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Coral Gardens Sipadan
Dive site · Malaysia
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
5 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 179, good
- Mon 279, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 579, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 780, good
- Sun 880, good
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1080, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 23 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 30 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces Eswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 79, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 0.3 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 5kn | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 79, good | 0.3 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 0.3 m | 2 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 80, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 5kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 80, good | 0.3 m | 2 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 80, good | 0.2 mflat | 0 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 03:44 −0.7 mHigh 09:25 +0.2 mLow 14:48 −0.5 mHigh 21:43 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:01 −0.5 mHigh 10:56 +0.1 mLow 16:05 −0.3 mHigh 23:12 +0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:50 −0.4 mHigh 13:25 +0.2 mLow 18:53 −0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Coral Gardens Sipadan on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Coral Gardens Sipadan
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Coral Gardens Sipadan
A reef dive. It goes down to 23 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 14 km away. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm), and 30°C in April, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Nearest place to stay we found: Taman mariatah Bud Parapat # TMBP, Sempurna, 1 km. Nearest beds: Tanjung Aru, 351 km. Nearest airport: Tawau Airport (TWU), 61 km. Within 5 km we also list 9 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 23 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 14 km away.
Water about 30°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Apr and May (about 20 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,050–US$2,120 each
about US$1,050–US$2,120 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SDK, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG and KUL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$878–US$1,820 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$114–US$208 |
| Total | about US$1,050–US$2,120 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 351 km away
No town nearby
Nearest place to stay we found: Taman mariatah Bud Parapat # TMBP, Sempurna, 1 km. Nearest beds: Tanjung Aru, 351 km. Nearest airport: Tawau Airport (TWU), 61 km.
See places to stay near Tanjung Aru, 351 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 36h 40m
About 36h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SDK, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), then 3h 55m by road
Flights ORD → SDK on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Coral Gardens Sipadan · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Coral Gardens Sipadan · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Mabul Backpackers 14 km
SWV Dive Center 14 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 10 m, about usual for the month (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.