Celebes ExplorerSemporna

The 29 m (99 ft) long MV Celebes Explorer provides diving around Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai Islands for 16 guests. It is the only liveaboard in the region and offers guaranteed diving at the Sipadan drop off. The vessel offers excursions from 3 to 7 nights. Being on Celebes Explorer normally means that you can dive at Sipadan daily from Monday to Saturday on a 7 day (Sunday-Sunday) cruise.

The Celebes Explorer guarantees Sipadan diving on a number of days to their guests! They can do so as they have secured a high number of permits. Celebes Explorer provides the most dives (3-4 dives weather permitting) at Sipadan. Guests of the Celebes Explorer are spending the surface intervals on the comfortable mother boat, instead of spending time in a dive tender which is the procedure if you are diving with the land-based dive shop operators.

So far the guests of the Celebes Explorer were not affected from the restrictions below and it has always worked out that the guests of the Celebes Explorer could make all scheduled dives at Sipadan. We are firmly convinced that this will continue to happen.

Sipadan Permit System (as of April 2010)
Due to the tremendous popularity of the Sipadan drop off, the Malaysian government was forced to introduce a permit system to safeguard the fragile underwater environment and limit the number of divers to 120 per day on this particular site. As a consequence, each dive center must compete for a total of 120 permits per day to dive the Sipadan reef walls. These permits are allocated only 24 hours prior to each new dive day.

As a result, agents and operators alike are unable to guarantee the number of dives at Sipadan Island to be allocated to any resort guest for the duration of their stay. Getting one of these permits seems to be based on luck as much as on the general booking situation in the region (an argument to schedule travel into the off-season), and we have indeed not noticed certain resorts being favoured over others. Resort managements do what they can to keep this system as fair as possible, and to give everyone a chance to visit the Sipadan dive sites at least once in a 3-4 night period. To make the most of this precious opportunity, day boats often schedule 4 dives per day in rather quick succession for those carrying the Sipadan permit.

Celebes Explorer features 8 cabins, double and twin bedded, for a maximum number of 16 divers. The cabins have private ensuites with hot water shower and are airconditioned. The 2 double bed cabins are on the main deck. The other 6 cabins on the lower deck have double beds with a single bunk above.

The spacious airconditioned saloon area invites to comfortable dining. There is also a large sundeck on the top deck with sun beds for guests to rest and relax.

The food served on board is authentic Asian cuisine buffet style. A 24 hour self-service hot beverage corner and a supply of biscuits and bread on the side is offered to guests.

All together there are 12 crew members/dive guides on board to look after guests.

On board charges apply to items such as soft drinks, beers, wines, mineral water, massages, internet usage. Payment onboard: Malaysian Ringgit, USD, EURO
Electricity onboard: 220-250V; 3 pin plug; adapter available on board.

The dive deck has plenty of space, showers and equipment storage. It also features a camera rack for charging purposes just before the entrance to the saloon.

All the diving activities are conducted with dive tenders, each of those can comfortably fit 10 divers. They offer 3-4 dives a day, subject to weather conditions and flight departure schedules.

Nitrox can be arranged onboard, however, supply is very limited. It is recommended to pre-book and pre-pay Nitrox for guaranteed usage.

No rental dive equipment is available onboard. All dive equipment rental must be pre-arranged and pre-paid if required.

Celebes Explorer's normal cruise schedule is Sipadan (Monday to Saturday). Every Saturday at around 2pm, the vessel will cruise back to Semporna port for replenishment, but diving activities will be carried out as usual in the vicinity of the islands around Semporna.

The Celebes Explorer is an older vessel, a little bit run down, but still okay. For sure she is the best choice if one wants to get as many dives at Sipadan as possible in a short amount of time. We recommend the week long excursion from Sunday to Sunday to maximise your diving time.