CNN’s popular travel website CNNgo.com has recently voted Sipadan’s Barracuda Point near Tawau as the world’s number one dive site.

Launched in September 2009, CNNGo is the internet’s leading source of travel news, information, inspiration, and on the ground, insider insight for luxury, business and leisure travelers and global enquirers. Currently it has around 250k Facebook followers.

The article that was just posted last month shows that Sipadan is well ahead of other more popular destinations such as Egypt’s Red Sea, the Maldives and Micronesia’s Palau. Layang-Layang Island which is located in the West Coast of Sabah made it to number #31 in this list.

The following was highlighted on their website:

Barracuda Point can be an intimidating experience. Fish stream along like traffic here, as if the streets of New Delhi have descended underwater. During these chaotic scenes, you may find yourself in the center of a giant barracuda tornado, while hammerhead sharks and flapping rays nonchalantly cruise past.

The sea turtles here are three-meter beasts, and jackfish swim in swirling balls in their hundreds. It’s home to the weird and wonderful too; look out for the strange-looking bum head parrot fish and eerie batfish.

Depth: 5-40 meters.
Visibility: 30 meters.
Location: North East of Sipadan Island only five minutes by boat from the beach.

The internationally famous island of Sipadan lies five degrees north of the equator in the Sulawesi Sea (Celebes Sea). Sipadan is an oceanic island and was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct undersea volcano, which rises 600m from the seabed.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said “I have seen other places like Sipadan 45 years ago. Now we have found again an untouched piece of art”. Looks like his claims can never be refuted.

Have you dived here before? Share your experience with us or on our Facebook group!