Picture yourself hovering weightlessly in the crystal-clear waters of Sipadan Island, when suddenly, an incredible sight emerges from the blue – a school of massive bumphead parrotfish, their powerful bodies gracefully gliding through the water. Here at Sipadan, these magnificent creatures aren't just rare visitors; they're part of our everyday underwater family, making our corner of Borneo one of the best places in the world to witness bumphead parrotfish conservation in action.
"It was like watching a herd of underwater buffalo!" That's how Sarah, one of our recent divers, described her first encounter with a school of bumphead parrotfish at Sipadan's famous Drop-Off. These gentle giants, some as big as a grown person, are regular residents at our dive sites, often gathering in schools of 20 to 50 individuals. They're so common here that our diving guides have even given names to some of the regular visitors!
Dawn at Sipadan brings a special show that few places on Earth can match. As the first rays of sunlight pierce the water, our resident bumphead parrotfish begin their daily routine. Their distinctive bump-shaped foreheads emerge from their sleeping spots in the reef, and they set off on their important mission – keeping our coral reefs healthy.
These charismatic fish transform from peaceful sleepers to busy workers as they:
According to Marine Protected Areas research, Sipadan's protected status has created a safe haven for these incredible creatures. Our location in the Coral Triangle, combined with strict conservation measures, has helped maintain one of the healthiest populations of bumphead parrotfish in the world.
Our daily diving operations at Scuba Junkie Sipadan have given us a front-row seat to one of nature's most successful conservation stories. Where many regions have seen declining numbers, our bumphead parrotfish population continues to thrive, making every dive an opportunity to witness these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Want to meet these gentle giants yourself? At Scuba Junkie Sipadan, we offer daily dive trips to Sipadan Island, where encounters with bumphead parrotfish are more common than uncommon! Our experienced guides know exactly where to find these magnificent creatures and can help you:
Book your dive adventure with us and experience:
We'd love to hear about your experiences with these magnificent creatures! Have you ever encountered a bumphead parrotfish? What impressed you most about them? Share your stories in the comments below or tag us in your Sipadan diving photos on social media using #ScubaJunkieSipadan #BumpheadParrotfish.
Ready to meet our resident bumphead parrotfish? Contact us to plan your Sipadan diving adventure, or check out our special packages for the upcoming season.
Want to learn more about marine conservation at Sipadan? Visit our Conservation Projects page or follow us on Instagram and Facebook for daily updates from our underwater world.
[Editor's Note: This article was last updated on October 28, 2024, with the latest information about our Sipadan bumphead parrotfish population.]
Have you encountered these magnificent creatures during your dives? We'd love to hear your story! Drop a comment below and share your most memorable bumphead parrotfish moment with our diving community.
Recently during a surface interval at Sipadan Island, as we filled out logbooks, one of the divers asked me, casually, “What’s your favorite fish?”
Any normal person would have answered the lighthearted question as it was asked. “Juvenile yellow boxfish are adorable!” “Mandarin fish are stunningly beautiful!” “I have a soft spot for goofy-looking porcupinefish.”
Nope. Not me. My brain started whirring. I wanted the precise terms of this question. The category "fish" immediately rules out some of my favorite marine animals.
Cephalopods of all types are amazing! We often see huge broadclub cuttlefish and it’s not unusual to see schools of 60+ bigfin reef squid around AWAS, one of our house reef sites. Their pearly iridescence and lightning fast color changes are incredible.
On one of my first night dives here I saw flamboyant cuttlefish eggs neatly tucked into coconut shells. A few days later there were beautiful tiny flambos everywhere you looked. Not to mention AWAS night dives aren’t really complete without white v and coconut octopuses. Oh and the mimic octopus, how can you not fall madly in love with those gorgeous, charismatic creatures?
Several of these incredible fish sightings were firsts for me. I’m lucky enough to have thousands of dives under my belt, across many different parts of the world, but one of the things I love most about diving is there’s always something new to discover. Seeing a rare or elusive critter, especially for the first time, is such a buzz!
