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Off the eastern coast of Borneo, only six feet of Sipadan are above sea level. The rest of it continues 2,000 feet down below, where divers will find (even while keeping within safe-diving limits) more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of types of corals. You won't have to keep an eye out for chevron barracudas, trevally jacks, leaf fish , ribbon eels, bumphead parrotfish, turkeyfish, lionfish, triggerfish, hammerheads, or white-tip and gray-tip reef sharks because you'll see them all on nearly every one of your dives. Of course, you probably won't see as many whale sharks during your stay, but rest assured that spotting just one of the 50-footers will make a lasting impression. Sipadan offers some of the best and easiest wall diving anywhere in the world-the island is disconnected from the continental shelf, which means that some of the local fauna and flora exist nowhere else-but don't forget to explore the sandy, white beaches. The living jewels of Sipadan are the green, hawks bill and leatherback turtles. They'll glide past you on each of your dives. But visit the beaches on foot at night to see the females laying eggs. Then go back and visit a few times more to watch the eggs hatch .. . DIVE TRAVELER FACTS LEVELS: Beginner to intermediate WATER CONDITIONS: Low- to mid-80s year-round, with visibility ranging from 50 to 100 feet. LIFE ON LAND: By all calculations, Sipadan is a tiny, tiny, tiny island, measuring a mere forty square miles. Without any roads, it's just you and the jungle. Plus the turtles, coconut crabs and monitor lizards. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Passport. ENTRY POINT: Kota Kinabalu , Malaysia. CONTACTS: Borneo Divers and Sea Sports, 011-6088-222-226, W'NW.jaring.my/bdivers/welcome.htm. ALERT! Sipadan is one of the world's top dive destinations but the recent abductions of divers by Muslim rebels have made it a risky one. Before you go, inform yourself as to the current situation. Check out www.energyzone.co.zaistrydom or www.travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html for updates. 53