Sipadan Dive Adventure 2028

Join Trip Leader Mark Hatter for an unforgettable 7-night expedition to the Seaventures Dive Rig and enjoy world-class diving in Sipadan Marine Park.

Trip Dates:

Apr 16, 2028 - Apr 23, 2028

Trip Leader: Mark Hatter

Photo Workshop

Standard Room Double Occupancy From $2,995 per person

Standard Room Single Occupancy From $3,885 per person

Deluxe Room Double Occupancy From $3,675 per person

Deluxe Room Single Occupancy From $4,775 per person

Prices are per person, based on double-occupancy unless otherwise stated.

Why Join This Trip?

5 days of Sipadan Marine Park access
Dive Sipadan Marine Park, one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world
Unique accommodations aboard a converted dive rig
Unlimited house reef diving with buddy system (time and weather permitting)
Diver to Guide ratio is 6:1
25% off rental photo gear from Bluewater Photo
Fully refundable deposit until 12 months from departure

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Trip Overview

Join Bluewater Travel for an extraordinary dive adventure to Seaventures Dive Rig from April 16–23, 2028, led by Trip Leader Mark Hatter. This 7-night expedition offers unparalleled access to Sipadan Marine Park, one of the world’s most iconic dive destinations. We have secured five days of permits for diving within Sipadan Marine Park (2-tanks within the park and 1-tank at a nearby site), and unlimited house reef diving.

Stay on a repurposed oil platform turned floating dive resort, complete with full-board meals, airport transfers, and stunning views of the Celebes Sea. This is your chance to explore dramatic walls, encounter turtles, reef sharks, swirling barracuda, and schooling jacks—all from one of the most unique accommodations in the dive world.

Please note: Guests must hold a minimum Advanced Open Water certification as strong currents appear at certain sites.

Learn more about diving in Sipadan with our 2026 Trip Report!

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Diving Conditions

Diving conditions in Sipadan in April are generally excellent, with clear water, steady currents and excellent visibility. April weather is typically warm and settled, with light winds and occasional brief showers.

Water Temperature: 79 - 86F (26 - 30C)
Visibility: 60-100ft (15-30m)
Depth Range: 16-131ft (5-40m)
Diving Difficulty: Guests must hold a minimum Advanced Open Water certification as strong currents appear at certain sites.

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Recommended Scuba Gear

Download our full scuba gear guide to Sipadan, Bluewater Travel guests receive 10% OFF! Click the image below to download (PDF).

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Trip Type

This is a PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP. Led by one of our photo instructors and will include daily underwater photography tutorials, in-water photography support, and one-to-one advice and guidance as required.

What to Expect From Our Photo Workshops

Daily photo workshops - Your photo instructor will schedule seminars each day on topics including, but not limited to, equipment type and selection, the concept of underwater photography, lighting and composition techniques, and post-processing. They will also include additional topics relevant to the location and your experience.
In-water support - Where possible, each dive group will spend time underwater with the photo instructor, receiving in-water support and guidance on their shooting techniques. Participants can also request in-water assistance during the workshop and the photo instructor will do his or her best to accommodate all requests.
Consecutive days of practice & review - Each day you will have the opportunity to practice the techniques and skills learned in the previous day’s tutorials. If you are new to underwater photography you will likely see a vast improvement in just a few days.
Daily photo image reviews - You are strongly encouraged to bring your laptop, a thumb drive, edit your photos, and submit your shots for review from both the instructor and your peers. These are fun and interactive sessions encouraging you to improve throughout the trip.
Quality time with fellow photographers - Both new and experienced photographers from past workshops have expressed the advantages of joining a trip with like-minded divers with a passion for underwater photography.
Suitable for everyone - New and experienced photographers are welcome on all our trips. Gain the necessary skills to start shooting great photos, increase your confidence in finding the best underwater shots, or hone specific skills. We also encourage non-photographers to join, as many of them really enjoy the daily photo reviews, learning about underwater photography, and some have even returned to a photo workshop with an underwater camera setup!

