During my two years of backpacking around Southeast Asia in my mid-twenties, I absolutely fell in love with Malaysia. So much, in fact, that I ended up using Kuala Lumpur as my backpacking home base, had a solid crew of expat friends, and loved heading out for weekend getaways or extended trips to popular destinations like Penang, Langkawi and the Perhentian Islands.
But when my friends told me they were embarking on a scuba-diving trip (nine years ago) to a small island off the coast of Borneo, Malaysia, I wasn’t able to go. Mainly because A) I wasn’t certified, and B) I didn’t feel like spending a ton of money to visit a place that’s main attraction is something I couldn’t partake in.
That was the first time I ever heard of SIPIDAN.
I remember chatting with them upon their return, and as they shared their wondrous scuba-diving stories, I remember thinking that one day I’m sure I’ll eventually make it there and experience it for myself.
Well, that dream has finally come true, and I’ve officially crossed Sipidan Island off my travel and scuba bucket list!
And while the diving is truly next level, what made this trip so unique and memorable was booking my trip with Seaventures.
Seaventures Dive Resort
How did I end up here…?
I’m currently on one of my 3+ month winter getaways in Indonesia (because I’m not a fan of the Seattle gloom), and was planning on going diving with a friend in Nusa Lembongan. I was discussing my upcoming plans for a visa run/dive trip to Sipidan Island, and one of the dive instructors started telling me how much she loved the diving up there.
She then began to tell me about this “oil rig that’s similar to a liveaboard” and recommended I look into staying there. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
I got back to the hotel and began my research, and that’s when I discovered Seaventures!
THE WORLD’S FIRST AND ONLY LIVE-ON-BOARD DIVE RIG!
After browsing Seaventures website and checking out their social media — it was done. I knew I HAD to stay there. I love unique stays and experiences (who doesn’t?), and I was shocked that I had never heard of this place before!
It’s a decommissioned oil rig off the coast of Mabul Island which has beeen converted into a dive resort/floating hotel, and it’s truly a one-of-a-kind adventure. While there are plenty of great resorts that offer bucket list diving out to Sipidan Island, there’s simply nothing else in the world like the Seaventures Dive Rig experience.
So let’s dive into what makes this a MUST-STAY!
The Seaventures Dive Rig
I mean, where to even begin?
From the minute I stepped off the boat, onto the lift, and into the Dive Rig – I knew I was in for a treat. I was given a full tour of this unique wonder, and I must say it is a lot bigger than pictures make it seem!
There are four levels to the dive rig, but the majority of the time was spent on Deck 1, which is where all the scuba equipment is kept, and where you’ll find the camera room, rental counter, dining area, staff office and access to the lift.
I particularly loved the main dive area with maps of the various islands, dive sites, and the epic house reef (more on that later). Everyone gets their own cubby/ area to keep their weight belt, mask, fins, dive computer and other essential dive equipment. There’s also a spacious area for showering after dives, and fresh water to rinse your wetsuits, essential to avoid wetsuit rash.
The Sun Deck
I never missed a sunset!
After a long day of scuba-diving, there’s no better place to rest and relax on the rig than up on the beautiful sun deck! Offering plenty of seating and tables, hammocks, and comfy lounge chairs, I found myself up here every evening and the sunsets were spectacular.
The sun sets right in front of the sundeck, and it is such a peaceful view as you marvel at the skies changing hues. It was also beautiful being able to look over to Mabul and see its iconic overwater bungalows.
Sipidan Scuba Diving | “Sipidan Days”
Sipidan Island is world famous for its diving, and rightfully so, as it truly is an underwater Eden! While it’s pretty much always included on listicles for the best diving, Sipidan Island has even been voted the #1 dive destination in the world!
It’s Malaysia’s only oceanic island, with dramatic 600m walls dropping to the seabed, and it is home to a huge variety of marine life that will surely keep you coming back for more diving trips.
