yeah hk is cheap with custom mades.
you might have known this but just thought of sharing with those who comes in close contact with jellyfish.
you can always use your alternate air source to "blow" the jellyfish away but don't it so often else you'll run out of air

Perhentian and redang does not require students to carry their tanks

I did my open water in perhentian, had to carry tank.
Advanced in redang laguna, obviously nonit to carry tank.
Rescue at redang bay resort, need to carry tank to boat and shore. -.-

Yea that time I kena jellyfish. It was some jellyfish period or something. Once in 8 or 10 years. On the boat that time, it looks like you'll be jumping into a sea of jellyfishes. The jellyfish got caught on my bcd when I was on the surface. The divemaster had to remove it for me.

i take my open water course today and have my 1st confined water pool, my dive instructor Mark very patience with me because a lot of mistake i do when learning but i have  a lot of fun today  

Definitely will continue to get my DM license in the future. But not at the moment due to not enough time and I don't think I'm ready for DM yet, probably not enough experience.
I also plan on doing my DM course like at one of those dive centers on the island for 3 months long or something. I don't know what they call it. It's like I work for them but I don't get paid as much as other DMs or even no pay at all because I'll be getting my DM course for very much cheaper or free. Maybe next year after I finish my uni degree first.

What about you? DM already? 
I do have slight sinus problem but have never experience nose bleed before. But I do have some difficulties in equalizing sometimes so have to just go slow and take it easy.
Yea, from what my instructor told me, sometimes the new open water divers will freak out because most of the time those that is having nose bleed doesn't know that their nose is bleeding and the mask will have lots of blood and all that. So others will be scared or may scare off others. lol. He said it's like a free sinus operation cause most of his students who have experience that, say that their sinus is pretty much cleared after that. Is yours like that too?

Yea yea that's the term - DM internship.
I'll most likely just go to Redang for the internship. Furthest also Sipadan/Mabul maybe. But for Sipadan/Mabul would be more expensive than Redang. Basically cause I know the master diver in Redang Laguna and he's always looking for DM to go over. Even this year also. I wanted to go but too bad have to study first.

I don't plan to go up to instructor though. Even though my instructor have always ask me to do so last time. Cause if I do, then I'll be the youngest female instructor in Malaysia or something. But now too old for that title edi.

Haven't thought about that yet. Cause all the while have already had contact in Laguna.
Will go enquire about Berjaya one, now that you said it. But then again, I prefer Laguna's food. lol.
Go technical then! Its more expensive than instructor course?

I'm now officially a certified PADI diver! Did it in Redang and stayed in Coral Reef. The place quite basic, though comes with air conditioner, it's a family run business so everyone is friendly and the home cooked food which is included in the OW package is also nice.

Though I'm pretty damn sure for my next dive trip, I will want to stay in a nice 5 star hotel. Bad news is, my friends wanna go Pulau Dayang. The accomodation there is 'rustic' according to the divers I talked to. It also only has a shared toilet. >_<

Is it true that most divers generally don't care about how shitty the accomodation is when they go on diving trips?

Haha. Guess my sinus not bad enough for me to feel the difference. Lol.

No la. I'm only at rescue. Putra tec diver edi leh! Nice! Hehe.
I still quite noon actually. Depend on my bf a lot. He doesn't let me dive without him.
Omg how can you not know. Haha. Laguna is quite famous for their wide range of buffet. Berjaya the buffet not that nice and went I went there to stay, it was damn expensive also. But high end hotel la, expected la. 
I went to pulau dayang last November and saw a baby whaleshark. It was very nice. But the weather and accommodation and the trip there was terrible. When I'm on the computer then only I share. Now using phone hard to type.

And yea. Usually dive motels are budget wan.

There's two Berjaya in Redang, one Spa and one Beach I think. I've stayed in the Spa before but that was a very long time ago so can't remember. But I remember the Beach one very well. Haha. And yea those beachfront suite is very nice.
Yea, there's not much privacy in Laguna compared to Berjaya. I'm the more budget type, don't really go for much privacy. Their rooms were comfortable when they first started, that was like 8 years ago I think. They have one big queen size bed and two single bed in each room. Rooms are almost the same size as Berjaya Beach I would say. Nowadays, the room are not as nice already. There was one time, there were ants crawling all over the toilet. Yuck!

Yea man... Damn hungry after a dive, I can't count how many snickers bars and ice creams I ate as snacks pre AND post meals when I was in Tioman! It's true, after 2 beers (which our intructor allowed around 10pm), I literally slept the moment I laid on the bed. But what really grossed me out was the toilet la, really not comfortable at all for me.
Yea, you sound like me! I'm damn sure I will choose accomodation over DC for my upcoming dive trips!
Yea, I've seen pictures from Pulau Dayang, it is GORGEOUS! But, just hearing descriptions of how 'rustic' the accomodation is was quite off putting to be honest.

Yup yup. The DC is not bad as they give good services unlike other DC around Malaysia.
Does the price include meal and all that? Because I use BVC membership to book the rooms so its not inclusive of meals and transport to the hotel. That's why the meals were considered pretty expensive for me. But if it's like Laguna, then the meals are all included.

