I recommended LOB in Phuket. Especially Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and Similan Island. Shark Point also have scenery like Fiji whale trip. My last trip cost me around 3.5k for 11 nights. Its so exhilarating when you see 10-15 sharks around you, my nitrox finished easily lor

Putra, which dive center did you dive with? And roughly how much?
I'm still checking out which dive center has the best deal. Looking for roughly 4 to 5 days of LOB.

better bring enough seasick pills if you easily get it...gonna be tough if you cannot tahan one...

The secret is to look at the horizon which is constant. Try not to concentrate on looking at one point like reading I was a cook on a LOB to Pulau Perak for fishing on contract. There's this other cook who is after my job and I allowed it. So I asked him to cook the first meal and he barfed after the first dish. It's the part in our ears that is balancing our senses like a gyro. Try to look far.

haha, i dont have a problem with seasickness. i can read whole day on a boat or in a car as well.

if not, drink a few shot of whiskey. you'll knock out soon!! then no need feel seasick!!

etigge, you were a cook on an LOB? wow! you still dive regularly now?

going to perhentian soon......thinking of doing my open water course there ........anyone here dived with ALU ALU (SSI) ?

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Added on June 9, 2011, 9:01 amim not sure whether im seasick or not..last time i went on an island was using a big ferry.. (both to Pangkor, Bintan).....to Sibu was a small boat but hardly recall as it was when i was small so what kindda seasick pills are there? can i just go to guardian/watson and pop the question, kak, pill mabuk laut ada tak?


This post has been edited by pilotHans: Jun 9 2011, 09:01 AM

Day trip, I dive with Kontiki Dive Centre while LOB, I'm with MV Mermaid II, booked at http://www.dive-the-world.com/


Kontiki has service quality on par with Aquamarine Bali. Very nice and comfort triple engine speedboat while doing day trip diving from Phuket. For LOB, MV Mermaid II was high budget range. Experience from this trip, I speak to various European guy who recommended MV Black Manta too for medium budget. Will have another trip to try Black Manta after Indonesia trip later.


Day trip : 3000BHT for 3 dives exclude equipment

LOB : 12 Day = 2800USD

This post has been edited by Putraskyline: Jun 9 2011, 10:52 AM

Yea I'm prone to seasick. Used to fine when I was younger, can read book in the car all the way up to Cameron or Genting, but now I tend to get car sick and sea sick already.
The other day coming back from Pulau Dayang 5 hours boat ride was horrible. I was vomiting and feeling like shit all the way.

I did my OWD with Alu Alu Divers. Don't know if it's the same one. My instructor was a Russian woman and her Russian bf just teman her most of the time. But this was like 5 years ago.

And yes, sea sick pills can be bought from the pharmacy. Some actually puts you to sleep so you won't be sea sick.

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Added on June 9, 2011, 11:13 amAlright! Thanks
I'll check them out in the future.

This post has been edited by munkeyflo: Jun 9 2011, 11:13 AM

I was a cook they call when needed. It's a fishing LOB not a diving LOB operations. The owner is a diver though and I am also so if the condition of the water is good, both of us will take a dive, maybe check the propellers and maybe spear fish , We have dive gears on board. Our trips are usually to Pulau Perak and the water there, infinite visibility but very eerie as it is quite deep and the island is like a rock jutting out of the sea.

It's been a long time since I last dived. Maybe it's like cycling, once you know it , you won't forget. My wife missed diving more than I do infact because I have almost 600 over dives in Langkawi. For LOBs I prefer cooking more than diving. It's a pleasure to see happy guest chomping on the food you prepare, that gives me more satisfaction.

go to caring pharmacy instead of guardian/watson to buy the motion sickness pill. i can't remember exactly what's the name but its starts with "V". you can check with the counter for the non-drowsy ones.

it's pretty helpful especially when you go diving on a very choppy day

Wow, you and putraskyline are the sifu of diving. Shouldn't you guys be more active in malaysia underwater forum than lowyat net?

I mean, 600 dives. Respect

I would rather prefer to dive with my wife and buddies but I was DI in Langkawi. Those days there were a lot of 'anone' divers and some don't even show their diving certification cards. Female they may be, they are also stubborn! The are adamant they are proficient divers but once underwater, they sink like stone! One even smashed her face into some corals and she refused me holding to her. Sometimes I have to hold on to two divers at a time and as a DI I also have 2 spare weights in my BCD. Some say they only need two but they float like nobody's business.