Sipadan Park Permit
While some fellow scuba divers might already be aware of this — I had no clue how difficult it can be to get a permit to go diving in Sipidan, especially during the busier seasons of the year. This is an important aspect of booking a dive trip to Sipidan, as it will affect the length and cost of your trip.
For example – when booking with Seaventures, each eligible guest must purchase a minimum of a 3 consecutive night diving package to be eligible for a ONE-DAY Sipadan Permit guarantee with Seaventures.
I visited during low season so I was fortunate to be able to procure another pass during my 4-night stay, but I know I wouldn’t have been so lucky if I had visited later in the year.
The permit costs an additional 450 MYR ($95 USD) and only includes two dives, which was only just recently decreased from three dives per permit.
It is also required that you are an Advanced Open Water (AOW) diver to visit Sipidan Island.
Sipidan Scuba Diving Days
Each day with Seaventures includes 3 boat dives, so on the days you take the 6AM departure out to Sipidan Island, you’ll do two morning dives there and then the next dive will be at either Mabul or Kapalai Island.
I did four dives total at Sipidan, at the famous dive sites Barracuda Point, South Point, North Point, and Hanging Garden. While my first day at Sipidan was a tad underwhelming, my second day at Sipidan is what convinced me how special this place really is.
Massive schools of fish, sharks and turtles galore await you, and an abundance of coral and marine life that is unique and simply spectacular.
My Sipidan Highlights: Swimming amongst – and being surrounded by – the largest school of fish I’ve ever seen, spotting a sleeping leopard shark, plus two different schools of the iconic humphead parrotfish.
Mabul & Kapalai Scuba Diving
Sipidan, Mabul, and Kapalai are the crowning glory of Malaysia’s robust underwater realm.
Seavenutes Dive Rig is located just off the coast of Mabul Island, and a 10-15 minute boat ride away from Kapalai Island. For the days when you don’t have a permit to dive at Sipidan, you’ll do your three boat dives around one of these two locations.
While they aren’t quite as epic as Sipidan, they still offer jaw-dropping dive sites and are particularly famous for macro-diving (smaller marine life), and this is far from boring.
During my 7 dives around Mabul & Kapalai, we encountered countless nudibranches, turtles, moray eels, lionfish, crocodile fish, cuttlefish, blue spotted stingrays, clown fish, parrot fish, stone fish, plus so much more amazing marine life!
Seaventures Dive Rig House Reef
One of the coolest aspects of staying with Seaventures is that it includes UNLIMITED dives at the house reef, which is located right underneath the oil rig!
All you need to do is to get your equipment ready, grab a dive buddy, ask the lift operator to lower you down and to step right off the vessel to dive directly underneath it! I did this dive four times in total, two during the day and two night dives.
Complete with small boat wrecks, an old car, a “playground”, and a plethora of marine life, it’s such an epic dive site that has lots to offer!
Night Diving
My only regret about my time on the dive rig was not going night diving on all four nights!
I’ve only been night diving a handful of times, but it’s such a thrill that can be hard to explain. While it is certainly intimidating and can be a little scary at times, night diving is such an insanely unique experience and I could not recommend it enough.
After jumping off the lift and swimming over to the entry point, you’ll begin to descend into pitch-black water only lit by your dive light. On the way down, it truly felt like we were floating through space, as visibility was so bad, and the only thing you could see were tiny specks that resembled stars in the sky.
While the first night dive was fantastic, our second stole the show and ended up being my favorite dive of the entire trip (excluding Sipidan) as we finally saw two different octopuses! I’ve been diving A LOT the past year and for some reason, have been really unlucky with finding these eight-tentacled aliens! Until now!
Besides that, we saw cuttlefish, lion fish, hermit crabs, moray eels and a lot more underwater critters as we were exploring the dive site and the quirky spots within it.
The Rooms
Just like any dive resort or liveaboard, there are going to be different types of rooms available. I stayed in the Standard Twin Sharing Room and have no complaints at all!
The beds and linens were really comfortable, the air-conditioning worked perfectly, and there was plenty of space for all my stuff. Then again, I had the twin share room to myself so it would be a little more cramped with two people in it.
