Sipadan is rated as top 10 in the world for scuba diving...what more?

Langkawi...aehhhhh..aiihhh dunno whether got life coral or all dead liao

same here. but i thk i'll end up getting the cert in redang/perhentian.
friends advised me not to learn @ sipadan... should go there relax and explore the beauty of sipadan instead of being kelam kabut learning...
when r u planning to take the open water course?

langkawi is not in my list actually.. but wonder why some say that langkawi is not bad.. i m more concern about redang or sipadan. but sipadan would be very costly, m i?

nutella, not so soon, may be next year aug, when r u going?

Well all scuba diving is not cheap.. that's why till Today I dun scuba dive..the best just snorkelinng only...

I was so close to Sipadan & can see the island from Kapalai...yet I skip that during my last snorkeling trip....Even Mabul & Sibuan (Actually Sibuan much better than Mabul) already having the best of all coral life I ever seen just by snorkeling..but beaware hor...Although water at surrounding islands are superb wth life & coral (Much better than Redang & perhentian) but it also full of rubbish by local islanders...

I suggest to take the open water course at Redang. 4D3N all inclusive costs around RM1500 (without air ticket / bus fare to Kuala Terengganu).

Redang Beach Resort, Redang Bay Resort, Redang Reef, all of them provide the study course.

To me, get it at Redang Beach Resort is most convenient becoz, flight to KT 45 mins > land transfer to KT jetty 30 mins > Speed boat 1.5 hour to Redang.

PADI certification is the best. Personal opinion.

Welcome to PM me. I am looking for some dive buddies.

yes, it is not cheap, but i think one must at least experience once in his lifetime.. so, 1 yr to save money, should be enough by next yr. ;-)

most probably will choose redang, i met few friends from kampung redang since my last visit..

Langkawi is more expensive compared to Redang and Perhentian because from what I heard, you have to like take some ferry/boat for 2 hours to reach another island to dive there.

I would recommend to take the theory test and everything in KL then go to the island for your final certification dives. As you need to watch some videos, study the book, finish the review questions, do the exam and the instructor will go thru the book chapter by chapter with you.
I did my OW for 4D3N in Perhentian and it was no fun at all. Morning wake up eat, study, homework, practical tests, eat, study, dive, and at night need to watch the video or go thru the book with the instructor. I did my other level on land first then took a 3D2N trip to Redang. It was more enjoyable, got to know more friends that were doing their OW certification dives and had more free time to myself. Just my 2 cents.

the golden answer to your question is how much are you willing to spend?
if you can afford sipadan go ahead...heck if you can afford maldives....
it's a matter of choice where you would consider your budget and expectations.
what stimix says is right. diving ain't cheap you can even say that this hobby is even more expensive than golfing...
the east coast for peninsular malaysia is considered one of the cheapest place on EARTH to get certified... so if you are from peninsular just stick to the islands along it if you're on a budget...
if not, do splurge on layang layang instead... but prepare to spend 4k and above...LOL and please do it in Malaysia to help our local instructors and dive centers

munkeyflo, thanks a lot for ur info.. can u let me know any dive centre around kl?

skin dive in redang before, not that bad.. i remembered 3 yrs back, i went snorkelling at perhentian, many dead corals... not really fun.. pulau lima at redang is nice..

kimseng, i will certainly do it in Malaysia.. though we dont have the best ocean, but Malaysia's ocean can be one of the top...

I have done almost 400 dives around Langkawi even places not in the marine park. Although not specified as an ideal dive destination there are a few diving outfits there. Pro Dive and East Marine has been operating there for a lot of years. It is the destination for divers during the monsoon period. Although visibility might not be as good as Redang or Perhentian the coral life and marine life is abundant. In fact it has more fishes than Redang, problem is the visibility. Try to arranged your dive around the 8th or 9th day of the lunar month ( chor pat or chor kow) when it is the tide is not moving much.
Pulau Kaca just beside the main Pulau Payar offers great coral life. A few sunken confiscated trawler boats are sunk here. dive around the island, depth about 20 feet to 40 feet. On the main Pulau Payar there is Grouper Farm, Coral Garden and the house reef inf front of the jetty is also a good experience!
The best Langkawi has to offer is definately Pulau Segantang but it is another 30 mintes west of Pulau Payar by speed boat. Most divers skip this island but dives can be organised by the dive operators there. There are two islands here and the longer one is a good dive. You circle the island while the boat follows you around above. Depth is about 30 feet to 60 feet around the island. Lots of marine life here. I have seen walls of jenahak and barracudas here and at times olive turtles and lobsters.

