Location: Semporna
Top Things to do in Semporna
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10 Things to Do in Semporna That You Shouldn't Miss
Semporna (Malay: Pekan Semporna) is the capital of the Semporna District in the Tawau Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 35,301 in 2010.
Restaurants in Semporna
1. Sipadan National Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 317 reviews
Reviewed By James H - Noosa Heads
I know the boat is not the best but if you want to dive Sipadan every day as opposed to the very average Mabul it's your only choice.
Boat aside the service on the Celebes is fantastic. The diving is efficient and the food very good. A nice bunch of guys on the boat and Tony the dive master was perfect. On top of that the boat is very spacious (there were only six of us though)
As for the diving. It is of the highest order and as good as any place in the world.
Absolutely recommend but don't stay on Mabul. Imagine coming this distance and only diving this amazing place for one day.
When you dive every day you maximise your chances to see the highlights and even though we dived the same spots a few times each time was different. And you get to dive Turtle Cavern (awsome!)
2. Big John Scuba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 251 reviews
A small company with a BIG heart.. and passion for customer safety and satisfaction.
Reviewed By Dotsie2118 - Australia
We booked out Advanced open water and sipadan diving trip with Big John Scuba. from the very first email sent to finishing the week off diving at sipadan the whole experience was amazing. Mark and Tina our dive instructors and main contacts were really friendly, knowledgeable and overall great fun. we learned so much while doing our AOW with mark. the accomodation out on Mabul island was basic but also beautiful at the same time. all staff were very friendly and the buffet breakfast lunch and dinner was always to a great standard. couldnt reccomend the guys more for any type of dive trip. 10/10
3. Scuba Junkie Diving
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 318 reviews
Reviewed By ksg2 - Leicester, United Kingdom
Firstly the facilities in Mabul are beautiful, you'll have a wonderful time here! We did our advanced (Azhar was an AMAZING teacher) AND we loved every second. Diving in Mabul was beautiful, we saw so many turtles I lost count. The accommodation is great, we stayed in a dorm with 4 beds and your own bathroom and hot shower! The food was fantastic too. I can't fault the diving set up which maximised your time diving and minimised the time messing around with equipment. We were lucky to dive in Sipadan with Ian, it was the best diving of my life and it was all thanks to the great team! I can't recommend scuba Junkie enough!
4. Bohey Dulang Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 100 reviews
Reviewed By ALR0609 - Kuantan, Malaysia
We were in Mabul for scuba diving and snorkelling. While we were there, we were told that we shouldn't miss going to Bohey Dulang for its amazing views/scenery. I had also read reviews of Bohey Dulang on Tripadvisor, which were mainly great reviews. `Bohey' means water, and `Dulang' means tray or a shallow bowl. So Bohey Dulang means a shallow bowl filled with water.......which is what the bay of bohey dulang looks like in the photos that we saw.
After hearing/reading great reviews, the night before we left Mabul island, we decided to go to Bohey Dulang the next day. We made arrangements via a tour operator to go there. We were told it would cost us RM 150 per person which had to be paid up before the arrangements could be confirmed. So we did.
That night, it rained very heavily. It was still raining until about 8.30am. When we met with the tour organizer, he told us that we would not be able to hike up to the peak of Bohey Dulang because the trek would be slippery and unsafe. We asked whether we could cancel the trip, seeing as the main attraction for Bohey Dulang was it's views from the peak. The tour operator declined any cancellation or even returning us part of our payment.
So, we went anyway, despite the non-conducive weather. We left Semporna at 10.00am when it was still a bit overcast. And arrived at Bohey Dulang around 11.00am. There was a nice pier....and yes, the beach looked quite nice with light green clear water. But from the pier, there wasnt that much live coral that we could see. And after excellent snorkelling & diving at Mabul, it didnt seem that special. So we decided not to snorkel. And because of the overcast weather, the beach/bay did not present the amazing colours that you see in the pictures on advertisements of Bohey Dulang.
At the end of the peer, there is a centre for research/seeding of Giant Clams. But that was all there was to do on an overcast day.
