Sipadan National Park sits in the Celebes Sea off Sabah's east coast and is regarded as one of the world's top dive sites, near the biodiversity hotspot at the centre of the Indo-Pacific basin.
Green and hawksbill turtles are seen on nearly every dive, alongside reef sharks, barracuda schools and a dense variety of reef fish. The strong currents and deep drop-offs suit advanced divers more than beginners, and access is tightly controlled through a daily dive permit system to protect the reef, so trips are usually booked through operators based in nearby Semporna.