Sipadan... Sabah... Borneo... Malaysia
In 2017 I spent time at the marvellous Sipadan Island in January and in April. The first was a stint aboard the Celebes Explorer and second journey saw Anne and I kick back at the Mabul Resort. The live aboard is the only vessel that can moor around Sipadan Island. This is in stark contrast to any land based operation who work under a quota system that obviously limits the number of divers and minimises for damage from overcrowding.
Mabul Island is beautiful but it is an island divided into two. The resort areas and the fisher village. No points for guessing there is a disparate reality in the quality of living in each half.
Mabul Island is beautiful but it is an island divided into two. The resort areas and the fisher village. No points for guessing there is a disparate reality in the quality of living in each half.
How lucky to be diving and have a whale shark mosey on along for a play... the first time for around 8 minutes at White Tip Avenue then two hours later at Barracuda Point (the footage shot from below).
Sipadan April 11 2017 from Don Collins on Vimeo.
Yep, getting to swim with a whale shark, not once but twice in two locations... pretty spesh. We were at about 18 metres when our playful friend appeared in our view. Immediate plummet down to 30 metres to play... and play. We were the only dive group who had such good fortune to spend time with a whaler.... but to have surfaced, done an interval, moved location and have our friend swim by once more... AWESOME!
The moving media below from my time aboard the Celebes Explorer explains why I wanted to come back once more...
The moving media below from my time aboard the Celebes Explorer explains why I wanted to come back once more...
Sipadan Jan 2017 from Don Collins on Vimeo.