While I was on board Seaventures were renovating a few rooms that I took at a look at, and they’re really stepping up their accommodation.
The Food
When you book a dive package with Seaventures all of your meals are included, which to my delight were all buffet-style!
Every meal offered a type of chicken/beef and fish dish for protein, fresh fruit, rice, soup and salad, and there’s even a refrigerator with freshly-made desserts you can help yourself to at any time. Amazing!
While I, unfortunately, wasn’t on board during peak season, Seaventures is known in the region for their BBQ nights and occasional live music. A great reason to make a trip back in the future!
In between meals, there’s also a small selection of snacks/frozen ice-creams for sale. If you’re a hungry hippo like I am, I would recommend going to a grocery store in Semporna to stock up on snacks before getting on the transfer boat.
What is it about diving that makes me SO hungry…?
Cost/ Value For Money
While diving in Sipidan is one of the more expensive destinations to dive in Southeast Asia, it’s still an incredibly affordable in comparison to other scuba/ liveaboard trips.
Here’s a general idea of what you’re going to spend.
These are the 2024 rates.
- 4 Days/3 Nights Seaventures Diving Package: RM3,975.00 Per Diver ($837 USD)
- 5 Days/4 Nights Seaventures Diving Package: RM4,875.00 Per Diver ($1,027 USD)
- 6 Days/ 5 Nights Seaventures Diving Package: RM5,830.00 Per Diver ($1,228 USD)
These rates include land and boat transfers from Tawau Airport/Semporna Jetty, all of your meals and drinking water, plus tanks, weight belt, and weights.
NOT INCLUDED – Your mask, fins and dive computer will need to be rented, if you don’t have your own. The above packages do not include the Sipidan Permit Fee of 450 MYR.
Overall — if you add up all the costs of the transfers, accommodation, what you typically spend on meals, and 3-5 dives per day – it’s a stellar deal!
I know of many liveaboards that charge thousands of dollars for 5-7 night trips, so Seaventures is a truly budget-friendly dive trip in comparison.
Getting to Seaventures Dive Rig
The dive rig is located a 40-minute speed boat trip from the small town of Semporna in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
You’ll need to book flights to/from TAWAU AIRPORT (TWU), which is serviced by dozens of flights per day, operating from Kuala Lumpur & Kota Kinabalu. I’d recommend checking Skyscanner for the cheapest flights, as I flew there with AirAsia & Batik Air Malaysia on the way back.
Tawau Airport to Semporna is an 80-minute drive or so, depending on traffic, and if you can find an overnight flight that arrives in the AM, you can save yourself the expense of a night of accommodation and head straight to the jetty for the 10 AM transfer to the rig. That’s what I didn’t do, and wish I had.
Seaventures Dive Rig Tips & Packing List
I always enjoy ending my reviews with some tips and pointers for maximizing your experience. After recently having the most incredible 4-day trip with Seaventures, here are my main travel tips and other key pointers…
- Invest in your own dive computer. I finally got my own recently as a Christmas gift, and I love it so much! It is a requirement that every guest has their own dive computer, so if you don’t buy one you will have to rent one.
- The fins that I wore from Seaventures ended up giving me a gnarly blister on the back of my heels. So either bring your own or put waterproof bandaids on your heels before putting on your fins.
- I’d recommend buying some ear drops for scuba diving to help with any pain and prevent ear infections.
- Pack some snacks to keep in your room.
- Bring a good book! Once you’re done with your Sipidan days (and if you don’t dive the house reef), there is plenty of downtime.
- Bring along a GoPro or underwater camera. The photography opportunities are truly amazing here, and you’ll want to capture it all!
Have you been to the Seaventures Dive Rig/Sipidan before?
I would love to hear from you guys about what you enjoyed most about your experience!
Thanks so much for reading my Seaventures Dive Rig review!
This was truly a one-of-a-kind experience that I fully believe deserves to be on any keen diver’s bucket list.
Be sure to follow along on my Instagram for more epic scuba-diving trips!
