Things to see and do

Scuba Diving

There are around eighteen dive sites around the island, and packages include three boat dives a day. Be sure to take advantage of the unlimited house-reef dives – there is an abundance of creatures to see, many lurking in the unique wrecks such as the old chalet that has been carefully sunk close to the dive centre’s jetty.

Diving is exceedingly easy and shallow but quite spectacular: The sandy bottom and the sparse coral heads host an amazing array of small, often yet-to-be-classified, colourful subjects, making the diving here an unforgettable experience for any discerning photographer and macro life enthusiast.

Some of the creatures that you can expect to encounter are dragonets, fire gobies, partner & sleeper gobies, wasp or leaf fish, gurnards, sea-moths, crocodile fish, giant frogfish, ribbon eels and harlequin ghost pipefish. Lionfish and scorpion fish are also commonly sighted, particularly around the house reef.

Apart from this macro paradise, be sure to take the chance to dive at the nearby island of Sipadan, famous for its incredible wall diving and its many turtles, sharks and massive barracuda schools. Diving in Sipadan requires an additional payment of RM 40 conservation fee per person per day.

Other activities

Many a day here is spent just lazing about in a hang-mat, reading a good book from home or from the library. You can easily cool off in the clear water surrounding the resort, or even grab a snorkelling mask and fins to get a better look at the marine life below.

There are no televisions in the rooms, but for those that want to be in contact with the outside world, satellite television is available in the games room. Wireless Internet access is also possible.

The Malaysian province of Sabah has a wide range of tourist attractions, the untouched rainforests and wildlife drawing visitors in particular. Those that want to make the most of a trip would be wise to combine their stay on Kapalai with a few days on the mainland of Malaysian Borneo. (see http://www.sabahtourism.com/ for more information).