| Reputably one of the best diving spots in
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| | Within these chambers lie the remains of
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| the world, the uniqueness of Sipadan
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| | hawksbill and green turtles that have
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| Island lies in its geographic makeup.
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| | lost their way in the caves and
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| Lying on top of a volcanic seamount,
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| | subsequently drowned. Visibility is low
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| Sipadan Island is the only oceanic island
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| | in the far reaches of the caves, which is
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| in Malaysia. As this volcano rises
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| | why only advanced divers should enter the
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| steeply over 1600 feet from the seabed,
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| | cavern. Accompaniment of a local diving
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| many of the dive sites here consist of
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| | master is necessary when venturing into
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| steep walls or drop-offs. In addition,
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| | this maze of interconnecting tunnels.
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| the entire reef area of 513 acres
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| | As one of Sipadan's most treasured sites,
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| functions as the habitat for soft and
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| | Barracuda Point is where schools of
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| hard corals, as well as home to over 3000
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| | barracudas and jacks swirl around as the
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| species of fish. Hawksbill and green
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| | strong currents here bring food to their
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| turtles are common in Sipadan. In fact,
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| | midst. Of course, the large volume of
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| it is not surprising for divers meet to
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| | fish also attracts the presence of Grey
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| 70 turtles on each dive!
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| | Reef Sharks and the Hammerheads. Here, it
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| Due to the size of the island, dive sites
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| | is common for divers to drop down lower
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| around Sipadan are close to one another.
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| | along the wall. However, the northern
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| Altogether, there are 11 marked dive
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| | point of this site should be avoided as
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| sites around Sipadan:
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| | strong currents here may bring divers
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| The Drop-Off is the most popular dive
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| | further away from the island.
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| site here and has won the island the Best
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| | The highlight of the Sipadan Midreef Dive
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| Beach Dive Award in the world. Located
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| | would probably be the strong currents
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| just 20 feet from the beach, the sea
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| | that drift divers north or south from
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| water turns indigo blue as the depth of
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| | their start points. As they scale along
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| the sea drops steeply to a staggering
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| | the wall, throngs of marine life such as
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| 2800 feet. The circling tornado of
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| | triggerfish, unicorn fish, hawk fish and
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| barracuda or jacks typically found in
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| | gobies are visible here. At times, divers
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| brochures, books or magazines are easily
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| | may even be pushed upwards by the
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| visible overhead when a diver enters the
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| | current, only to be stopped by hard flat
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| water. Corals and sponges growing at the
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| | corals at the top of the reef.
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| side of the wall attract small reef
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| | Other dive sites in Sipadan include the
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| fishes. White tip sharks and green
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| | Coral Garden, the Hanging Gardens and the
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| turtles are also amongst the creatures
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| | Staghorn Crest, perfect locations for
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| living along the cliff. This is also a
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| | underwater photography due the unique
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| popular location for night dives, as
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| | topography and the abundance of colorful
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| shrimps and crabs can be seen peering out
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| | marine life. On the other hand, the South
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| from the crevices along the wall at
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| | Point and Whitetip Avenue dive sites are
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| night.
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| | great locations to observe the rarer
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| Next up is the Turtle Cavern, with the
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| | shark species such as the Whitetip Reef
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| entrance located about 65 feet below the
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| | Sharks and the Hammerheads.
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| surface.
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