Hi guys, planning to dive in Perhentian end of June and I’m wondering if anyone could recommend a dive resort based on your personal experience? So far I’ve shortlisted BTS Divers (MIMPI), Universal Divers (Tuna Bay Resort) and Bubbles Dive Resort. Also, is it a good idea to wait till MIDE to see if any of these dive centres might have better deals? I’ve never been to MIDE but I’m aware sometimes there’re good diving packages being offered, but I’m unsure of any of the mentioned dive centres would offer them though. Appreciate your comments.

Thanks so much for your suggestion. I’ve decided to just book with Tuna Bay - Universal Divers for a full board dive package for the convenience of it and the price factor. I came to conclusion that it’s better to avoid the resorts at Long beach (Perhentian kecil) as some of us who went there last month got food poisoning, not sure whether the norovirus is still lurking around by the time we visit. Anyways I still intend to go to MIDE to shop for gears 🤓😛

Wonder if anybody could kindly suggest a dive comp suitable for beginners that’s below RM1.5k? Shortlisted a few:
-Crest CR4
-Suunto D4i
-Mares Smart
-Atmos Mission 1
-Suunto Zoop
-Mares Puck Pro

Appreciate feedbacks from owners of above device 🥲

Avoid the Suunto D4, their straps are crap and will fail within 2-3 years. Happened to mine and also alot of reported issues on forums for crap straps.

Using Suunto Zoop for 3 yrs +... i'm happy with the functionality, except for the fact it's large and bulky.

If buy garmin at MIDE can get more discounts?

Probably Crest or Atmos since they use Buhlmann algorithm.

Mares and Suunto use RGBM (bubble model) which isn't great for a number of reasons which google can tell you about, but for most rec diving the main issue is simply that it gives you less NDL. Both also impose deco lock if you break your deco ceiling, Suunto's is 48 hrs (and will keep resetting to 48 hrs if you dive while it's in a locked state) and Mares is 24 hrs (you can use it in bottom timer/gauge mode, the lock countdown won't reset).

Also a note about size — unless you plan to wear your dive comp as a daily watch, this honestly is no big deal. What's more important is the backlight and whether the screen is easy for you to read. Some models like Puck Pro don't have continuous backlight, you actually have to hold the button for the backlight to come on, then it goes off after like 5 secs. It's VERY annoying on night dives... speaking from experience, I am a former Puck Pro user 😆 (but I don't regret getting it la, got it for RM550 in 2017 and it served me well for 3+ yrs)