrs to Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5633, 11.10-13.45 hrs to Johor Bahru (Singapore)
Malaysia Airlines, MH2134, 14.40-15.25 hrs to Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5836, 17.05-17.55 hrs to Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5155, 18.35-20.50 hrs to Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Airlines, MH2148, 21.00-21.45 hrs to Kota Kinabalu
Air Asia, AK5157, 21.00-21.45 hrs to Kota Kinabalu
Transfer times from Sipadan Kapalai Resort to Tawau Airport are 06:30, 10:30 and 13:30 hrs. Please plan at least 3 hours between resort departure and flight departure time.
Note that you will have to stay overnight in Tawau or Semporna if you arrive or depart on any flight which is not mentioned above. Unscheduled or private boat transfer can be arranged with an additional surcharge for individuals and groups.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Sample Itinerary
The itinerary of Sipadan Kapalai Resort is meant to deliver the very best diving of Sipadan, Kapalai, and Mabul Islands within the time allotted for the dive package. The schedule will consist primarily of 3 boat dives daily with one dive to Sipadan, Kapalai, and Mabul. When park permits are available there will be up to 4 dives per day at Sipadan Island.
Sample Itinerary
Day of Arrival - (First Day at Sipadan Kapalai Resort)Flight arriving Tawau Airport prior to 14:00. Transfer from Tawau to Semporna by mini van, followed by transfer from Semporna to the resort by speed boat mid day. After checking in and a relaxing snack or meal get geared up for a check-out dive at the SKR house reef, followed by a dive at your discretion later in the afternoon. Maybe a night dive as well. Dinner will be served over the water while your watching the sunset. 2~Dives
Diving Days - Sipadan, Kapalai, or Mabul
- 3 Boat Dives per Day + Unlimited Unguided House Reef Dives
Day of Departure ( Last Day at Sipadan Kapalai Resort)
After breakfast and morning snorkeling you will be transferred by speed boat to Semporna and then transfer to Tawau airport by mini van. There is no diving the last day at the resort.
Note: This does not represent an exact itinerary, it is approximate only. Every dive package is different. Itineraries depend on current conditions, time of year, weather, dive guide, and guest preferences. We do our best to put you at the best sites possible on every dive.
We take no responsibility for scheduling or itinerary changes due to changing weather, political situations, natural disasters or other events beyond our control. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance for any kind of trip you do anywhere in the world. We also recommend that you have DAN or other diving accident insurance up to date and current in case of an unanticipated evacuation or other treatment that may not be covered by your regular insurance.
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort Location
Dive Packages Starting Daily | Bookings, Enquiries, or Information- Contact Dive Adventures Asia