Korean divers are like stampeding bulls underwater. They dive faster than the DIs They destroy a lot of corals too, sad It not rosy all the way too, once I was in charge of 7 divers and I headed the wrong way I missed a point and we dived further and further away from the island. Sometimes over confident and get too disorientated. Then there are those who nose bleed, some are those macho and arrogant divers who insists that it is the lousy equipments that makes them dive badly.

With all those type of divers, 600 is nothing to shout about larrr. 2 dives a day intermittently for a few years, you get bored and the island is an hour away. You see beautiful girl divers but on the trip back they sleep with saliva flowing down from their mouths. Still the most memorable is diving with my wife. She once found an Uglystik with an Abu Garcia 6000 attached to it once in between two rocks

wow, a real eye opening post from ettige, i've thought that being a di is d best job in d world where u get to dive everyday n get paid. Dealing with stuborn people, unethical divers, combine with saliva drooling lol... But do u make good money as full time di? What's abu garcia anyway?

wow i dont bro etigge is a DI. salute to u bro:)

Abu Garcia is a fishing reel and Uglystik is a fishing rod. Between being a cook and a DI, I would prefer being a cook. Divemasters or Dive Instructors may sound very glamorous but doing it day in and day out, one will get bored. Even my 2 kids then were bored with Pulau Payar. They are alway there every Fridays when there's no school. And out of 7 days in a week you only get a day of good visibility in P.Payar.

I mispelt DM for DI, I was only a DM I was not really full time also, still have another business on land then.

well, i'm moving to take DM and hopefully Instructor lah, but so far, one step at a time lah. start with my Rescue first!

Hang in there, brother. Still a long way and many many dives away Japanese and Korean ladies loves the tan of our skin. I have another DM friend who has 2 divers (Korean lady divers) that will come back to Langkawi every year and then takes him away for 2 weeks to other locations. They have visited, Sipadan obviously and also Manado, Pulau Aweh, Layang Layang and Palau. All on the lady's expenses.

Last check, just last year, they are still a couple. He told me Layang-layang was fantastic!

wow...these Japanese and Koreans are crazy!

Wow, didn't know etigge here was a DM! Haha. Thanks for the eye opener.

I was thinking of doing my DM course and work at the same time but still haven't got the time to do it yet. Wouldn't mind working on an island for months. I love the sea, sun and beach. lol.

It may sound really glamourous , working a job you love doing BUT................. There's no long term planning in it. Just like a GRO there's not much future in it Maybe when we are young OK larr but always plan something as backup when you get bored with island life. I spent 13 years almost 14 in Langkawi when the going was good, when our PM really taking care of the island. Then everything crash! All the 13 years, starting from electronics to angling shop and dumping everything you own into your own shop angling and dive shop then back to square one with debts to pay. Then back to the job where I most want to avoid F and B. I was born into it, family business.

Actually diving is accidental. I was a fishing kaki and have a boat and shop. Met a friend from KL and convinced me to start diving. Me and wife were so hooked up to diving, addicted actually, we went diving almost every weekend. Might as well start a dive operations too. Then diving became a chore and tedious! Wake up at 6 am Take the van go around the island to pick up guest, then take them to the jetty, luckily our own boat so time is a bit casual. Take care of their diving, briefing, choosing dive spots. Feed them and then prepare them to go back. Meet with 4 footer or 5 footer waves sometimes and see the guest barf Argue on who to send the guest back to hotel, either that or go back and fill in air into tanks sitting 3 to 4 hours just listening to the 8 hp compressor motor blaring. Rewarding is watching beautiful Japanese or Korean ladies in bikini holding their hands while diving Then after meal, too tired so sleep and then back to the routine again the next day. My partner was bitten by a baby shark once and needed 64 stitches on his fingers (stupid stunt to impress girls) and out of commission for 3 weeks and I have to handle all dives, really taxing, at times 4 dives a day which is actually againts the rules.

Island or seaside life tends to make a person, how can I describe it................ carefree. Nothing really matters, regardless of whether you are loaded or not, friends are more important, very nature loving and gets angry at people who don't respect nature, friendly at times too friendly others bully you, lazy because of the laid back style, you are working but you don't seem to be working and this , after getting used TOTALLY not suitable to city life at all.

The currency crisis might just be a blessing in disguise, taking me away from diving operations. Sold off to my partner and I started a cafe. My former partner 'tapow' also after a year because he was greedy, shortchanging the tour guides. You might argue that in future you will start an operation yourself but it seldom happens or become a DI or something. How many really survive these competitive markets, anyway.

Just something for those who are interested in becoming DI or DM to ponder.

PS/ Do you know when we charge divers RM180 for 2 dives (market price at that time), we have to pay RM80 to guides as commission?

This post has been edited by etigge: Jun 12 2011, 02:05 PM