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Location
Reviews
1 / 10
Terrible
Hard to say…
I stayed for four nights, from July 10 to July 14, at Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge. Unfortunately, my experience during my stay was not the best, and my experience after leaving was, by far, the worst experience of my five-month journey.
During my stay, the people were generally kind, but it is important to know that the price charged for the room is significantly too high for what is offered. The room was simple and clean, but breakfast was very basic, not particularly tasty, and we were served the same menu every morning. I am used to travelling simply and do not need luxury, but the price should be consistent with what is being offered. The value for money was among the worst I have experienced since the beginning of my trip.
Before getting to the issue that remains, even now, a major source of frustration for me, I feel I should briefly mention the island itself, as it was a disappointing surprise for both me and every other traveller I spoke with.
Unanimously, we had rarely seen such a high concentration of garbage. It is sad to say, but Mabul Island is essentially a dumping ground. The beaches and the water surrounding the island are filled with all kinds of rubbish. Forget about relaxing on the beach or going for a swim. Once you get away from the island, it is true that there are some beautiful dive sites, but you can completely forget about enjoying a relaxing beach holiday.
In addition, and this is genuinely heartbreaking, you should be prepared to be constantly asked for money while moving around the island. It is particularly sad because the local people are very kind, but it can be difficult to be confronted with so much poverty.
Now, back to the major issue I mentioned earlier.
During my stay at this homestay, I completed the Open Water course with Qawiem. I subsequently completed the theoretical portion of the course and passed the final exam on July 30.
1 / 10
Does not meet the minimum standards
There was no running water or reliable electricity and the accommodation simply did not meet the minimum standards advertised, so I decided to cut my stay short and leave early.
1 / 10
Only stay for expensive resort on mabul, others should not be considered
Staff tried to help me solve the problem
The fans are so slow and the temperature condition of room is not suitable for stay during night time and electricity will break down
4 / 10
Ok but little comfort and no help from the staff.
Location, cats, available drinking water
Smelly showers, loud ambiance, poor communication
First struggles came up when trying to reach the island as they have not picked us up in Semporna and not responding to our message asking how to get there. We therefore arranged our transport with Scuba Junkies and also booked all activities and food with this organization as they were really kind and caring. However, the rooms at Scuba Buddy are quite ok only bummer was the smell from the bathrooms and the noise from the staff. This accomodation is ok for every backpacker that is okay with little comfort but not for people that have some more expectations.
Es un spot inolvidable , no son los más rápidos pero me hubiera quedado allí 1 semana. Despertarte y porter estar allí es espectacular. Hay que tener en cuenta que es un sitio local, con ambiente local y unas instalaciones más humildes. Nada que ver con los resorts falsos de otras ubicaciones , esto es lo auténtico. Además, pedimos pescado fresco, te venden de todo en barcos que llegan a tu porche y todas las noches nos lo cocinaban a la brasa. Recomendable 100% las inmersiones o curso de open water con Rony es el mejor .
Nada
7 / 10Good·Mar 2026
Honestly i don’t get how some of the reviews are so bad. The room itself is nice and cozy, with window on the water. The walls are thin but i didn’t mind. The view are incredible, you can swim from there when the tide is high and when it’s low you can just observe the marine life from the deck because the water is incredibly clear. Yes, the island is very dirty, but it’s not Scuba Buddy fault of course, locals should be educated on the matter, as well as tourists. We didn’t dive with them because of the reviews and i’m just a beginner so i got a bit scared (I dived with Mabul BackPackers and it was amazing).
Patricia did our check in and gave us all the info needed.
People complaining about no electricity during the day clearly have never been on small islands because that’s actually very common. Anyway on our second day for some reason there was electricity also in the morning, so even better!
Breakfast could be improved, but was okay.
The only thing i really didn’t like was the poor communication. I always book last minute so i know that’s on me, but i tried to contact them before booking because there’s no info about the boats and didn’t get an answer. So i booked anyways hoping they would answer at least on booking, but also no answer. They finally answered the day after at 9.30 am, saying the boat had left at 8.30 and we had to wait 14.30 for the next one. Which was annoying because of course we wanted to get there as early as possible to enjoy at fullest. Also why is the boat so expensive if you cannot even pick the time? I don’t get it.
Overall good experience :)
10 / 10Outstanding·Feb 2026
We loved our stay at Scuba Buddy Dive Lodge!
Me and my boyfriend decided to skip the resorts and busy diving agencies and chose for a more local diving experience. Scuba buddy is a local owned residence, located directly above the sea on the wooden pilars. The owner, Qaawiem, is a very nice guy who did everything in his power to make sure we loved our stay. He advised us for buying our own diving equipment and made free pictures of us during our dives! The lodge has their own scuba diving boats, so you’re never on a crowded boat and the furtherst divesite on Mabul is only 10 minutes away. You can choose which sites to visit and they just arrange it. The rooms are simple but comfortable, but it has the best chill-out zone, which was relaxing to hang out at, in between the dives. Sometimes doing three dives in a day can be experienced as a long day, but if you can chill in hammocks in between the dives it really improves the overall experience!
They are going to offer 3D2N packages for scuba diving, but for reference doing 5 fun dives in total cost around €100,- in total.
If you want to go scuba diving on Mabul or Sipadan, but are on a budget like us, we would definitely recommend going to Scuba Buddy!
