Things to Do in Semporna

Semporna is a small fishing town on Sabah’s southeast coast, around 90 minutes by road from Tawau Airport. The town itself is a transit point — a grid of basic streets, a fish market, and a waterfront lined with dive operators — but the waters around it contain some of the most biodiverse marine environments in Southeast Asia. Sipadan, 36km offshore, is the primary draw; the surrounding islands of Mabul, Kapalai, and Mataking offer complementary diving and snorkelling experiences across a range of depths and difficulty levels. Semporna’s value is almost entirely underwater.

Sipadan Island

Sipadan is the centre of Semporna’s reputation. It is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising from the continental shelf on an ancient volcanic cone that descends to over 600 metres. The submarine topography creates conditions that support exceptional marine biodiversity — schools of barracuda in the hundreds, multiple species of shark (white-tip, grey reef, hammerhead on occasion), large populations of sea turtles that nest on the island’s beach, and reef fish diversity that ranks among the highest recorded anywhere in the world.

Access to Sipadan is managed by the Sabah Parks authority, which issues 120 dive permits per day. These permits are held by licensed dive operators — individuals cannot apply directly. To dive Sipadan, you must book through an operator in Semporna or Mabul who holds permits. Operators typically include one to three Sipadan dives in multi-day packages alongside dives at surrounding sites.

Key dive sites at Sipadan:

Barracuda Point: the most iconic site — a strong current-driven point where schooling barracuda form a tornado shape in the water column, sometimes hundreds of metres long. Also frequented by grey reef and white-tip sharks. Diveable at most experience levels when the current is moderate; for strong-current days, more experience is helpful.

Turtle Cavern: an underwater cave system with skeletal remains of turtles that became disoriented inside — accessible only to divers with overhead environment training. Not part of standard Sipadan packages; requires specific qualification and operator approval.

Turtle Patch and Mid Reef: shallower sites suitable for the Sipadan dives in the 10–20 metre range, with high turtle density and good visibility for underwater photography.

Sipadan dives are almost always done as morning sessions; afternoon permits are rarer. Expect to dive Sipadan on some but not all days of a Semporna package — permit availability varies.

Mabul Island

Mabul is the main accommodation island for Semporna’s diving scene, located approximately 25 minutes by speedboat from Semporna town. Where Sipadan offers oceanic walls and large pelagics, Mabul is a world-class muck diving destination — sandy, silty seafloor and artificial reef structures (including a deliberately sunken barge) that host extraordinary concentrations of macro life: flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, various nudibranch species, frogfish in multiple colour variants, and occasional pygmy seahorses.

Mabul’s diving is genuinely different from Sipadan’s. The visibility is often lower (10–15 metres versus Sipadan’s typical 20–30 metres), but the density of unusual species makes it among the most rewarding macro diving in the world. Most Semporna dive packages include multiple Mabul dives alongside the Sipadan allocation.

The island also has a significant stilt village community — Bajau Laut (sea nomad) families living in houses built on stilts over the water. These communities are visible from the water and from some resort areas. Many dive packages include a brief boat tour of the stilt village perimeter.

Kapalai Island

Kapalai — technically a sandbank rather than an island at high tide — has a cluster of overwater bungalows (the Kapalai Dive Resort) and a surrounding reef system that is productive for macro life similar to Mabul. The site is less visited than Mabul and suits those who want quieter, more isolated diving access with a resort exclusively on the water. Available as a dive package destination through most Semporna operators.

Mataking Island

Further from Semporna, Mataking has a single resort and a house reef that includes an underwater postal box — a novelty that draws underwater photographers. The diving here is less celebrated than Mabul or Sipadan but offers a quieter alternative for those who want a different pace.

Snorkelling

Non-divers can access Mabul’s reefs by snorkelling from the island’s beach and resort jetties; the shallow sections of the house reefs have good visibility and reef fish diversity. Day trips by speedboat from Semporna town to Mabul for snorkelling cost approximately RM100–150 per person and can be arranged through operators on the waterfront. Snorkelling at Sipadan itself requires a separate Sipadan permit — these are more available for snorkellers than for divers, but still require advance booking through a licensed operator.

Bajau Laut Stilt Village Boat Trips

The Bajau Laut are an Austronesian sea-nomad people who have historically lived primarily at sea, moving between anchorages and more recently settling in stilt house communities over the water near islands throughout the Sulu Archipelago and Semporna’s surroundings. The stilt village communities around Mabul, Omadal Island, and along the coast near Semporna town are visible and accessible by boat.

Most dive operators include a brief pass by the stilt village during transfer to Mabul. For those who want more than a drive-by, independent boat trips from Semporna’s waterfront — arranged directly with local boatmen — take visitors around the stilt village communities at a slower pace. These are active residential communities rather than attractions; conduct during visits should be respectful, and photography of residents requires obvious consent.