Pulau Kapalai, Tawau

The nearest island to Pulau Mabul is Pulau Kapalai. This island is very beautiful because just in front of their gorgeous chalet is the wonderful piece of snorkeling site. However, one night stay in this chalet cost more than RM1000/night. Urgh!

Our dives on that day at Kapalai was not visibly good. Anyway, I just want to show you that an underwater garden built underneath this amazing island and that is also why they cost that expensive.

They are more ten houses like this built underwater for the marine life to stay and breed. This is to replace the corals around this area.

Structure made of rope, wood and stone. This man-made underwater garden really has created an empty sandy bottom into a great marine mini park.

Harlequin Sweetlip juvenile is one of the excitement of the dive! There are so small and so cute as if they are shaking their butt while swimming.

When it becomes adult, you wouldn't bother to look at it already.

Not much nudibranch here to be spotted.

I learned something amazing which is the cuttlefish will change its color between a standby mode and swimming mode. As you can see now this is their standby mode.

This is the swimming mode. Totally different!

A larger Broadclub Cuttlefish which is in stand by mode.

When start swimming...wow! Not the same!

When diving, try to maintain your buoyancy because Broaded scorpionfish is very dangerously roaming on the sandy area. You do not want to get their spike

I am sick of photographing Porcupine fish like this. The next time I will make them blow like a balloon!

How can you differentiate a Pipefish with a normal wood under the water. I almost cannot recognize them with my bare eyes.

I love to see Pygmy Seahorse but Tigertail Seahorse is not bad as well. Look at how lazy it is. Tying its tail on a coral and just laying there.

No wreck dive in Pulau Mabul or Pulau Sipadan. As for this island, if you consider this sunken dive boat as a wreck dive...so be it. Haha... 

Just a small sunken boat has created massive marine life in it. So do imagine a sunken ship can create how much marine life in it. So that's why I love wreck dive.

A couple of Giant Moray Eel. Quite common size that I have seen but...

...this one is the largest and longest I have seen.

A mugshot to see how large his head is compare with the couple.

This Giant Moray Eel easily length 1.5 meters. They can be dangerous when they are provoke or threaten.

I love to see the cuteness of Harlequin Sweetlips (Juvenile) and Yellow Boxfish (Juvenile) like this. The way they swim is like a square box and with their little fins rowing their box forward. Do not look down on their little fins. They can be very fast.

Sea Turtle at Pulau Sipadan is quite common to see but the amount of Sea Turtle to be seen here is not bad either. Just one dive we can see 5 different Green Turtles.

This smaller Green Turtle caught in the net.

They are friendly and let's capture a photo with it!!!

Really looks like a crocodile to you right? Yes, it is called the crocodile fish which likes to submerge within the sand.

Clown Anglerfish which is also known as frog fish. It is not just because of their legs like frog but even their tongue like frog too. This is a small frogfish.

This is a bigger one which is known as Giant Anglerfish. They are like a cottonball under the sea. The silly part is you can move them whatever you want and they just wont move a bit! 

It is another amazing dive in Pulau Kapalai. It is my second time here and I just love this place a lot. If is not the expensive accommodation on that island, I would have stay on it! How I wish I got the money to spend...anyway...there is only one dive per day at Pulau Kapalai if you are signing up with Uncle Chang Dive Center. Their fixed boat schedule is at 11.00am. Not really sure how much if just dive in Pulau Kapalai only because they usually include Pulau Mabul dives in the package.

The Dive Package at Uncle Chang is as followed:

2 Dives Mabul + 1 Dive Kapalai = RM260.00

1 Dive Mabul + 1 Dive Kapalai = RM220.00
1 Mabul Night Dive = RM100

Snorkeling at Mabul = Free

Snorkeling at Kapalai = RM30.00

* All rates include equipment.