Whitetip Avenue
Whitetip Avenue is a gap in the shallow reef at the edge of the drop-off, known for gentle whitetip reef sharks resting on the plateaus. Divers may meet schools of bigeye trevally or large bumphead parrotfish, and grey reef sharks patrol the open water. The wall has terraces, ledges and black coral. Novices are advised not to venture to the deep side of the drop-off.
Facts
- Region: Malaysia – Sipadan & Semporna
- Area: Sipadan Island
- Depth: 16–40 m
- Level: intermediate
- Current: moderate
- Type: reef
- Coordinates: 4.1124, 118.6284 (approximate)
- Highlights: whitetip reef shark, grey reef shark, bigeye trevally, bumphead parrotfish, black coral, grouper
- 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: Route depends on the current: the wall is on one side, open water on the other.