I still don't have PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors ) license,thinking to take..soon,maybe somebody in LYN forum can share some diving world experience in beginning.

TQ

Here some info

Discover Scuba dive
For the first time diver, a relaxed explanation of the basics followed by an easy introduction to the underwater world..
Open Water Dive Course
The course for those who want the qualification to dive anywhere in the world. Teaches you, all you need to dive safely with your buddy....
Advance Open Water Dive Course
Looking to gain more experience, this course opens your mind to specific specialities in diving. Try out Deep Diving, Night Diving, Videography, Wreck Diving and many more...
Rescue Diver
Extend you dive skills and become more confident in your abilities to help yourself and others in the water and on land. A serious but fun course...
Divemaster
The first step on the professional ladder, learn how to guide dives and assist in the education of other divers, there may be no looking back once you are qualified..

i'm not a fully certified diver as well but i can assure you this, if u listen to the guide and instructors, u will not go wrong. always make your first dive a memorable one. my first dive is off the coast of pangkor and i was extremely dissapointed. it actually made me think twice about diving.

i still remember my first class was learning to clean my fogged up goggles underwater. most importantly when underwater, do not panic.
i've stepped on some urchins before hence i do warn about them. our vision is tunneled with goggles on and its impossible to see everything around us. diving with a friend is a must. i learned that as well.

night diving for me is a no-no. its really very easy to get lost and if u stray abit from the shoreline, thats it.


diving can be done without proper licenses here in m'sia. (not sure bout sabah or sarawak). in maldives, u can dive without a proper license as well but it would require an instructor to be with u at all times. in malaysia, u can stray far away and we dont care hehehee. as i've said, most importantly, stick to your guide or dive instructor and u will not go wrong.

yeah. most important thing is, never panic.
just relax and enjoy the scenery.

i'm planning to be professional with the time comes (and money too ). till then, i'm just enjoying the dives. tho not as often as before since i'm too broke now.

there's a lot of places that offer diving courses nowadays. prices are about the same. best if you can go to the island itself and learn and get certified there straight away.

and if you can afford it, get a camera that can shoot underwater. you will be able to take the memory with you and share what you have seen underwater.

again, i've never taken any pictures underwater. no equipment.

SDI diver here. going next dive @ redang sept.

Hi, because I am having a holiday right now. So I might be planning to take the cert, any suggestions? Around Klang area. I checked the one in 1U, after a few briefings in 1U itself, you will need to go to Tioman Island to take the real test. Any additional info? and also the price? Thanks.

In Redang,Open Water Course for 4 day 3 night , they will charge only RM880.00 exclude accommodation + Meals .

Perhentian...RM1500.00 include Boat Transfer,Chalets,Meals

Hi there, im also planning to take a diving course but no friends la..hahaha..My friend attended a diving briefing a few weeks back at some hotel in Malaysia. And one new diving place in Indonesia is Acheh. And he also said that they using Euro as their currency there despite rupiah. The tsunami had change the place to a tourist visitor. More expensive than bali...

About diving course, i heard PADI is the best. And the fee is very reasonable. They also have a course to be a photographer diver

Do not rely only to the dive guide or instructor..they are HUMAN!! not GOD!! sometimes they make mistake like us too..once you done the whole course u are CERTIFIED DIVER and u are responsible for your own safety & your buddy. u can listen to the instructor as a guidance but not give your life to your them..remember! once u are comfortable u/w u will enjoy nite dive and u will found nite dive actualy is more relaxing than day dive..alwix dive with your own limit do not force to follow others..

bonzaimy,
its call pulau weh..

i dont know la..my friend told me its in acheh..

i wont say it's the best or it isn't. it all depends on budget and understanding before taking either body. there's other board,other than SDI or PADI. i would say probably the most good teaching body is SSI, instructor there wont let you go for practical or written examination without a lot of practice,and it's probably the most expensive for open water license, my buddy spend 3kplus plus practicing in pool in bangsar, IIRC it's not even including his trip to boat dive @ terengganu for practical exam.btw, the president/head/watever u call it, for the SSI board @ malaysia is a general officer of the military.lol.


