Borneo Unlimited Marine Sports S/B

Set up with Chinese investment in the tropical town of Semporna, Borneo Unlimited Marine Sports puts some of Malaysia's most famous islands within easy reach — Mabul, Sipadan, Kapalai, Sibuan, Mantabuan and Timba-Timba all lie close by. As a PADI 5 Star CDC with a team of PADI Instructors, the centre takes its teaching seriously, with senior coaches on hand year-round to deliver professional courses.

Courses and what to expect

The centre runs the full range of PADI programmes — scuba diving, freediving, snorkelling, conservation and EFR first aid — taught in English, Mandarin and Malay. That bilingual instruction makes it a natural fit for divers who'd prefer to learn in Chinese as well as English, and Sipadan diving can be arranged around your plans.

Out on the reefs, divers share the water with sharks, turtles, ocean fish, rays, eels, molluscs and crustaceans, corals and anemones. Back on shore there's an onsite classroom, a waterfront base with its own dive boat, accommodation, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, a retail shop and parking, plus air fills, nitrox and a full range of equipment rental.