Mabul and Kapalai

Mabul is a small island located at the south east coast of Sabah Malaysia, the village used to be a fishing island where it later become more popular to divers because of the Sipadan Island some 15km away.

To get into this macro diving paradise, I flew in to Tawau, then approximately 45minutes drive to Semporna to catch a ferry to the island which takes another approximately 45minutes by medium size speed boat.

Big John Scuba home stay on the stilt - Big John Scuba
In pic, at the right edge was our room for the few nights, electricity supply in this island is very limited, so be prepared for the heat!

The view approaching Mabul island - unbelievable beauty

Speechless view - absolutely stunning! Still this picture doesn't do the justice as the real thing was way more spectacular

Morning seafood 'marketing' by the pier of Big John Scuba

Crystal clear water by the side

This - is Kapalai, there are lots of turtles here, variety of coral and fishes are pretty amazing as well

Sashimi fresh from the morning season 'marketing'

Here's what I paid for the trip: RM300 for 4days 3 nights food and room (quad sharing) include all meals with airport transfer as well as return boat transfer to Mabul, RM160 for 3 snorkeling trips, RM150 for 1 discovery diving trip. And lastly my flight ticket to Tawau was RM380.

The above snorkeling trips only cover spots around Mabul and Kapalai, for those who plan to go Sipadan, reservations needs to be done earlier and I would expect cost may differ as well.

This trip is also my first time trying out scuba diving, staying in water for the first time was rather scary than fun, I was struggling to calm myself but my guide was indeed caring where he hold me throughout the whole discovery journey, so at least the money paid for the discovery package not wasted. I love the experience, but whether to dive again, I'm still trying to get over the fear.

On yhe other hand whether I would return to the island? I think is too obvious to tell... praise lord for his perfect creation.

The first evening sunset shines onto these coconut trees - isn't them pretty