Staghorn Crest

Staghorn Crest is a wall and reef dive site located on the north-western side of South Point, Sipadan, on the western flank of the island. It takes its name from an extensive coral garden blanketed in staghorn coral, which sits at the top of the wall before the reef drops away dramatically. The site is part of a western coastline where the ocean floor plunges to around 2,000 metres in places.

The dive runs from 20 to 40 metres, with the reef crest forming the shallower starting point and the wall descending steeply below. Visibility reaches up to 30 metres, and on days when it is good, many divers swim out into open water specifically to take in the full scale of the wall from a distance. The site is best dived in the afternoon, when sunlight falls directly on this side of the island, and it is well suited to drift diving, with currents that can carry divers towards South Point.

Marine life at Staghorn Crest spans a wide size range, from nudibranchs and shrimp working through the coral to trigger fish, angel fish, and groupers patrolling the reef. The western wall setting also brings the chance of encounters with larger pelagic species common to this side of Sipadan. The site is classified as a wall and reef dive requiring a minimum qualification of Advanced Open Water.