-
10 / 10Outstanding·Feb 2026
On a aimé la terrasse avec une vue imprenable, les chambres spacieuses et propre et l'équipe très sympa ! Un grand merci à vous, meilleurs rapport qualité prix loin des chinois!
Le petit coup de stress lorsqu'on arrive à semporna et qu'on nous dit qu'il n'y a plus de boat-transfert jusqu'à l'île. Heureusement ils ont trouvé une solution et tout c'est bien passé ! Transfert le matin sûr sinon c'est compliqué !
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this nature lodge?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this nature lodge. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this nature lodge is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge?
We found 1 amenities for this rental. This includes , and non-smoking.
"We loved our stay at Scuba Buddy Dive Lodge!
Me and my boyfriend decided to skip the resorts and busy diving agencies and chose for a more local diving experience. Scuba buddy is a local owned reside..."
Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental
Includes essentials and more
About this nature lodge rental
Comfortable Accommodations
Amenities
Non-smoking
Map of Sabah
Ratings and reviews
5 / 10
(26 Ratings)
100% verified reviews
10 / 10Outstanding·Aug 2026
Es un spot inolvidable , no son los más rápidos pero me hubiera quedado allí 1 semana. Despertarte y porter estar allí es espectacular. Hay que tener en cuenta que es un sitio local, con ambiente local y unas instalaciones más humildes. Nada que ver con los resorts falsos de otras ubicaciones , esto es lo auténtico. Además, pedimos pescado fresco, te venden de todo en barcos que llegan a tu porche y todas las noches nos lo cocinaban a la brasa. Recomendable 100% las inmersiones o curso de open water con Rony es el mejor .
Nada
7 / 10Good·Mar 2026
Honestly i don’t get how some of the reviews are so bad. The room itself is nice and cozy, with window on the water. The walls are thin but i didn’t mind. The view are incredible, you can swim from there when the tide is high and when it’s low you can just observe the marine life from the deck because the water is incredibly clear. Yes, the island is very dirty, but it’s not Scuba Buddy fault of course, locals should be educated on the matter, as well as tourists. We didn’t dive with them because of the reviews and i’m just a beginner so i got a bit scared (I dived with Mabul BackPackers and it was amazing).
Patricia did our check in and gave us all the info needed.
People complaining about no electricity during the day clearly have never been on small islands because that’s actually very common. Anyway on our second day for some reason there was electricity also in the morning, so even better!
Breakfast could be improved, but was okay.
The only thing i really didn’t like was the poor communication. I always book last minute so i know that’s on me, but i tried to contact them before booking because there’s no info about the boats and didn’t get an answer. So i booked anyways hoping they would answer at least on booking, but also no answer. They finally answered the day after at 9.30 am, saying the boat had left at 8.30 and we had to wait 14.30 for the next one. Which was annoying because of course we wanted to get there as early as possible to enjoy at fullest. Also why is the boat so expensive if you cannot even pick the time? I don’t get it.
Overall good experience :)
10 / 10Outstanding·Feb 2026
We loved our stay at Scuba Buddy Dive Lodge!
Me and my boyfriend decided to skip the resorts and busy diving agencies and chose for a more local diving experience. Scuba buddy is a local owned residence, located directly above the sea on the wooden pilars. The owner, Qaawiem, is a very nice guy who did everything in his power to make sure we loved our stay. He advised us for buying our own diving equipment and made free pictures of us during our dives! The lodge has their own scuba diving boats, so you’re never on a crowded boat and the furtherst divesite on Mabul is only 10 minutes away. You can choose which sites to visit and they just arrange it. The rooms are simple but comfortable, but it has the best chill-out zone, which was relaxing to hang out at, in between the dives. Sometimes doing three dives in a day can be experienced as a long day, but if you can chill in hammocks in between the dives it really improves the overall experience!
They are going to offer 3D2N packages for scuba diving, but for reference doing 5 fun dives in total cost around €100,- in total.
If you want to go scuba diving on Mabul or Sipadan, but are on a budget like us, we would definitely recommend going to Scuba Buddy!
-
10 / 10Outstanding·Feb 2026
On a aimé la terrasse avec une vue imprenable, les chambres spacieuses et propre et l'équipe très sympa ! Un grand merci à vous, meilleurs rapport qualité prix loin des chinois!
Le petit coup de stress lorsqu'on arrive à semporna et qu'on nous dit qu'il n'y a plus de boat-transfert jusqu'à l'île. Heureusement ils ont trouvé une solution et tout c'est bien passé ! Transfert le matin sûr sinon c'est compliqué !
$$$$
5
(26 Ratings)
"We loved our stay at Scuba Buddy Dive Lodge!
Me and my boyfriend decided to skip the resorts and busy diving agencies and chose for a more local diving experience. Scuba buddy is a local owned reside..."
Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental
Includes essentials and more
Map of Sabah
About this nature lodge rental
Comfortable Accommodations
Amenities
Non-smoking
FAQs
Is parking included with this nature lodge?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this nature lodge?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this nature lodge. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge pet friendly?
Unfortunately, this nature lodge is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"
What amenities are available at Scuba Buddy Mabul Dive Lodge?
We found 1 amenities for this rental. This includes , and non-smoking.
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