Course overview

Become a certified diver with the SSI Open Water Diver course at Sipadan, training on the calm, turtle-rich house reefs off Mabul Island. Through SSI's digital academics, confined-water sessions and open-water dives you build the core skills to dive anywhere to 18 metres, with the Sipadan walls awaiting once you are certified. No previous experience is required to start.

What you’ll learn

• Assemble, use and care for scuba equipment
• Breathe and move comfortably underwater
• Clear your mask, recover your regulator and manage air
• Achieve and hold neutral buoyancy
• Plan dives with a computer within no-decompression limits
• Solve common problems and dive safely with a buddy

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (Junior) or 15
• No prior certification required
• Able to swim and be comfortable in the water
• Basic health questionnaire (medical clearance if any condition applies)

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Academics and confined water

   SSI digital academics and confined-water skill practice on the shallow Mabul house reef.
2. Day2
   First open-water dives

   Two open-water training dives on the Mabul reef applying your core skills among turtles and reef fish.
3. Day3
   Final dives and certification

   Two more open-water dives, the final assessment and your SSI Open Water Diver certification.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Sipadan.

Frequently asked questions