City Divers

Scuba diving in the heart of London

Sipadan Island

Michael Hamilton diving with a turtle in Sipadan (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright) A reef wall drift dive in Sipadan (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright) A turtle in Sipadan (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright) Michael Hamilton diving in Sipadan (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright)

Sipadan was dubbed '"an untouched piece of art" by Jacques Cousteau. This tiny island, 20 miles off the east coast of Sabah, is famous for its huge population of green and hawksbill turtles. The island is actually the tip of a precipitous sea mountain which rises 2,000 metres from the depths of the Sulawesi Sea. Divers also frequently encounter massive schools of barracuda and jacks, while whiteptip reef sharks patrol the vertiginous walls. Mantas and bumphead parrotfish are often sighted too.

These images were obtained as frame captures from a video taken by one of our divers on the trip, City Divers divemaster Alan Wright.

Layang Layang

Michael Hamilton diving with jacks in Layang Layang (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright) Michael Hamilton at a cave entrance in Layang Layang (Copyright © 2021 Alan Wright)

Layang Layang - so good they named it twice! - is a tiny coral atoll situated 300 kilometres off the north west coast of Sabah in the middle of the South China Sea. it is characterised by rich and nutritious ocean currents and plunging coral-festooned walls, which attract masses of pelagic fish and a huge diveristy of species. The best time to encounter schooling hammerhead sharks and mantas is April. Most of the dives are exhilirating drifts. Thirteen coral reefs make up the atoll, although only one reef breaks the surface to form the island.

These pictures are also video grabs courtesy of Alan Wright.