Kapalai is an island in located off the east coast of Sabah / Borneo, Malaysia's eastern most state. The island of Kapalai was a beautiful island two hundred years ago, but it has become only sand bar today. Erosion has reduced the island to sea level and the village now sits on the edge of the extensive Ligitan Reefs. All of the buildings are on stilts resting on the underwater reef. However, Kapalai Island is still a famous attraction for visitors and well known its scuba resorts. The island also conjures the image of crystal clear waters.

Kapalai is truly unique because it is not quite an ‘island’. There are 40 chalets built on high wooden stilts in the middle of the ocean. Visitors can enjoy the sights of marine life in action as they stroll along the boardwalk, a sturdy construction that connects the various sections of the floating resort. The resort has 40 chalets, equipped with basic amenities, including tea and coffee making facilities.

Visitors will never have to gripe about having a less than desirable view: where the breathtaking view of the Celebes Sea surrounding all over the island. There is a wooden deck restautant, where diners can eat indoors or al fresco. There’s even a viewing area in the middle of the restaurant which allows visitors to see the myriad of marine life passing below.

The journey to from Tawau to Semporna by road takes approximately one hour. The transfer to Kapalai by speedboat from Semporna takes about 40 minutes.

Mabul is a small island off the south-eastern coast of Sabah in Malaysia. The island has been a fishing village since 1970s. It first became popular to divers due to its proximity to Sipadan Island in 1990. Mabul Island has gained its own recognition as one of the best muck-diving (a term used to describe limited visibility dives at shallow sites with usually sandy bottoms) sites in the world.

Mabul is also renowned for its amazing array of macrolife, making it an underwater photographer’s dream location to capture some of the rarest ecological species on film. Flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, spike-fin gobies, frogfish and moray eels are just some of the spectacular critters you will encounter beneath the waters of Mabul.

Located 15km from Sipadan, this 20-hectare piece of land surfaces 2-3 meters above sea level, consists mostly flat grounds and aerial view is oval-shaped. Surrounding it are sandy beaches, perched on the northwest corner of a larger two square kilometre reef. Mabul is a small oval shaped island fringed by sandy beaches and perched on the northwest corner of a larger 200-hectare reef. The reef is on the edge of the continental shelf and the seabed surrounding the reef slopes out to 25–30m deep. It takes around 45 minutes by speedboat to get to Mabul from Semporna.

With its sparkling white sand, mesmerizing blue waters and top-class resort, Mataking Island is the ideal getaway for both the avid diver and non-diver. Divers can gear up and explore the Eel Garden, Coral Garden, Nudibranch Garden, Turtle Playground, Lobsters Lair and Hump Head Point.

Non-diving activities include a luxurious pampering experience at Jamu Spa, batik painting, kayaking, canoeing and jungle-trekking to name a few. Visitors can take a leisurely walk to Pulau Mataking Kecil (literally meaning Small Mataking Island) which is a 20-minute walk from the main island. The best time to take this walk is in the morning when the tides are low, allowing you to walk on a sandy stretch that leads directly to the smaller island. With the sea surrounding you on both sides, you will feel almost as if you are walking on water.

One of the interesting things of Mataking is the famous ‘Underwater Post Office', which is the first of its kind in Sabah, or even in Malaysia. In March 2006, the resort decided to sink Mataking 1, an old 40-foot wooden cargo ship to create an artificial reef and also to serve as a unique underwater mailbox. Divers seal their mail in a waterproof vacuum bag and post it underwater. Picturesque, equipped with excellent facilities and complemented with friendly service at all times, your stay at Mataking will never be long enough. The transfer to Mataking from Semporna by speedboat takes about 45 minutes.

Pom Pom Island is an island with a laid back and casual ambience—as the name alludes—Pom Pom is about 45 minutes away from Semporna. The Island has rich tropical vegetation that keeps it shady and cool, surrounded by white sand and the turquoise waters of the Celebes Sea.

Geographically, Pom Pom Island is among the few rare islands found on the South China Sea. This little atoll, which takes about an hour to walk around, is often a shelter for both Green and Hawksbill marine turtles that during the night return to the beach to nest. During vacation, if you are lucky, you might witness the hatching of the eggs and baby turtles running to the sea.

There is a resort on the island – the Pom Pom Island Resort. Equipped with rustic-chic resort accommodation, visitors can chill in the air conditioned room after a long day at the beach or book a massage session for the ultimate island decompression experience. The dreamy atmosphere of the resort is also made for couples desiring a grand beach wedding, and honeymooners looking for a romantic destination to celebrate their love.

