Much diving awaits. Semporna And Sipadan Island, Sabah, Malaysia

Taken on: 20th November, 2012. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See travelfishery's page of Flickr

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Its name may mean "perfect" in the Malay language, but the seaside town of Semporna makes a poor first impression with its fishy smell and littered water. Thankfully for most travellers Semporna is not the destination but the gateway to some of the best scuba diving in the world at Sipadan and Mabul Islands.

Sipadan Island has been something of a mecca for scuba divers ever since Jacques Cousteau described it as "an untouched piece of art". More than 3,000 species of sea creatures have been observed in the warm tropical waters and it regularly ranks on lists of the world's top 10 dive sites. When you're diving at Sipadan it's not a question if you'll see large pelagic species like manta rays, sea turtles, barracuda and sharks, but how many.

As part of the effort to conserve this underwater paradise, the number of divers or snorkellers to Sipadan is limited to 120 per day. As every diver in the world has Sipadan on their bucket list, you'll want ... Read our complete Semporna and Sipadan Island travel guide

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