In the end, I was very pleased to have chosen Borneo Divers in Mabul and had a fabulous week. I found it very difficult to choose a dive operator from the UK. I wanted to dive Sipadan, to be with a professional organisation, and have a minimum level of comfort.

Pros: 1) Good access to Sipadan - I got to dive there 3 times in 5 days, in high season. Also quite enjoyed the other dive sites too 2) The resort is beautiful - nice chalets and pool and the pier is lovely, with the dive centre at the end of it and a nice little cafe. Was very pleased I hadn't chosen SeaVentures - the oil rig. People there looked like they were in a prison. 3) Very friendly, motivated staff, especially the barman whose name I have unfortunately forgotten. They were also responsive to complaints (eg I had quite alot of ants in my room so they changed me).

Cons: 1) Pick-up logistics - I wasn't met at the airport and had to call a few times. Dumped in Semporna by the bus driver without explaining where I needed to go, and had a 5 hour wait instead of a 1 hour wait for the boat to Mabul. Valuable diving time lost! And Semporna is a dump. 2) Divemasters' responsibility to protect the marine environment. This may be a cultural thing and is doubtless not just a problem for Borneo Divers. I've been lucky enough to dive with responsible divemasters in Egypt but was shocked by the lack of involvement here. A photographer wedged herself between two pieces of coral to take a photo, other divers kept kicking coral and the divemaster didn't even attempt to educate them; also the divemasters were very keen to get good photo opportunities for people, to the extent that they would constantly bother the turtles, click their fingers etc, to get them to move and swim. I was quite upset by this behaviour and the poor example it sets. I spoke to them about it but they seemed quite resigned to divers behaving poorly and I think their priority is to please tourists rather than to protect the environment.

However, that said, this was a fabulous dive holiday and if there weren't so many other places I want to see, I would be going back!

Best Diving Experience

Everyone says its expensive to dive Sipadan, to me its very much depends who you dive with.

I dived with Borneo Divers july this year, it was an excellent experience, and I booked another trip 4 months later, in Nov.

Price
I did a few comparison before booking with Borneo Divers, their pricing is straight forward, and actually quite reasonable as compared to most DC.
Sadly they don’t do nitrox courses, but they do have nitrox.

Dive
One things good about Borneo divers, they got higher permits for Sipadan as compared to most of the DC. During low peak season, chances are higher, I was very lucky I got to dive Sipadan for 2 days, out of my 5D4N stays!!
The DM was helpful, even after dives will chat up with you on your dives tat day and try to assist you with your log book, and help identify the fishes.
Must go Barracuda point, I was actually amazed by the DMs, they can actually spotted the school of bumphead parrotfish from far(I mean from the surface) and immediately asked everyone to jump it so we don’t miss that spectacular sight! And White Tips ave, a must-dived-site at my opinion, your dives almost completed just by diving this site.
There’s a lot more to go on….

Accomodation
Its like chalet style, very basic, but excellent A/C, very important in Mabul island!! And also hot shower. Beds are comfy, no complaints

Food
There’s a variety of food everyday, and its buffet style, their serving is not stingy at all, and more like home-cooked style catered to different people. Even its only served 2 persons, the portion is enough for 4, sometimes I feel bad wasting food though.
Coffee and tea is free flow, with breads to toast yourself, good for surface interval.

Whats best?
The DMs and staffs. It’s absolutely okie if you are going alone to dive, why I say so? Cos everyone is so friendly, it feels like home.
Tats why I always tell myself, its good to be home.

staff is amazingly friendly, safe and clean location, dove sipadan several times but truthfully enjoyed the other islands more, sipadan seemed a bit too hyped, the house reef is great for diving or snorkeling

Stayed a night in Tawau before they picked me up for a 2hrs journey to Semporna. After waiting for a short while, we were transferred to a boat to the resort.
We were greeted by the cheerful team of staff at the jetty. We were briefed on the procedures after formalities. Every bungalow consists of 2 units. Room is of good size and bed is comfortable. Bring your own toiletries eg shampoo shower gel.
Free WIFI is available at the lobby. Food quality is average, buffet style. If you have a special occasion eg birthday or clocked a certain number of dives, the staff will be happy to celebrate with a nice cake and songs!
Resort has a pool and located next to villages. Dive centre is located on its private jetty and is spacious. It has a cafe and its a lovely place to enjoy sexy sunset with beer after a long of diving.
Got 2 days of diving permit in Sipidan. Green turtles are almost guaranteed in every dive there. Visibility is not that good despite the good weather. Can be cold in the wall area due to the depth. Variety of fishes and quantity not the best in this region. Unfortunately dive guides there are not fantastic. I do not think we were brought to the best dive site on the island. Sadly below expectation. Variety of fishes and quantity is definately not the best I have seen in this region. Mabul offers a different sights in diving.
There are 2 transfers between the resort and Tawau so its convenient to connect to your flight.