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Added on November 19, 2009, 1:56 amGuess I have to contact PADI directly and I heard have to be renewed in Singapore PADI. My certifying Instructor old liao, pencen already ! He is one of the first few instructors in Malaysia.

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Added on November 19, 2009, 2:16 amTalking about compression sickness, let me tell what I have experienced. Many years ago when I was learning to dive, there was a group of locals in Langkawi. One of them is an experience diver and also a Naui instructor. He was a rich man with a few boats and his passion is spear fishing. He has a few machais who followed him but most of them have no proper training but they dive a lot.

One day this instructor went spear fishing and one of his buddy( he is the one holding the fishing net) followed behind. Different divers have different tolerance to compression sickness. The guy shot a grouper, must be big as he says the blood was greenish. That means they are in th depths of at least 80 feet. There are no red colour at that depth.The buddy was lazy he grabbed the tank of the shooter. The grouper was pulling them deeper and deeper. The fish got away and they surfaced without decompressing at 15 feet because air has run out. The main guy was OK but his folower was not. He was bleeding at the nose. When asked, he said he was OK. ( Never be a hero in diving ).
At night about 2 am this just was having spasms and his eyes was frightening. They call all out and the nearest decompression chambers we have is Lumut Naval Base. There was not much time and they took another risk.

They carried him out onto his boat and went back out to sea. They then dive in again taking turns to take care of him at a depth of 30 feet for him to decompress. He finished 2 tanks before he was allowed to surface. He is OK now but I think it was not worth the risk! So if you want to dive, dive properly and follow the rules. It was made for safety and never be a hero in this sport. I think this guy is just plain lucky. PADI's advise is "Don't do it, if you are not enjoying it". I for one, if I dive in and can't see my fins, I will surface immedietely, there's no fun in diving in that condition.

There is always a tendency for new divers to try to dive as deep as possible but after 70 feet, there's nothing much there. There are not much coral to enjoy anyway and everything is just greenish or bluish.

This post has been edited by etigge: Nov 21 2009, 09:03 AM

you don't need Singapore PADI... and there is no such place right now... previously yes... but not this century. its been relocated to Australia
i am sure with 400 dives you would have made good friends with the operators in Langkawi... they should be able to assist you if your certifying instructor can't.
if they can't PM me and i'll forward you the contact of the Regional Manager for PADI within this region to assist you in replacing your card.

they story you related is not CNS larr! DCS is the term... maybe the acronyms is confusing...
anyway good story on how you should not be gung ho... and yes back those days most divers are COWBOY divers!
However, going below 120ft/40m (cause its the recreational diving depth limit) offers a whole new perspective to experienced divers. But keep in mind that you require technical diving training... cause DCS works a lot harder at those depths and don't forget about narcosis!
We are fortunate cause we have 2 British battleships nearby, plus the allure of Hammerheads and Thresher sharks in Sipadan is what drives tech divers within this region to pursue it.

AGAIN, please do not go below your trained abilities!

Nice. So how much is it roughly per dive or per day to dive in Langkawi? Might be going there next month and don't think I wanna dive at the Marine Park.

no doubt diving is the most wonderful hobby but dangerous, i've came across a lot of stories about divers. share some other experiences with those dangerous fish, shark or whatever incident during diving...

etigge, turtles and lobsters!!! cool... ya, how much it costs??

Not sure how much they charge nowdadys but you can bargain if you are in a group. I used to assist the divemaster when I dive because I am one of the partners in the dive outfit. I am not a divemaster but at times I used to do that when there are too many divers. Normally they charge RM280 to RM300 for 2 dives trip with equipments, lunch and boat. That's a bargain compared to RM150 for snorkelling trips in Pulau Payar.
The best is organise a trip for 8 or more then you can really get your money's worth and then you can book the whole boat and visit Pulau Segantang and Pulau Payar at one go.

After reading the posts, i guess i will be doing the theory part on land, and head to redang or perhentian for the cert. Is 3D2N enough? I will be doing it before July, either Mar, Apr or Jun, whenever cheaper

Yes, i will do the theory test on land first. I thought the price is the same no matter which month u go. I need to prepare for my exam in July, otherwise we can organize to go together....

Ah ok. Thanks. I don't think I have a group of 8. Well, maybe next time.

Yep, 3D2N is enough.

To dive @ Sipadan, is open water cert enough? Or should i get advanced to enjoy the diving trip there?

I think the only limit is the depth.
OW maximum depth is about 18meters and Advanced is about 30meters.
But I would say experience is more important.

yes you can... most likely they'll take u to the shallower reefs... instead of barracuda point or south point..
or you'll end up diving in mabul or kapalai
please do at least your deep diver training before heading there...

and not forgetting down currents....
they are really fun