There is no staying on/nearby sipadan.

only Mabul island, sipadan water village located on mabul.

no-so-popular homestay will make sure you won't draw attention for kidnapping.

my time with NAUI so carefree one. even share2 answers during paper test. no need to know how to swim too,altho i can. i heard PADI was stricter during my time. is NAUI stricter now?

Not so popular probably means not so famous for targeting for kidnapping...

Not necessary to stay nearby, if u stay in Semporna, u also can do one day trip to Sipadan. Furthermore, u stay in Semporna, u have more choice and chances to go other island like Mantabuan, Sibuan, Kulapuan, Mataking, Tun Sakaran Marine Park for one day dive trip ...

If you stay Mabul, u would had limited to go all the island i mention above as only certain dive center goes only, not all. And its subject to availability. And slightly pricier. Staying Mabul usually those DC just dive around Mabul area like Kapalai and Sipadan.

Try Kulapuan - Kromox point, muck and drift dive. If u lucky, u may spot few manta passing by. So far, island is "untouch", tat day i went last March 2014, they starting to building up a dc with resort there d...

nuthin to do with NAUI or PADI..... all depends on the instructor.... some are out to make money... some loves teaching..... some dun even know proper diving technique.....

No matter how strict or no strict. Safety always comes first.

If an instructor certified someone who is not capable to dive, that instructor might end up killing the student because diving is not give and take kind of sport. It's better to play safe then sorry right?! So no matter which organization certify you, it doesn't matter. What matter most?! Is whether you enjoy the dive with all safety rules met...

Technically no, but the PADI language is (emphasis mine):
... so if you can float for 10 minutes, I'm pretty sure you will pass the water skill assessment.

It's the first anniversary of my open water certification

In the past year I learned to dive, following up by diving mostly around the east coast, and bought a full set of equipment. I never liked going to islands or beaches because they were boring and I had nothing to do, but now I have something to look forward to.

This year I hope to improve my technique, situational awareness, and to experience a larger variety of dive sites.

If I hadn't found this group, I probably would have stopped diving after getting certified. I thought I had everything I wanted in life, but then this came along...

yeah. good thing he cared about safety tho. just the minor hassle that he deemed unnecessary. he did hold the certification of 3 of my juniors coz they panicked in d water.

No staying on Sipadan I'm aware, but I thought most resort are somewhat nearby to Sipadan that divers need to take a boat trip along with permit to enter Sipadan?

Yea I did thought of staying on the mainland & do day trips out. But probably I wanna enjoy the unlimited house reef snorkeling benefits from a resort lol.

I'm thinking of staying in place like Sipadan-Dive Resort or The Reef Dive Resort & then do island hopping day trips. Do they have such thing? Fulfilling the minimum headcount requirement for that seems to be the challenge.

Yes, i do agree that the agency comes after the chosen Instructor..

Choosing a Instructor is a choice of the "to be Diver"!
You can choose base on Price, recommendation by Friend, Meet Up personally, etc.. so itz the choice of a Diver

Continuous Learning, Upgrade, Practices, etc by the Diver is important...

Conclusion, The Diver!

Blame No One...

Happy 1 year old

Letz share, learn and continue blowing bubbles.. blop bloppp blopppppppp <--- assume those are bubblesss

Hopefully. I'm in Cebu now.....hope that they'll let me qualify.....

This u need to check with them...

Dont forget to share ya experience back here ya!

Hi,

I have 1 question about PADI elearning.

After I've completed this, is there a deadline for me to do my water qualifications?

All I know is that I need to complete the elearning in 1 year after payment

Cheers

Happy 1st year anniversary!!

Sipadan-Dive Resort, do you Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort... if Yes, very good choice and very Safe (Generally)!! Kapalai, itself has many dive sites and a wreck too. They also frequent Mabul, Siamil and Sipadan... high demand, book 6-9 months ahead.

The Reef Dive Resort, another good choice. 1 resort - 2 islands Again, Mataking island itself has many sites and the famous Post Ofis Wreck too. islands hopping for snorkeling or scuba? shouldnt be an issue... BUT travel to Sipadan island s loooong journey, 2-2+ hr... if not enuf ppl, add RM??!!

Oya... both islands are also famous for honeymoon, wedding photo too....

This post has been edited by b5n111: May 9 2014, 02:28 PM

happy anniversary.....

Leave him/her no other option but "Congrats, u r a certified diver now."

All the best, Dive Safe n Have Fun

tapao mangoes

Anyone here using underwater casing for Iphone 5?