i took SDI instead of PADI because, PADI has written examination IIRC, and i think practical is much more important than writting those theory, lol. nowadays, a dive com do all the calculation, plus there's no time for you to count underwater during emergency it all depends on your own choice.my opinion is for open water,advance,rescue. not for instructor level, they need theory a lot

Its the best in term of Money..haha

PADI around 1.2k for the course itself havent include lodging

SDI cost roughly around 1.4k including lodging @ redang

anyway, pelangi resort @ redang is setting up project awareness, to clean up the island underwater world. anyone attending?

This post has been edited by akRia: Aug 14 2008, 01:46 PM

i agree with the statement above on the certifying body. there are a lot out there.
PADI, NAUI, SSI, CMAS, BSAC, SDI....... many many more out there. I've just listed the ones available in Malaysia. i have assisted in training divers on all of those and personally i find BSAC being the most thorough. Then there is the factor os $$$. SDI is the cheapest of them all because their material cost less.... a lot less. PADI is well known because of its inovative marketing strategy. No dive shop will turn away a certified diver, regardless of the agency.

On the post that you don't need a certification to dive in malaysia, i would say no dive centre i know will allow this. Those cowboy diving days are over larr... Plus what you did was called discover scuba, that's just the instructor babysitting you up to 10m only. Trained and certified diver are qualified to plan and dive in PAIRS.

so if you want to take up scuba, do take a course and understand what you are doing underwater. read up on the different diving agencies, compare the rates and if their offer suites your budget. remember you pay what you get!

cheers

do u mean we need to show our diving cert if we want to buy the equipment??

u don need to show dive cert, what he mean is, go diving thru dive shop (agency) ,dive shop not just sell equipment, they arrange dive package and trip as well, if u r interested to go learn diving, dive shop can arrange too. and those stationed in dive site company is called dive center/ dive shop too.

by the way, just in case someone ask, u cant go dive whenever u want, it's not just illegal, and u are risking ur life without dive master around, and the oxygen tank only can refill @ dive center, so, buying own equipment n drive urself without license is basically, a joke.

by right the dive centre will not sell you any equipment at all without showing your diver card.

get your terms right.... you ARE a certified diver right?
you don't breath an Oxygen tank. what a diver breath is air.... compressed air.
while a certified diver is actually trained to dive in buddy pairs. not necessary with a divemaster.

i was trying to tell in a easier form, i tried telling ppl compressed air and they know shit about it,they only know it as "oxygen tank"

and no, what i mean divemaster is a professional to guide u when and where to dive. buddy too will get lost sometimes.

btw, so far i havent encounter any shop wants me present dive license when i purchase,malaysia/non-malaysia. =/ bought bcd and wetsuit oversea.

This post has been edited by akRia: Aug 27 2008, 09:32 PM

you should not use that term as it merely supports what the general public Believe... that scuba divers breath using an OXYGEN tank, which is WRONG.

yes buddies will separate but not till the level of LOST and do not depend on the divemaster, seriously you are responsible for your own life.
AND as an Open Water Diver you ARE trained to dive in buddy pairs. the only certification level which requires one to dive with a divemaster and above is the PADI Scuba Diver.

on the case of not needing to show your certification card to buy your equipment, i guess the shop was thinking of $$$ only. i just hope they didn't sell anything to a someone who doesn't know about the dangers and died from it.

akRia, if ur friends know shit about the tank, then it wud have to be ur obligation to get them to understand. The tank is filled with compressed air..layman terms, the air that we breath, but its just in a tank. Its actually dangerous to assume the tank as an "oxygen tank"..By definition, oxygen tank means that the tank is filled with 100% oxygen and if u were to bring that down for SCUBA, u will DIE from oxygen toxicity..

buddy thingi, i think brudder kimseng already covered that topic


This post has been edited by sapien: Sep 1 2008, 11:18 PM

i just have to say LOL