Splendors of Sipadan

Sipadan got its name from the word Sempadan which means border/boundary and “Pulau Sipadan” would mean “Border Island”. It is originally known as Siparan, this island was named after a local group of the same name. The Siparan people would often come to the island to collect turtle eggs and named the island after themselves. Over the time, the name became Sipadan, however, the local Bajau ethnic continues to call the island by its original name.

The internationally famous island of Sipadan lies five degrees north of the equator in the Sulawesi Sea. Lying 35km south of Semporna, on Sabah’s mainland, like many tropical islands it is thickly forested and surrounded by sandy beaches. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been catagorized in this ecosystem. 

Sipadan was propagated by renowned sea-explorer Jacques Cousteau and has since been appraised by many dive experts as one of the top dive destinations in the world. Today, Sipadan’s surface-dwelling and nautical ecosystem’ values are being recognised throughout the world and the island could soon be considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.