Drop Off
Drop Off is a long wall just past the beach and just east of the jetty, where the reef edge falls into a roughly 600 m abyss. Fans, corals and sponges cover the wall, with small critters in the cracks, and jacks, grey reef and whitetip sharks and large fish are common. Currents can be strong and the surface choppy; it is among the easiest sites to reach from the island.
Facts
- Region: Malaysia – Sipadan & Semporna
- Area: Sipadan Island
- Depth: 5–40 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: moderate
- Type: wall
- Coordinates: 4.1154, 118.6313 (approximate)
- Highlights: sea fans, sponges, jacks, grey reef shark, whitetip reef shark, bumphead parrotfish, turtle
- Permit: A Sabah Parks permit is required for every day on Sipadan. Independent diving is not allowed: permits are booked by licensed dive operators/resorts and issued at Sabah Parks' discretion; the daily quota is shared between operators (176 per day since 2019 per Wikipedia and Scuba Junkie; some 2026 operator notices cite about 252 – confirm). Divers need at least Advanced Open Water. Park fees on the Sabah Parks site: scuba diving RM 350 (foreigners) / RM 250 (Malaysians) plus a conservation fee of RM 100 / RM 50. Dive operators can book up to six months ahead. Sipadan was closed to divers for all of November 2023 and some operators state this is repeated every November – check before booking.
- Issuer / contact: Sabah Parks – Sipadan Island Park
- Phone: +60 88-523500
- Email: hello@sabahparks.org.my
- Website: https://www.sabahparks.org.my/contact-us
- Sabah Parks head office (Kota Kinabalu); Sipadan Island Park office in Semporna: +60 89-782039. Permits are booked by licensed dive operators, not by individual divers (https://www.sabahparks.org.my/services/diving-sipadan.
- Unverified: Published guides name this site but do not give its position; the marker is placed roughly off the island and does not show the real side or spot.
- Tips: Turtle Cavern lies along this wall. Check the current before going down.