Staghorn Crest

Staghorn Crest starts with a diagonal descent along the wall to a garden of staghorn coral. The wall has crevices full of red whip coral, black coral (15–40 m), barrel sponges and reef fish, and further out giant mantas, scalloped hammerheads, fox sharks and leopard sharks are mentioned by Sabah Parks. Currents vary and can be strong; afternoon light is good for photography.

Facts

• Region: Malaysia – Sipadan & Semporna
• Area: Sipadan Island
• Depth: 15–40 m
• Level: intermediate
• Current: strong
• Type: drift
• Coordinates: 4.1171, 118.6301 (approximate)
• Highlights: staghorn coral, black coral, red whip coral, barrel sponge, manta ray, scalloped hammerhead, leopard shark
• 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: Novices should stay close to the divemaster. Experienced divers can go about 30 m out from the wall.

Sources

• https://www.sabahparks.org.my/sipadan-island-park/activities-facilities
• https://www.divessi.com/en/blog/guide-to-scuba-diving-in-sipadan-9852.html
• https://www.southeastasiadiving.com/blog/sipadan-diving-guide-permits-best-season-and-what-to-expect