So my advice is, do not book a trip to Bohey Dulang in advance. Make sure the weather is good before deciding to go, otherwise chances are you will be hugely disappointed, just as we were.
5. Tropical Research and Conservation Centre
Overall Ratings
5 based on 78 reviews
TRACC is a conservation organisation on Pom Pom Island near Semporna, about 50km north of Sipadan, Mabul and Kapali. With volunteer divers who stay for 1-12 weeks, we are protecting the reef by replanting the coral reef, protecting the sharks and turtles, conducting surveys and actively demonstrating the value of marine protected areas. Accommodation at the moment is in tents on the beach, with good food provided 3 times each day. Showers and toilets are in a purpose built block nearby. Staying with TRACC is about diving with a purpose - conservation diving with scientists and marine biologists, every visitor contributes to the reef rebuilding, the turtle and shark monitoring surveys and the building of the fish aggregation devices. If you want part of your trip to be about contributing to the environment as well as diving on great coral reefs visit TRACC in Malaysian Borneo.
Reviewed By Sophie G
i spend more than 7 month on this tiny island doing the a level marine sience course and working as an instructor. i loved it! if was an great experience even that iam a passion diver since years already i learned so much more about...MoreThanks you were all great students and a pleasure to teach. good luck
6. Scubaholics
Overall Ratings
5 based on 93 reviews
We provide diving services, tours and snorkeling trip around Semporna. At Scubaholics, we aim to satisfy every scuba diver with the beautiful world and majestic creatures only found below the surface. So come and dive with us now - it's a trip you'll never regret.
Reviewed By Spagetti68 - Leeds, United Kingdom
Scubaholics are great. Ken (the owner) is a lovely guy and excellent at communicating, with quick and thorough replies via email or WhatsApp in perfect English. He is extremely experienced and has been diving Sipadan since 1991, he claims to have done over 10,000 dives there! Whilst it's unlikely you will dive with Ken, his business is well organised and everything ran smoothly. Food good, staff friendly. Scubaholics are one of the few companies that over 2-day guaranteed Sipadan packages, so are great for people short on time/cash. Our guide in Sipadan (Raf) was superb. Friendly, great language skills and a reassurance straight away for fairly novice divers. He briefed us on each dive and allayed any concerns. Dives were at a comfortable pace. The reason for 4 stars is due to our guide on the first day at Sinbau island. He was a kind man, but for novices wasn't so attentive. He jumped in the water before us on every dive, didn't brief us on dives and didn't go through our equipment to the level I wanted after a year away from the sport. I had problems with equalising and was basically left behind. We regrouped eventually but it was not good buddy work. Overall great, once we'd settled in and didn't look to our first instructor for more hand holding.
7. Tun Sakaran Marine Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 36 reviews
8. Sipadan Scuba
Overall Ratings
4 based on 183 reviews
Reviewed By Chang Z
My two instructors, Chenpei (Popeye) and Chris, are indeed AMAZING. I fell in love with scuba diving because of their teaching. Other people I met here are also fun and friendly. Came as a solo traveller, left with beautiful memories and friendship.
I also saw dolphins on the last day of my diving trip at Sipadan Island! No luck with bumphead this time, but I will miss here and come back in the future.
9. Sabah
Overall Ratings
4 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By Georgedblue - Athens, Greece
i was lucky that i just pass through on my way to mabul !just 30 minutes away from Semporna and you are in paradise.semporna is so dirty place that i cant stand.dirty and unorganized.there are some very chip restaurants to stop to eat and the food is not bad .i think if you go there its good to spent some more money and do in near places that are far better !!!
10. Semporna Blue Reef
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By Andria A - Larnaca, Cyprus
We organized a day trip with Semporna Blue Reef. The communication prior and after booking was great, Jasmine was very helpful. The whole day was a lot of fun we went to 3 Islands, snorkeled, hiked to Bohey Dulang and the biggest highlight was to see the Sea gypsies which we did. All the boys on the boat were so much fun and made the day even better. Chris was the scuba instructor and he was very knowledgeable about the whole area. Lunch was also served on the boat. We paid 200 RM per person which was totally worth it.
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