Sipadan

[news.bigpond.com]

I am about to book to spend 10 days in Sipadan. Any comments on the safety
issue there? I understand it is subject to regular patrols now and pirates
have very little chance of getting there. However DFAT have not revised
their travel advisory for the area.

[Mark Schmidt]

Hi. You will LOVE Sipidan. My dive buddy and I were there last
August. It is completely safe...you are more likely to get into
trouble on the drive to the airport than on Sipidan Island. As you
would know there is no accommodation on Sipidan itself: we stayed at
Sipidan Water Village Resort which is actually on Mabul
Island...absolutely faultless, from greeting the new guests to the
departure: good gear, well-prepared and well-qualified dive
instructors/masters and EXCELLENT logistical planning. Its slightly
more expensive, but the diveboats are litterally ten feet from the
kit-up area, so there is no lugging kit around beaches. SMART (another
resort) and Borneo Divers all have resorts on Mabul and they both
looked good, but you would be carrying your kit up and down the beach
to the boats. I cannot recommend the Water Village enough...I would
return there any time. Have a great trip. Mark in Sydney

[G Winstanley]

On 20 Feb 2006 16:22:11 -0800, the cup of "Mark Schmidt"

Post by Mark Schmidt
Hi. You will LOVE Sipidan. My dive buddy and I were there last
August. It is completely safe...you are more likely to get into
trouble on the drive to the airport than on Sipidan Island. As you
would know there is no accommodation on Sipidan itself: we stayed at
Sipidan Water Village Resort which is actually on Mabul
Island...absolutely faultless, from greeting the new guests to the
departure: good gear, well-prepared and well-qualified dive
instructors/masters and EXCELLENT logistical planning. Its slightly
more expensive, but the diveboats are litterally ten feet from the
kit-up area, so there is no lugging kit around beaches. SMART (another
resort) and Borneo Divers all have resorts on Mabul and they both
looked good, but you would be carrying your kit up and down the beach
to the boats. I cannot recommend the Water Village enough...I would
return there any time. Have a great trip. Mark in Sydney

If SMART is still operating as I remember they arrange for the kit to be
on the boat so you don't have to carry it down there yourself, so no
real problem there. Personally if I have camera kit I take it myself
just for extra precaution, but they're all very careful generally.
Ultimately it comes down to other things as well. SWV is
Japanese-oriented and as a result maintains great
scheduling/organisation, and many non-Japanese stay there for this, but
they like to start early. Food is meant to be excellent, and the "house
reef" is fabulously convenient. Also, some of the better rooms have a
jacuzzi. SMART is generally cheaper and start a bit later, but this has
negligable effect on the diving really. They didn't have a proper house
reef when I was there, but this has likely all changed since they
completed the new huts on the long jetty (same side of the island as
SWV). I would be very happy staying at either of them, personally, so
take you pick. I can't speak for Borneo Divers as it had only just
opened when I left and they were still having teething problems at the
time, but I'm sure they've fixed many of those by now.

Stan

[news.bigpond.com]

Thanks. Holiday booked now with dive buddy. Counting down the weeks....
Using Dive Adventures for all arrangements through club. Should be great!

Post by G Winstanley
On 20 Feb 2006 16:22:11 -0800, the cup of "Mark Schmidt"

Post by Mark Schmidt
Hi. You will LOVE Sipidan. My dive buddy and I were there last
August. It is completely safe...you are more likely to get into
trouble on the drive to the airport than on Sipidan Island. As you
would know there is no accommodation on Sipidan itself: we stayed at
Sipidan Water Village Resort which is actually on Mabul
Island...absolutely faultless, from greeting the new guests to the
departure: good gear, well-prepared and well-qualified dive
instructors/masters and EXCELLENT logistical planning. Its slightly
more expensive, but the diveboats are litterally ten feet from the
kit-up area, so there is no lugging kit around beaches. SMART (another
resort) and Borneo Divers all have resorts on Mabul and they both
looked good, but you would be carrying your kit up and down the beach
to the boats. I cannot recommend the Water Village enough...I would
return there any time. Have a great trip. Mark in Sydney

If SMART is still operating as I remember they arrange for the kit to be
on the boat so you don't have to carry it down there yourself, so no
real problem there. Personally if I have camera kit I take it myself
just for extra precaution, but they're all very careful generally.
Ultimately it comes down to other things as well. SWV is
Japanese-oriented and as a result maintains great
scheduling/organisation, and many non-Japanese stay there for this, but
they like to start early. Food is meant to be excellent, and the "house
reef" is fabulously convenient. Also, some of the better rooms have a
jacuzzi. SMART is generally cheaper and start a bit later, but this has
negligable effect on the diving really. They didn't have a proper house
reef when I was there, but this has likely all changed since they
completed the new huts on the long jetty (same side of the island as
SWV). I would be very happy staying at either of them, personally, so
take you pick. I can't speak for Borneo Divers as it had only just
opened when I left and they were still having teething problems at the
time, but I'm sure they've fixed many of those by now.
Stan