Borneo Diving Sites

Sipidan (Sipadan) Midreef

Lazily decend to your required depth down the vertical wall that forms Sipidan Midreef, then just drift along with the current, whichever way it takes you - north or south.

Once you begin your dive along the wall you'll soon be kept busy inspecting the dominant soft corals, navy knotted sea fans and orange gorgonian fans that hang from the ledges. Pygmy gobies and whip gobies are in abundance here. Forsters hawkfish are often seen hanging out, resting motionless on the small sponges. Five-lined cardinalfish and harlequin sweetlips move furtively under the many ledges and overhangs. Sulu fangblennies, known only to northern Borneo and the Sulu Archipelago, form aggregations among the gorgonians.

As with nearly all the Sipidan dive sites, Midreef can have quite strong currents, with an added tendency to push you upwards too. This occurs most often in the presence of cold water thermoclines rising from the depths. The trade-off though is that the adverse conditions bring with them higher densities of fish life. Large schools of moorish idols, redtooth triggerfish, unicornfish and bannerfish race along the wall. Smaller schools of round batfish pass by and Napoleon wrasse are regular visitors to this part of Borneo too.

The six metre hard coral flats that top the reef make an ideal safety stop. Small hardy stubbly table corals, and porites corals dominate here, and these form the staple diet for packs of bumphead parrotfish, sometimes forty or so strong. Moving like a herd of African buffalo, munching their way through the dense bush, these largest of all parrotfish are a terrific sight and safety stops often become very long here!

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Midreef Reef Basics: Wall dive
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 10 - 25m
Currents: Moderate - strong
Surface Conditions: Can be choppy
Water Temperature: 26 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: 13 km (26 minutes) south from Mabul and 11 km (19 minutes) southwest from Kapalai
Access: Borneo diving at Sipidan from Mabul and Kapalai scuba resorts

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