Sea cave
Turtle Cavern (Sipadan)
A large marine cavern in the wall of Sipadan Island at about 20 m, known for turtle skeletons on its silty floor. Diving Sipadan needs a Sabah Parks permit booked through a registered operator; operators say full entry needs proper training.
Turtle Cavern opens in the steep wall of Sipadan Island, which begins only a few metres from the beach. A Semporna-based operator describes it as a giant cavern in about 20 m of water with turtle skeletons on its silty bottom, which gives the site its name.
Sipadan is a Sabah Parks marine park, and every dive needs a park permit booked by a registered operator through Sabah Parks. The operator consulted says that going fully inside the cavern requires proper training; no official cavern category or rule from Sabah Parks was found.
The environment
Sea water; a large cavern in the island's wall with a silty floor.
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (7)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The operator describes Turtle Cave as a giant cavern in 20 m of water, with turtle skeletons found on its silty bottom, in a wall that starts about 5 m from the beach.Provider description. | Reported | [3] |
| The operator says full entry into the cave requires proper training and asks for Advanced Open Water or equivalent for diving Sipadan.Provider statement; no Sabah Parks rule on the cavern was found. | Reported | [3] |
| Sipadan permits are booked at the Sabah Parks head office in Kota Kinabalu or the park office in Semporna by registered operators, who may book up to six months in advance; cancellation rules forfeit payments within two weeks of the dive. | Verified | [2] |
| Sabah Parks lists per-person fees of RM 100 conservation and RM 350 scuba diving for international visitors, and RM 50 and RM 250 for Malaysians.Fees as shown when viewed 2026-10-14; the page advises confirming charges before travel. | Verified | [1] |
| Sipadan was gazetted as a marine park in 2004 and rises about 600 m from the seabed. | Verified | [1] |
| Coordinates are the mapped centre of Sipadan Island, not the cavern.Island-level point. | Verified | [4] |
| Coordinates are the mapped centre of Sipadan Island, not the cavern.Island-level point. | Verified | [4] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction