Last Updated on 27/10/2024
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Seaventures Dive Rig – Full Review
Staying on the Seaventures Dive Rig was such a unique experience for me and one I definitely recommend. It is a converted oil rig, based just off Mabul island and is a great location for diving Sipadan, a nearby marine protected area. At the time of writing this is the ONLY converted dive rig in the world!
The dive rig offers all-in-one packages that include food, airport transport, accommodation and diving. Sipadan is well known as one of the best dive sites in the world and this was my experience of staying on the Seaventures dive resort – my full review!
Seaventures Dive Rig Borneo
The Seaventures dive rig is about 45 minutes by speedboat from the town of Semporna in Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Seaventures offer 2 pick ups from the airport each day so bear this in mind when booking flights. We stayed over night in Kuala Lumpur at an airport hotel so that we could take the early Tawau flight for the 11am airport pick up.
Seaventures Dive Package and Structure
The dive package we chose was 5 nights 4 days. In order to access a Sipadan permit you must stay a minimum of 3 nights. Three boat dives a day are included in the package. If it is a Sipadan day you are guaranteed 2 dives at Sipadan with breakfast on the island. The third dive will then be around Mabul or Kapalai – two other local islands.
One unique selling point of the dive rig is that they offer unlimited house reef (rig reef) dives so after a surface interval you can go diving again with a buddy around the rig. There is not much coral to see under the rig but still a fair amount of fish and I was surprised by the marine diversity considering there isn’t really a coral reef there. It is a great place for a night dive or a sunset dive, and also for gaining confidence with just buddy diving as you navigate your way around the rig posts.
Seaventures Dive Rig Prices
It’s worth noting that the package fee doesn’t cover everything. There’s an additional Sipadan National Park fee (450 MYR / 80 GBP / 103 USD) for foreign divers, along with any required equipment rentals. One thing to keep in mind: you’ll need to bring or rent your own dive computer, as it’s compulsory. Malaysia also add a tourism tax for all hotel stays per room per night which at the time of writing is 10 MYR/ 1.78 GPB / 2.30 USD approx. Make sure you consider these additional costs for your dive budget. Here is a copy of our receipt and what we paid. Also note if you want to dive Sipadan for a second day then the price charged by Seaventures can increase.
Food on the Seaventures dive rig review
The vegetarian-friendly meals here were good as I was slightly worried before hand that I would have very limited options. Every meal had multiple vegetables and tofu options. I think it would be harder if you were vegan as the tofu was often egg tofu so I recommend enquiring about this before your trip.
Food highlights were the unlimited desserts and regular fresh fruit, tea and coffee that you could help yourselves too whenever you liked. On days diving at Sipadan itself, we had the treat of breakfast right on Sipadan island in between the first and second dives.
Drinks on the rig
There is unlimited coffee, tea, milo and drinking water available on the rig. It was great to see so many water refill options so bring your reusable water bottle. There is a bar selling beers, wine and soju.
Rooms on the Seaventures dive rig
The rooms were actually much nicer than I anticipated! They had wooden refurbished floors, were clean and functional with air conditioning, and hot showers. They had everything needed for a diving-focused stay.
Highlights of the Seaventures Dive Rig
One of the major highlights of the rig was the sun deck. It was the perfect spot for surface intervals, warming up after a dive, turtle spotting and watching sunset. Our dive schedule allowed us plenty of down time, unlike the more intense, budget-friendly liveaboards I’ve experienced, where you can feel rushed from one dive to the next. Seaventures dive rig had such a lovely balance between excitement and rest.
Facilities on the Seaventures Dive Platform
The rig has a TV room and games room with a ping-pong table and snooker as well as a massage room for massages at an additional cost.
One of my FAVOURITE parts of the rig was the lift that took you up to the Seaventures platform and down to the speedboats or straight into the water for your house rig dives – such a unique way to enter the water!
There is Wifi available on the rig, however it did cut in and out in the 5 days that we were there. It was enough to send messages and have short whatsapp conversations with friends. Video calling did not work well for me.
Weather in October
October brought a mixed bag weather-wise. We had some beautiful days but also experienced choppy seas and low visibility. Be aware that the rig (and Sipadan Park) closes in November, so plan accordingly if you’re considering a dive trip in the rainy season.
Getting to Seaventures dive rig
Getting to Seaventures dive platform is pretty straightforward. Take a flight to Tawau airport where the Seaventures crew will meet you and take you on 45-minute minivan ride to Semporna. From there, a speedboat transports you on a scenic 45-minute journey to the rig.
Other activities to do: Visit Mabul
Every day at around 4pm Seaventures offers free return transport to the nearby island of Mabul. Mabul was a eye opening experience for me as there was clearly a lot of poverty on the island. I was surrounded by begging children for the time that I was there and it is evident that the wealth of the dive resorts on Mabul island is not being spread among locals on this island. I recommend taking some cash with you and buying the kids a coconut or snacks. Many of the resorts will not allow non-guests to enter and we didn’t find any cafes or restaurants so there is not that much to do on the island if you aren’t staying there.
Alternative options to the Seaventures Dive Rig
An alternative option to the Seaventures dive rig is to stay with Scuba Junkie. I met many divers who had previously stayed with Scuba Junkie and recommended them. They also have dorm options for those on more of a diving budget. Note that they do not have unlimited house reef dives like the dive rig.
Sipadan Diving
The diving around Sipadan was great. There are some really healthy reefs around and during our time diving we saw:
a leopard shark
baby grey reef sharks
TONS of turtles (on one dive I counted 29 turtles!)
schooling jackfish
schooling barracuda
huge shoal of bumphead parrotfish
white tip sharks
tons of colourful nudibranches
and the usual reef friends like moray eels, lionfish, angelfish, moorish idols, bannerfish, ribbon eels, sweetlips and more.
Borneo Itinerary Suggestion
If you’re planning a week in Borneo, I’d recommend spending five days on the Seaventures rig to make the most of Sipadan diving. Our package felt like the perfect amount of time to be there. Afterward, consider heading to the Kinabatangan River for some incredible wildlife tours—I stayed with Osman Homestay, and it’s a spot I’d definitely recommend!