Differences between Si Amil Island and Mabul Island?
I'm looking at going to dive in the Celebes Sea in (northern) Borneo. And obviously I want to dive at Sipadan Island (yes I do have the required Advanced Open Water PADI).
I want some quality time on an island as well - it'd make the experience even nicer while making the snorkeling and diving much easier/more accessible.
I am torn between Amil Island and Mabul Island, so I'd like to know, what are the differences between those two places?
By differences I mean: differences in population density, accommodations/facilities available, prices of stay (accommodation & food), beach & underwater life, and number of diving schools, the more info the better.
Best Answer
Mabul Island has several resorts specifically catering to divers; it also has less expensive hostels for backpackers/hitchhikers who wish the less expensive lifestyle. There are trips/tours daily over to Sipadan supporting that diver community as well.
Mabul is commended not only for its closeness to Sipadan diving, but for it's own diving as well. Although not as clear as one would want (for many reasons, mostly man-made issues) there is plenty of undersea life readily available.
Si Amil island has a pier and some sunken WWII jetsam. This island is not permanently inhabited, and is only reachable by boat. There appears to be pretty decent diving there as well, although it's not hailed by many as a "spot to go to".
All in all, it's kind of hard to tell if Mabul is recommended because they "want the tourists to go there as an alternative to Sipadan" or if it's truly great diving. Conversely, is the lack of recommendations of Si Amil diving because there's nothing to see, or no one living there needing the tourism money.
If you have the time and wherewithal, I might recommend both! Then blog about it. :)
Pictures about "Differences between Si Amil Island and Mabul Island?"
What is special in Mabul Island?
Mabul gained its own recognition as one of the best muck-diving (a term used to describe limited visibility dives at shallow sites with usually sandy bottoms) sites in the world.Who owns Mabul Island?
We were recently on Mabul Island to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Sipadan-Mabul Resort on 17 December 2011. What a great week it was! 18 years ago, when Robert Lo, the owner of the resort, first started, it was a very small dive resort many have not heard of.Where is Mabul island located?
Mabul (Malay: Pulau Mabul) is a small island off the south-eastern coast of Sabah in Malaysia. The island has been a fishing village since the 1970s. After the 1990s, it became popular to divers due with its proximity to Sipadan island.How would you describe Sipadan Island?
Sipadan (Malay: Pulau Sipadan) is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea off the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop.Si Amil Island, Sipadan Mabul, Sabah, Malaysia
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Images: Mikhail Nilov, Mikhail Nilov, Mikhail Nilov, Mikhail Nilov