Travel Tips
Where is Kapalai?
- 2024-05-17
If you've ever searched online for where to play in Semporna, you've probably come across information about Kapalai. Are you curious if this place is really as stunning as they say? (They didn't just Photoshop those pictures, did they?)
...Of course not! If you're skeptical, come see for yourself if it's really as beautiful as they claim!
Where is Kapalai?
Kapalai is located approximately 36 kilometers southeast of Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. You can reach it by speedboat in just 45 minutes. Nestled between Mabul Island and Sipadan Island, it's just a 15-20 minute boat ride away.
Kapalai Island is actually not an island but a sandbar. Once adorned with wild flora, it evolved into a sandbar through the erosion of land by the sea. Today, the sandbar is globally recognized for the water bungalows built upon it. At considerable expense, an artificial sandy beach was constructed on this "island," which lacks natural sandy beaches, to provide a safe nesting ground for turtles.
Why is it famous?
Dubbed the "diving paradise," Kapalai is renowned not only for its enchanting underwater world but also for its crystal-clear waters and charming overwater bungalows. The Kapalai Dive Resort stands directly above the cerulean depths of the Celebes Sea, elevated on a series of elegant stilts, seemingly floating on the water with no land in sight below or around it.
The beautiful wooden bungalows of Kapalai each boast their own private ocean view, kept cool by the sea breeze. Beneath the bungalows, the coral reefs are famous for macro diving, which involves searching for "little things" hidden in the sand. Each dive site presents a unique array of organisms to discover.
What can you expect?
Water Temperature: 27-30°C | Water Flow: Gentle | Seabed: Sandy | Depth: 5 - 20m | Visibility: Moderate | Fish Species: Over 3,000 | Coral: Hundreds of species
| No. | Kapalai Dive Site | Observed Marine Life |
| 1 | Jetty | - Cuttlefish - Blue-ringed Octopus - Nudibranch - Mandarin Fish - Flamboyant Cuttlefish - Frogfish - Razorfish - Leaf Scorpionfish - Ribbon Eel - Pygmy Seahorse - Snapper - Red-toothed Triggerfish - Batfish - Whale Shark - Mushroom Coral Razorfish - Eagle Ray - Crocodilefish - Blue-spotted Stingray - Whitetip Reef Shark - Flying Gurnard - Green Sea Turtle - Stonefish - ... |
| 2 | Goby Land | |
| 3 | Little Okinawa | |
| 4 | Froggy Lair | |
| 5 | Lost World | |
| 6 | Black Ray Channel | |
| 7 | Eel Garden | |
| 8 | Kapalai Rock | |
| 9 | Gumard Ground | |
| 10 | Cleaning Station | |
| 11 | Mandarin Valley | |
| 12 | Mandarin Garden | |
| 13 | Mid Reef | |
| 14 | Flambo Reef | |
| 15 | Mantis Ground | |
| 16 | Sweetlips Table | |
| 17 | Nudi Branchia |