Just mention the word Sipadan in a room full of divers and watch what happens: Those that have been there will immediately start sharing stories of hammerhead sharks, massive barracuda and parrotfish schools, turtles, undersea caves and reef walls. Those that haven’t experienced it yet, will get a dreamy expression on their faces.

Sipadan is rated by many dive journals as one of the top destinations for diving in the world. It is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the seabed.

Located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, Sipadan was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop.

Sipadan is the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. Green and hawksbill turtles (which mate and nest there), enormous schools of barracuda in tornado-like formations as well as large schools of big-eye trevally, and bumphead parrotfish are among the frequently species seen in the waters around Sipadan. Pelagic species such as manta rays, eagle rays,scalloped hammerhead sharks and whale sharks also visit Sipidan.

Above water, the island is a covered in lush jungle and home to tropical birds such as kingfishers, sea-eagles, sunbirds, starlings and wood pigeons. There are also fruit bats and monitor lizards and at nightfall a turtle may come to lay her eggs on the beach while coconut crabs scurry into the water at the slightest sound. It was declared a bird sanctuary as early as 1933 and in 2004. All accommodation facilities on Sipadan were closed to further protect this pristine natural treasure.

Divers are still easily able to enjoy the magic of underwater Sipadan. It is within minutes of the islands of Mabul and Kapalai half an hour from Semporna on Malaysian Borneo and just over an hour from the islands of Mataking and Pompong. Resorts and dive operators in these locations bring divers to Sipadan’s dive sites by boat on a daily basis.

Sipadan can be reached in little over half an hour by boat from the closest town on the mainland, Semporna, or in less time from the neighbouring islands of Mabul and Kapalai.

Visitors to Sipadan (divers and non-divers) need to have a permit (RM 40 per person per day) and only licensed diving operators are allowed in the area. Your diving operator or resort can arrange these permits as well as boat diving trips to the island.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park, also known as Semporna Islands Park, is a marine park located off the east coast of the state of Sabah. It consists of the islands of Bodgaya, Boheydulang, Sebangkat, and Selakan, the sand cays of Maiga, Sibuan, and Mantabuan, and the patch reefs of Church and Kapikan.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park are situated at the entrance to Darvel Bay, off the East coast of Sabah near the town of Semporna, it took about 45 minutes by speed boat from the jetty of this small town. Named after then the Head of State of Sabah, Tun Sakaran Dandai, it was gazetted in July 2004 as Sabah’s seventh park. The Park is the largest Marine Park and covering 340 sq kilometers of sea and corals reef and 10 sq kilometers of land.

Geologically, the islands are formed from Quaternary pyroclastic material, which was ejected during explosive volcanic activity. Pulau Bodgaya, Boheydulang, Tetagan, Selakan, Sebangkat, Maiga, Sibuan and Mantabuan.

Although the islands of Tun Sakaran Marine Park are lesser known compared to Sipadan Island; the marine park is said to have an even higher level of biodiversity than in Sipadan. Whereas Sipadan has a collection of bigger fish and an abundance of turtles, sharks, and other marine lives inhabiting its waters; Tun Sakaran Park has more biodiversity in terms of species and habitats. From scientific study carried out by Dr.Elizabeth Wood for over 20 years, found that the richness of marine life in Tun Sakaran Marine Park is standing on par with the marine life of ‘Great Barrier Reefs' in Australia.

The Bajau Laut (Sea Gypsies) lived a nomad lifestyle on boats adding to the uniqueness of the Park. For the marine enthusiast, the blue-green mesmerizing beauty of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park beckons with a hundred and one promises of a wonderful experience both above and underwater.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park is not equipped with facilities for tourists; however, visitors are welcome to explore the marine park’s dive sites with their snorkels and scuba gears. Divers have reported many sightings of eagle rays, turtles, barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, and plenty of nudibranchs. There are large walls and a cornucopia of macrolife in the Bodgaya lagoon, while the sandy areas are home to big gorgonian fans and sea pens.

For non diver, visitor can take some time to tour the Tun Sakaran Marine Research Unit in Bohey Dulang Island where the giant clam spawning and seaweed farming centre is located. This centre cultivates seven species of giant clams - two of which are already extinct - to be released back into the sea after 6-7 months. *Prior to visit, visitors need to obtain a permit from Sabah Parks.