Which cressi fin is she using?
Yea I'm a female diver. I see most of my other diver friends not having a problem with this and they just ask me to put my feet down, in which I find almost impossible to do so.
I'm using high cut bootie as well. So what you are saying is it's better to use a low cut one for my problem right? I don't like closed heel fin as it hurts my feet so I still prefer to go down with booties and open heel fins.

Wa really? haha. I haven't seen divers wearing socks or plastering their leg yet.
I don't think I like the idea of socks soaked in sea water. Lol. Will try to see if I can get any other alternatives for socks.
I'm pretty small size but my legs and arms are slightly longer for my size, so a bit hard to find wetsuits to fit me nicely. Especially the one that I'm wearing now, doesn't cover fully my legs and arms. lol.

Thanks for your advices.

I don't like shorties. Feel like no protection and I scare of cold. Besides, I kena jellyfish once even with my long wetsuit on, kena on my hands and above ankle as wetsuit not able to cover completely. So scared edi, want to cover everything. lol.
I was thinking of going to Hong Kong to custom make one. It seems wetsuits there are much cheaper. I've tried on a few Scubapro wetsuits here and they seem to fit quite well. So maybe nonit to custom make also.

The other dive center that I learnt from also had us to carry our own tanks.
Unless you go 5 star resorts, then mostly nonit.

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.

^yea. That's true as well.
Laguna's dive center is righ next to the jetty. While other cheaper hotels don't have a proper jetty and you'll have to enter the sea/boat thru the shore.

But if you do discovery scuba in laguna, you'll have to carry tank from the momocha there to shore.

The theory test is easy. As long as you understood what you learn during theory classes it should be very easy. Probably one or two slightly harder questions.
So far I haven't had any problems with any of my theory tests.

The open water dive will be fun! Just relax and don't worry about a thing. Just have fun and enjoy the underwater world.

Yup like deqna said, most importantly is stay calm and take your time. Your instructor shouldn't rush you.
If you feel any discomfort, it's best to tell your instructor immediately. Don't be afraid of embarrassment.
It's very much different from confined water, especially it's much deeper.

I've also heard from my instructor that some ppl will have very bad nose bleeds when they come out. Don't be afraid as it can be normal if the person has sinus.

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?

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!

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 pmThis 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.

This post has been edited by munkeyflo: Apr 6 2011, 12:31 PM

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 pmTerengganu?
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.

This post has been edited by munkeyflo: Apr 6 2011, 06:53 PM

What's stopping you from being one?

It doesn't matter whether it's listed or not. There are so many dive centers around the world. Don't think each and every one will be listed.

Always remember, you are in charge of your safety. Do not rely on others to look out for you. They will if they can but they are humans as well and sometimes things can go wrong. Always be alert and dive safe.

Then just go do a discovery scuba.

I love diving and I love to see everything underwater. There's this underwater museum somewhere in Mexico I think and it looks sooo beautiful in the pictures. I will definitely pay that museum a visit next time.

Sipadan there not really suitable for discovery scuba. Try going to WM islands first. Or if you like VVIP service, then go to Bali or Thailand dive sites.

3 would be just nice. Believe me, I assisted my instructor with soooo many OWD during their certification dive when I was doing my Rescue course. It was havoc once we all went underwater. Too many people. Too crowded. I did my certifications with my bf so just 2 of us. Got all the attention we need from our instructor and dive master. Too many people, price might be cheaper, it's more enjoyable as well. But might not have enough attention from instructors.

Have fun diving!

Yea, that's the problem with some instructors.
But just the two of you right? That time I was assisting my instructor, it was like about 7 newbies to one instructor.

Err, I remember there was only trying to keep yourself up on the surface for 10 minutes. You can lay on your back and just chill while enjoying the blue sky and 10 minutes will be gone very soon.

Only during my rescue course I had to do water treading for 10 or 15 minutes. Omg so tiring. =.= I couldn't walk properly after that.