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

Ahh then you save a lot!! Actually most of Internet booking for Berjaya comes with breakfast only. Free room upgrade was not uncommon here.



@kelvin

Yeah, the price at Sipadan was expensive but still a level below other countries dive resort which offer at same price, but that was because Sipadan was so famous.

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Added on April 6, 2011, 12:38 pm
Agree but when comes to West, only a few hotel that on par with International standard. But, I understand most of divers that I know wouldn't care so much about accomodation although their bathroom was "yuck" like you describe on Dayang

This post has been edited by Putraskyline: Apr 6 2011, 12:38 PM

Hahahaa, you totally sound like me and reading your comments just put a smile on my face because my friend couldn't stand my whining throughout the entire trip!

Yea, I definitely want to go Mabul or Sipadan by this year or next after obtaining sufficient experience or maybe only after my AOW licence.

I wonder why Malaysia has no live aboard dive charters like those in Phuket. It is fun. Actually a 60 to 70 footer boat with diving facilities can run around Redang and Tenggol for die hard divers. Divers can stay aboard and no need to book rooms on land. We do have live aboard for fishing tours, ironic isn't it.

Have any one of you ever dived in Pulau Perak? I was a cook on a 60 footer fishing charter boat. After lunch, I was free and me and the captain put on our diving suits and went into the water. Visibility there was infinity, meaning as far as the eye can see. From the boat, the water is black in colour, no light is reflected back. The island is sloping and there's a ledge about 40 to 60 feet deep and beyond that, it is straight down to 300 feet.

We were sitting on that ledge and observing the fishing lines from the boat. Then suddenly a school of GTs swam out from a crack and attack the bait and then suddenly they dissappeared again into the cracks. There was rainbow runners and the usual groupers near the rocks. I don't know why there was not much corals, maybe Indonesian fisherman used to do bomb fishing here. In all the 8 trips I done there, I only dived once! Why? One night at about 2 am in the morning, the rear spotlight was on and I saw a shark hovering around the boat and that shark was aslong as the width of the boat. My friend says there was stripes on the shark and that means it is a tiger shark! I can't confirm but it sent jitters down my spine.

There was also bubbles rising from the deep at one corner of the island. A 'mat salleh' told me those are volcanic activity and fishes goes there like a health spa. Ha! even marine animals have health spa.

This post has been edited by etigge: Apr 6 2011, 01:19 PM

who said don't have? There are always LOB to tioman and even to tenggol.

Any website or contacts?

I plan to go for short island trip with 1 or 2 dives around Tgganu. Any idea where I can spend time alone relaxing at comfortable place without putting holes in my wallet?

You should try google. its all there.
here's one
http://www.mentariscuba.com/v2/index.php?o...latest&Itemid=1

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

Adding some info : Lang tengah have about 15 sites for diving, accomodation are just average. Perhentian also the same but in some dive centre, you could get RM80/dive include equipment. Happy Diving

wanna get some experience in diving oso.....

many of my relatives were diver...all got license

am jelez....

my 2 bro got commercial diver license n the other divemaster

What's stopping you from being one?

let me guess. can't swim? afraid of tsunami? no money? afraid kena tarik telinga??

just kidding... should go at least to know what is the underwater world all about before it disappears.

it was truly my only place for peace and serenity but now that i'm stuck with financial problems, i'm only left with insanity

I already book redang for package diving last month. Just now I check the PADI website, the dive shop that i book not in list in PADI DIVE SHOP. can I dive with them? do diving experience (dive log) the in consider? do become should ensure and choose something dive shop the list with PADI? Negative effect if we diving with with dive shop that unlisted with PADI, SSI, NAUI etc.

All certified divemasters are qualified to sign your dive log and I am sure you will be accompanied by one divemaster. Not necessary he/she must be a PADI divemaster. Sometimes PADI certified dive centers means paying more only.

Means, every dive shop and their DM, certainly that qualified (legal), so, we no need worried la kan?

- what difference PADI , SSI, NAUI etc..certified?

Matter of preference only. Of course PADI being the most popular but sometimes standards has been compromised for more students and money. Nowadays you can get yourself certified, theory and certification wise in a span of 4 days in some dive centers. No worries though, just make sure you are disiplined or else you make it dangerous for yourself.

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.

Even dive buddies can log your dives. It's just a matter whether you want to cheat yourself or not and DMs can tell your level when you jump right into the water.

So put your safety first

@etigge, @munkeyflo, @lck*G9

Thank you for the reply!!