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Published: September 21st 2008
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Whilst queing to check in with Airasia to Tawau I meet a couple of English guys called Dave and Ben, who were also going diving at Sipadan, so when we got to Tawau we shared a taxi to Semporna (where all the trips to Sipadan leave from). I have to say that this time I was a little nervious about flying after the 2 recent plane accidents, specially as we were travelling with Airasia, but nothing happened. We all checked in at the Dragon Inn, a nice hotel on the water, well, the rooms were on stilts on the water. I then went straight to find a diving operator who will have a free space for the following day to dive at Sipadan, and I was very lucky as only one was opened and they had 1 free space left! After dinner with the guys we went early to bed as we had an early start to go diving!
Next day we got up at 7am as we needed to be at the diving shop by 7.45 to prepare all our diving equipment. After an hr boat ride we arrived at Sipadan a paradisiac island protected by the military, as a
few years ago there had been some tourists kidnapped here by pirates, yes, pirates!!. What it used to be a resort in the island now isthe living space for the soldiers as there is no resorts allowed in the island anymore, to protect all the coral and underwater life from being destroyed by the tourist. The government also now only allows a certain number of people on the island every day.
Even from the pier, the water was so clear that you could see all the colourful fishes, and suddenly a turtle also passed by the boat, and we were all so excited that wanted to jump out of the boat immediately and start our first dive at Sipadan, but we had to wait until they took us to our first dive site, Barracuda Point. As soon as we jumped into the water we could see under our feet the massive drop (600m) that surrounds this island, making it a perfect diving site. It was just amazing!!!! Immediately we started seeing so many turtles, white tip sharks, angel fish, bumphead parrotfish, butterfly fish, barracudas (of course), sweet lips, coral trout, etc everything!!! It was absolutely incredible, the best dive ever!!!!
I have never seen so many turtles in my life and so close up!!! I have now changed my Facebook profile photo to one of a turtle with me! Then we took a break on the beach at Sipadan before our second dive of the day, this time at Reef Point, another magnificent dive site with so much underwater life to see!! I just can't have enough. Then for a lunch break at the beach before the 3rd dive of the day, but as I had forgot to buy lunch, our divemaster, Ewan was a sweetheart and got me somethings to eat from the other dive operators (who provide lunch to their divers), as they had lots left!
At the beach I started talking to Marla, a very nice Philipino girl, who is a divemaster there, and was on holidays here. Our 3rd dive of the day was at Drop Off Point. Again incredible site, once you leave the area closer to the pier, where you can see the dead coral due to the tourist boats.
My initial plan was to only dive one day and then go to Sepilok to see the orangutans, but I had had such
a good experience that I decided to stay one more day and do more dives at Sipadan again. I was very lucky again as they had 1 spot free again for the following day there. So dinner and early to bed again as we were really tired from all the diving.
The next day we started again at Barracuda Point where we saw again so many turtles, sharks, barracudas, nudibranches, titan triggerfish, blue nazo tang, giant trevalli, etc etc (Photos and more photos). The next 2 dives of the day were also incredible, and couldn't have enough!!!.
But decided to leave the following day to go to Sepilok, and Dave and Ben also decided to come as well.
Mientras estaba en la cola de Airasia para ir a Tawau, conoci a un par de chicos ingleses, Dave y Ben, que tambien iban a hacer immersiones a Sipada, asi que cuando llegamos a Tawau cojimos un taxi juntos ha Semporna (de donde salen los barcos a Sipadan. He de decir que estaba un poco nerviosa al volar, despues de los dos accidentes aereos que ha habido recientemente, pero no paso nada claro. Todos nos quedamos en el Dragon
Inn, un hotel bien bonito encima del agua, bueno, las habitaciones estaban suspendidas en palos encima del agua. De ahi me fui directamente a encontrar un operador que tuviera un espacio libre para el dia siguiente ir a bucear a Sipadan, y tuve muchisima suerte ya que solo habia uno abierto y tenian 1 espacio libre!!! Despues de cenar con los chicos nos fuimos temprano a dormir ya que habia que levantarse pronto al dia siguiente para ir a bucear!!
Al dia siguiente nos levantamos a las 7am ya que teniamos que estar en la tienda a las 7.45 para preparar todo nuestro equipo de buceo. Despues de una hora en barco llegamos a Sipadan, una isla paradisiaca protegida por los militares, ya que hace unos anos hubo algunos turistas que fueron secuestrados por piratas, si piratas!!! Lo que solia ser un hotel ahora es una pequena base militar, ya que no permiten ningun hotel en la isla, para proteger el coral y la vida acuatica de ser destruida por los turistas. El gobierno ahora solo permite tambien a un cierto numero de buceadores en la isla cada dia. Desde el barco en el muelle el agua estaba tan clara
que podiamos ver todos los peces de colores, y de repente una tortuga tambien nos paso al lado, asi que todos estabamos tan excitados que queriamos saltar al agua immediatamente y empezar nuestra immersion, pero teniamos que esperar hasta que nos llevaran a nuestro primer punto, Barracuda Point. Tan pronto como saltamos al agua podiamos ver el precipicio de 600 m debajo nuestro, que rodea la isla, haciendo de este lugar un sitio increible para bucear (uno de los mejores del mundo). Fue increible!!!! Immediatamente empezamos a ver un monton de tortugas, tiburones de punta blanca, pez angel, pez loro (?), pez mariposa, barracudas, etc etc, vamos de todo!!! Fue maravilloso, una de las mejores immersiones que he echo nunca!!!! Nunca he visto tantas tortugas en mi vida y de tan cerca!!! Incluso he cambiado mi foto en Facebook por una mia con una tortuga! Tomamos un descando en la playa en Sipadan antes de ir a nuestro segundo punto de immersion, Reef Point, otro lugar increible con muchisima vida acuatica que ver. No me canso de bucear aqui!! De ahi nos fuimos a descansar de nuevo en la playa y a comer algo, pero como yo me habia olvidado
comprar algo, Ewan, nuestro divemaster fue un cielo y me consiguio algo de comer de los otros operadores (que dan de comer a sus buceadores) ya que les habia sobrado un monton de comida. Ahi empeze a hablar con Marla, una chica filipina muy maja que tambien es divemaster en Filipinas pero que estaba de vacaciones aqui. Nuestro 3ra immersion del dia fue en Drop Off Point. De nuevo increible lugar, una vez dejas la zona cercana al muelle, donde puedes ver bastante coral muerto debido a los barcos.
My plan inicial era solo hacer un dia de immersiones y de ahi a Sepilok a ver a los orangutanes, pero me lo habia pasado tan bien que decidi quedarme un dia mas y hacer mas immersiones en Sipadan. Tuve mucha suerte de nuevo ya que les quedaba un espacio libre para el dia siguiente. Asi que cena y pronto a la cama de nuevo, ya que estabamos super cansados despues de todas las immersiones. Al dia siguiente empezamos de nuevo en Barracuda Point, donde vimos de nuevo unmonton de tortugas, tiburones, barracudas, nudibranches, etc etc (los podeis ver en las fotos. Las dos siguientes immersiones fueron tambien increibles, que no
me cansaria nunca de bucear aqui!!! Pero decidi irme al dia siguiente a Sepilok, y Dave y Ben decidieron tambien venirse conmigo.
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