If you're looking for good accommodation, then you have to go to hotels which are at least 3 stars and above.

Most of the dive resorts I can tell you, the accommodation is horrible. Even in Redang, if you follow DC dive trips, most of the time it's the cheapest rooms and they will give you hotel like Redang Bay which is not up to my standards. Also, most of the time, you will be living in dorms.

When I went to Dayang last year, omg the room was horrible. It's a 12 person dorm room long house thingy with around 6 rooms. All made of wood. No aircond, only a wall fan. Electricity only comes from 6pm to 6am. Lightings is very limited, curtains have holes. Common toilet with no hot water. Some toilets filled with sand on the floor. Wet toilet (something I really cannot stand!). Food wasn't that nice, just basic to keep me from fainting. Didn't eat much cause not tasty. Oh and no towels, no blanket, no house keeping, not much place to hang things. The jetty was all wood as well, and I got a splinter caught at the base of my feet, damn painful.

Oh and the boat ride to the island was like sooooooo long and sooooo terrible. I think it was like at least 3-4 hours long on the way there. We left at midnight and reach the island around 3 or 4am and everyone was so sleepy still need to listen to briefing. Then while we were in Dayang, it was actually the starting of the monsoon season (November), on the last night, heavy rain and storm, very strong wind. Blew off some of the wooden house zinc roof tops. Some of the dorm rooms were leaking, lots of towels/bikini/rashguards hanging outside all blown away. The waves was scary. So on the next day when we went back, I think the boat ride was a whopping 5 hours or so. I don't know as I practically was next to the toilet bowl all the time vomiting all the way back. Ughh.

But the beach was not bad, dive was good. Saw whale shark which was awesome. The sea and scenery was wonderful. The visibility and underwater world is pretty good. Just the trip there and the accommodation is horrible.

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Added on April 6, 2011, 12:31 pm
This is true. But Sipadan and Mabul is different. They cater for foreigners more so their standard is higher.
Also, West Malaysia is one of the cheapest place to dive. I guess that's why the services aren't that good either.

Yea Tenggol and Tioman has lots of LOB. Dayang also have. I'm sure Sipadan/Mabul has as well as I've saw some LOB boats when I was there.
Try looking out for dive centers dive trips, sometimes they do organize LOB trips.

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Added on April 6, 2011, 6:53 pm
Terengganu?
That place has a few islands, perhentian, redang and lang tengah.
I don't know if there are lots of diving around lang tengah, but I do know perhentian is like paradise for foreign divers. Redang is more commercialized to snorkeling and Asian tourists. Perhentian would be more laid back and accommodation ain't that good if you wanna compare budget hotels.

If you're only planning to do a few dives, get a decent hotel without the dive package and then pay per dive when you are there. In Redang it's about RM80 or so per dive without equipment rental. I'm not sure about perhentian.

Hi all,

very interested with scuba diving. been reading from page 1
i've always enjoy snorkeling.
think time has come for diving

i am surveying price for PADI open water course at Tioman. The cheapest so far is rm1040 for full package.
Im planning to take the course on coming 14 - 17 May 2011 (4D3N).
will be going with 2 other frens. If there's anyone who want to join me for the course, please let me know. I think can get further discount if coming in bigger group..and the more the merrier

Yes i thought that too... but must clean the contact lens asap right..?

I went to MidValley 3rd floor got dive shop... ask them power mask... they got brand BUBU.. RM200 + RM150 for lens. = RM350 quite expensive.

i'm looking for pulau payar ~~ any recommendation?
the course provide by east marine is too expensive~

hi fellow fren,

we just get back from salang-tioman for OWD course.
really recommended B&J dive centre, the instructor is really proessional, price is very reasonable. The place is proper
took us 4days to complete the whole course, our instructor even ask us to stay another day and he will bring us for free diving trip on boat   
but that is impossible, all of us defenitely cannot add another day to our leave

1 thing about B&J, there are no pool for confined water. all confined water wll be done at open water aka salang beach.
i find this very good and usefull because the instructor will teach you how to fin properly in real open waters where currents exists.
on the 4th dive, its rainning quite heavy and sea is a bit choppy when we surfacing, . Lucky we have learn proper way to finning and all of us manage to swim back to shore which is almost 1.5mile from point we surface. I dont think i can swim that long without fin

Vis was not so good, mayb because of the rain (few times during our stay).
but we still manage to see a lot of interesting fish and other creature at the bottom. there's even a sea turtle coming our way, i immedielty grab my camera and snap it  
For rookie, i find it magical to see the turtle just by diving at salang bay, plus during our OWD course. hehe see some the pics below:

Amazing Do you really snap a picture yourself?

This post has been edited by Putraskyline: May 19 2011, 07:39 PM

Well not biggest loser asia fluffy but quite fluffy as in size 40 pants.

Urm any recommendations on places that can offer what blackwhitechipsKL had said?

I note that there is an upcoming Dive expo. Should I go there to try get an offer or just go approach the centres now?

Thanks guys.

I got kinda worried coz i swim at my bros pool at his condo and its only about 25 meters and even then I get tired and this is 8 times that distance.. ahaha. But should be fine right? A lot of ppl can do it.