two thumbs up for diving! cant wait for my next trip..dont know when..so hard to plan ahead this half of year.

i would say most dive centres wont assemble your eqpmt, at most they will load the tanks on the boat. IMO its better that way cos we get to really check our own eqpmt esp if its the rental ones.

the dive centres operating out of KK -TARP would be pretty OK if u looking for full service, just hop on boat, then lunch at the island. try Sabah Divers, Scubs Zone, or Diverse Borneo.

if u lose your glasses then can use the mask wat! look funny tho..

but yea, snorkelling, i dont think you'd need to buy prescription mask. the water will make everything look sharper and clearer

Perhentian has plenty diving! viz is not too bad, around 5-10m. Just pop into long beach, many dive centres. I've gone with Turtle Bay, and the newest kid on the block is Stingray Divers, look around for their contact (Anuar).

a must-try is the Sugar Wreck!

Check them out on facebook. Low rates, i dunno, but Perhentian diving is generally cheap, about 70 per dive.

If u want cheap then perhaps u can shop around for a package, 3 days 2 nites inc accom, ferry, diving, u might save a few bucks plus make some new friends along the way!

i got mine for 160 if u not fussy about brands and design la.

like u, i dont like wearing contacts, so mask serves purpose very well.

This post has been edited by ericcc: May 7 2012, 08:46 PM

u can get the shorter travel fins. its a good idea cos it means more power and less air consumed = longer dive time, compared to using rentals. plus its comfy cos u will buy the one u like.

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Added on May 11, 2012, 5:53 pmi got Oceanic reg from Scubatex. u can call them and ask if they stock the other Oceanic stuff.

This post has been edited by ericcc: May 11 2012, 05:53 PM

I hate foggy mask! My solution - anti-fog gel AND spit. High chance of success.

cheap is not necessarily good. this is your life you're talking about. do take into consideration the quality of the instructor and equipment.

OW certification will range from RM900 up. where are u interested in doing it. can refer for Tioman if u want to go there.

white tips on corals means disease if im not mistaken. probably a side-effect of warming waters and pollution.

why wanna fin so much. just follow the current only la

thats why your dive guide has to plan properly, and to make adjustments if the current changes, then u guys should change direction.

im flying to tawau next thurs anyone in mabul 13-15th?

MIDE on sunday morning

This post has been edited by ericcc: Jul 6 2012, 05:24 PM

just back from mabul / kapalai - great place to chill out and do some diving. loved the wall dives! missed the pygmy though... it took a break from its usual place at the site.

aaron1kee - take your pic of places. You can try Scubatex - about RM 1,000 all inclusive.

try Sabah Divers in KK - they have good promotion, ask for Ms Peggy. the price is amazing! they will conduct the confined water in Pulau Sapi if not mistaken.

scuba junkie resort on mabul pretty nice. good choice - its more hotel than all the shacks / 'homestay'. walked around there earlier this month when i was in mabul

1 extra day - go diving! what else to do there...

Thought i'd share some pics of my recent July trip to Tawau - Semporna-Mabul and Kapalai 12-16 July 2012

Stayed at Borneo Global Backpackers for the night before catching the morning boat to Mabul - Spheredivers.

Was a great stay, our hosts were laidback and easy-going, the food was excellent, and the diving remarkable.



Beautiful nudi and eggs - amazing!


SMART house reef - amazing vortex of jacks


wonderful wall and drift diving


fish everywhere...



Will be back there to tackle Sipadan...

my camera is Sony W350 compact with Seashell universal casing. Lots of Photoshop involved! and doesnt do macro properly, thats why there's no super-close-up shots. but works perfectly for me, makes my ID so much easier. and its so much more fun!

you're right! but next i wanna try the UW red filter setting and see how it goes. for those pics it was on Auto setting. and maybe can adjust the Exposure levels etc.

but what the heck, its a cheapo camera with built-in UW features, it makes me happy hehehhe

i believe you can organize with the dive centre, your money will dictate the boat times!

we stayed at Sphere divers mabul and they kindly arranged their boat to get us back to semporna in time for the flight and all.

This post has been edited by ericcc: Aug 5 2012, 05:45 AM

going for OW course. bring wallet. enough.

seriously - if you're short-sighted - get prescription mask or use contact lens if you can.

fins - would be good buy cos sometimes the rental ones can cause blisters especially if they're full-foot and ill-fitting. Learnt this the hard way. ouch. best get open heel fins and booties. comfy. my new full-foot fin oso bit me a little, ouch, so had to use plasters. just like new leather shoes

other equipment - get them as u go along and once you know you've got bitten by the bug.

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Added on August 5, 2012, 5:53 amthanks. amazing pics, nahhh, compared to my fellow divers' macro shots with their twin strobes and 15kgs of equipt...

my cost - lets see - the boat was 100 return, dives were 80 x 6, accom was 80 x 3 nites, food inclusive (yummy). taxi return semporna - tawau 100, so that works out to 920 ++. Equipment my own, if not it would be around 60 per day, depending on the operator. All in all a satisfactory experience, got to hang out with friends, make new ones, at a nice quiet place on beautiful mabul.

This post has been edited by ericcc: Aug 5 2012, 05:53 AM