Talking only about favorite fish also ignores one of my all-time favorite categories, nudibranchs. Over 10 years ago when I did my divemaster training, one of my fellow candidates labeled me a “nudi nerd,” and I have worn the title proudly ever since. Slugs might not be the reason most people get into diving in the first place, but many experienced divers develop a love for these diverse and colorful critters, even having a bucket list of species they’d like to see. Who could resist a nudibranch named Pikachu?
And shrimps? From the almost impossible to spot tiny hairy shrimp and the half-invisible skeleton shrimp, to the gorgeous harlequin shrimp and the more common but no less impressive peacock mantis shrimp, are we just going to forget about them?
“We’re not counting sharks or rays, right? Surely they deserve their own category.” I had to clarify. But that sent me down another rabbit hole. A favorite shark? How could you choose between the sleek, elegant leopard shark and the sheer size and grace of a whale shark? Hammerheads certainly must get a mention but then there’s also the intimidating power of an oceanic blacktip curiously, hungrily circling our group. Ok, I might be making up the hungry part but there is something humbling about being eyed by an apex predator.
And are we talking about a single fish, or could a school count? Sipadan is famous for its ‘residents:’ schools of jackfish, bumphead parrotfish and chevron barracudas. I’m always mesmerized by schooling fish and how they all move together seamlessly with split-second timing.
A single jack might not be the most exciting fish, but when hundreds of individuals school around you, being herded by giant trevally, it’s quite a sight!
Many might argue that bumpheads aren’t the prettiest of fish, but they do have their charm. To quote divemaster Andy “How can you tell the difference between a Napoleon wrasse and a bumphead parrotfish? The bumpheads are the ugly ones!” His comment always elicits a loud protest from me in defense of the bumpheads, but yes, Napoleon wrasses really are handsome.
Sometimes I grumble about the barracudas because they’re not very well trained. They don’t always stay on Barracuda Point, even though they have one of the best dive sites named after them. What divas! But does that mean I should discount them as my favorite fish? When there’s no current they spiral around each other in a vortex that is spectacular; the wall they form when there’s a strong current is equally breathtaking
The more I thought about it, the more weird and wonderful fish popped into my head for consideration. I’ve always loved scorpion leaf fish and cockatoo waspfish and the way they ‘sway’ to make themselves look like leaves drifting in the water.
No matter how many frogfish I’ve seen I still get excited every time, even more so if they’re awkwardly hopping along or ‘yawning.’
In fact, the more that I dive the more interested I get in these behaviors, as well as in the fish themselves. Seeing turtles perched up on their flippers to allow a variety of reef fish to clean them, spotting the mouth breeding yellow barred jawfish with its mouth full of eggs and watching a juvenile eagle ray, annoyed by the remora trying to get a free ride, suddenly shoot to the surface and breach to dislodge it, these are some highlights of my dives here.
All these animals I’ve mentioned (and many more, of course!) are ones I’ve seen this past year, diving the islands of Mabul, Kapalai and Sipadan. From macro gems to the big pelagic, the diversity of marine life here is stunning.
The answer is no! There are so many more fish I could mention but I don’t think I’ll ever get closer to picking a favorite. In the end, why ask me to choose? And you, do you have a favorite fish? I'd love to read about your most memorable or beloved fish encounters, whether diving or snorkeling. Share your stories in the comments below!
Written by Instructor Rache Mordue
If you thought you've seen amazing things during your day dives, wait until the lights of the torches take you to the unreal experience of the Night Dives in Mabul.
When the lights of the sun start fading. When the sounds and movements of the day slowly give way to the peace and silence of the dark. When the boats turn off their engines and rest until the new dawn. At this exact moment, something changes underwater. Sand and sea grass might not sound so appealing to you but it's home to the most particular and unique critters (Muck diving).
And at Scuba Junkie, we have it right out of our jetty. Let your imagination run wild, while I tell you the story of, so far, my best Night Dive.
It was the end of a long week teaching courses, and as much as I like to teach it can also be exhausting. I'm not going to get into details, but mentally I had a lot happening, and fiscally I was tired.
I'm halfway through the day and it's now lunchtime. On my way to the restaurant, I see the torches laying on the counter of the dive center and somehow I felt them calling me.
I tend to follow my feelings, in general, that's where all my adventures begin. I knew I had to go for it, what I didn't know was that this was going to be the most wonderful Night Dive I had so far.