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Inclusions

7 nights' accommodation in a Standard Room on the Seaventures Dive Rig Resort, double occupancy
5 days of permits for diving in Sipadan Marine Park
Full Board Meals
Water, coffee/tea served all day
3 boat dives per day
Unlimited house reef diving with buddy system (time and weather permitting)
Tanks, weight belt, and weights
Government tax
Round-trip land/boat transfers between Tawau Airport - Semporna Jetty - Seaventures Dive Rig
WiFi

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Exclusions

Upgrade to single occupancy or Deluxe Room
Nitrox ($185, subject to change)
Sipadan diver and park fees ($530 per diver)
Equipment rental
Alcoholic and carbonated drinks
Crew/staff gratuities
Trip Insurance - ask us about our preferred partner plan

*Onboard fees and charges are subject to change.

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Accommodation

About The Seaventures Dive Rig Resort

Seaventures Dive Rig is one of the most unique dive platforms in the world, offering a singular experience where divers can simply wake up, gear up, and jump directly off the rig into the vibrant house reef below.

Seaventures Dive Rig offers two comfortable accommodation options: Standard Rooms, ideal for friends or solo travelers sharing, feature twin beds, air conditioning, en suite bathrooms with hot water, free WiFi, and sea views; while Deluxe Rooms provide a more spacious and romantic setting with double beds, private bathrooms, and serene ocean views—perfect for couples seeking added comfort after a full day of diving.

Check out this quick preview of the Dive Rig!

Connectivity

There is WiFi connectivity at Seaventures which will support emails and messaging, however, it will not support video conferencing or uploading any large media files.

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Sipadan Trip Extensions

Want to extend your trip? We can help with that! Join the ultimate jungle safari in Borneo immediately following this trip.

Read More.

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Trip Leader

Mark Hatter

Mark Hatter is an international award-winning photojournalist who has had over one hundred feature articles with many hundreds of images published in more than three dozen diving publications and fly fishing publications over the last three decades. His most recent destination features have appeared in Ocean Geographic and Asian Diver (UK) magazines.

Mark has traveled the world in pursuit of new underwater photography challenges, including cold-water destinations such as British Columbia and even Antarctica.

“Of course, I love shooting in tropical locations but I think cold water diving is a great forcing function to hone one’s photography skills as the environment and equipment are much more demanding of a diver. Good image capture in cold water is particularly rewarding,” Mark tells us.

Mark has been shooting underwater since the early 1980s and has worked in both film and digital mediums in his photojournalism pursuits. In 35 years of diving, Mark has logged over 2,500 hours, much of it doing underwater photography. Currently, he teaches underwater photography classes locally at Seminole Scuba in Lake Mary, Florida and works for Aggressor Adventures as a commercial photographer and writer.

Read more about Mark Hatter.

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How To Get There

Flight Information

Seaventures Dive Rig is located close to Mabul Island and the town of Semporna in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo. Guests should plan their flights to the final destination of Tawau Airport (TWU), routing through Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) or Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL).

Arrival

We recommend planning to arrive in Malaysia at least 1 day prior to embarkation to allow for delayed or canceled flights. There are no hotels in the immediate vicinity of the airport, so we would suggest either:

Spending an extra night or two in Kuala Lumpur (enjoyable and interesting city with plenty to see and do) and taking the early morning flight from KUL to TWU on April 16 - AirAsia AK5744 departing KUL at 6.00 am.
Flying to Semporna on April 15 and spending one night in Semporna (commercial port town with less appeal).

The transfer from Tawau Airport departs at 10.00 am on April 16, where you will be taken by road and then boat out to the dive rig.

Departure

On April 23, the boat leaves the rig at 2.00 pm for the transfer back to Semporna and on to the airport. Please note that transfers between the rig and the airport can take up to 2 hours, depending on weather and sea conditions. As such, we recommend booking your departure flight after 6.00 pm.

For guests joining our Borneo Safari immediately after, transfers on to the start of this trip are included.

Flight Package

Our group trips attract guests from all over the globe and many of our customers prefer to book their own flights to take advantage of mileage points or credit card discounts. For these reasons, flights are not included in our group trip packages. However, we are more than happy to work with you to find the best travel itinerary for your trip and will gladly give suggestions and advice, even if you make the final booking. We will check through your travel reservations at any time to ensure they fit with the trip schedule and can give recommendations on transit hotels and day tours where needed.

If you would like us to book flights and transit hotels for domestic and/or international travel on your behalf, we are also happy to arrange this. Contact Us for more information.

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