The sun is setting, my customers arrived, I welcome them and start the briefing. I explain the topography of our dive site Awas, and let them know my plan for the night dive; head all the way to “the nets” nonstop where a Rinhopias it's living at the moment, and then slowly make our way back. We all agreed and at the end, like usual I ask what are they expecting to see, which I regrated a few seconds later.
Their expectations were high, they wanted to see the most difficult creatures to find, some of which I'd only heard about it. I started laughing, I could not help it, and told them I was going to do my best but could not promise anything, except for the Rhinopias.
In between jokes, the sun starts hiding behind the resort, we gear up, get in the water, turn our torches on, and begin our dive. As usual in a shore dive, we started the dive against the current, which that night was a bit stronger than I expected. I follow my plan, and reached the destination.
There she was, the beautiful Rhinopias, mission accomplished. My day was already better, everything after that was a blessing.
I turn the dive and ask everyone their air pressure, all good, they're coping well with the current. Started making our way back and we found not one but two Ambons scorpionfish, that were having a bit more trouble with the strength of the water that day.
I was getting super excited! Turn around to keep going and the light flashes into a Coconut octopus, who was hanging out with his friend Mr. Wonderpus. It's this even real? Just when I thought it could not get any better, Bobtail squid, one of the cutest creatures in my opinion. And this doesn't stop here, getting closer to the jetty a painted Frogfish. Everything request was delivered, and even more. I could not believe my eyes, my luck, my night dive!
The stress, tiredness, problems, everything accumulated in one week was gone in a 60 minutes dive. Never underestimate the power of a peaceful Night Dive. Watching the beauty of the nocturnal creatures under the spotlight of the torch connects you to the moment. There's nothing else, You, your torch, the bubbles, nature, and of course your buddies. We all got out of the water with the biggest smiles, shiny eyes, with memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Open Water or Advanced, beginner or experienced diver, we will take you on this adventure with the passion that all staff in Scuba Junkie has for diving. As well as me, my colleagues also enjoy every moment underwater and the best part it's that we love to share it with our customers. We want you to leave Mabul Island not only with nice holiday memories but also with a once in the life type of experience. Give you a taste of what we're so lucky to experience almost every day.
The moment we have been waiting for for more than 2 years is finally here! Since the first of April Malaysia has opened it's international borders and is once again welcoming travellers from all over the world! The travel will be quarantine free, and you do not need to take any pre-departure or on-arrival tests, meaning you can head straight back to your favourite dive sites (Sipadan of course...?) without delay!
In this blog post we will cover all the entry requirements you'll need to know to travel to Malaysia! The border opening just so happens to coincide with the best time of year to dive in Sipadan, so keep on reading - it is time to plan your next dive holiday!
Fully vaccinated and children aged 12 and below are exempted from pre-departure and on-arrival tests.
Partially or not vaccinated travellers must take an RT-PCR test 2 days before departure and a supervised RTK-Ag test within 24 hours of arrival. They will also have to quarantine for 5 days.
Covid-19 insurance is no longer required for all travellers entering Malaysia.
The official contact tracing app in Malaysia is called "MySejahtera". The app is used to check in at public facilities such as hotels and restaurants via a QR code, and it contains your vaccination status. You must download and activate the MySejahtera contact tracing app and fill up a pre-departure form in the app (1-5 days before departure) via the following steps:
Face masks are mandatory indoors, including public transports and taxis.
Masks are optional when outdoors but encouraged in crowded places. High risk individuals are also encouraged to wear a mask.
Physical distancing is no longer required but encouraged when not wearing a mask.
By default, Covid-19 positive cases are required to quarantine for 7 days. However, under "Test and Release", they will have an option to undergo a supervised RTK-Ag test on the 4th day. If tested negative, they may be released from quarantine.
Want to read more about our procedures on site? Check them out here.
To celebrate Malaysia opening up to the world again, we are offering all our guest some very special "welcome back discounts"!
You'll need to confirm your booking before the 30th June to secure the discount, and come and dive with us before 31 Dec 2022. Find more info about the special package prices here. It's time to get your Sipadan fix! We can’t wait to welcome you back to dive with us again soon!
