Advanced Open Water Certification

Location : Pulau Tioman, Malaysia

Dive Operator : Apache Divers (http://www.apachediver.com/)

Budget for this trip : SG$530 (exclusive of pocket money)

Quick facts about Pulau Tioman (Tioman Island)

• Pulau Tioman is located 32km east of Peninsular Malaysia
• Strictly enforced nature reserved (diversed marine life, inland rainforest)
• From Singapore, you can reach Tioman Island through Mersing Jetty (almost 2hr ferry ride)
• Duty Free!
• Water in Pulau Tioman is fairly warm, hence, you can dive without a full suit on! :)

The dive spots in Tioman Island is b.r.e.a.t.h.t.a.k.i.n.g...

We visited 4 dive sites
- Renggis
- Fan Canyon
- Tomok
- Labas

... did 5 dives (Peak Performance Buoyancy, Deep Dive, Night Dive, Navigation and Drift Dive). :)

We encountered an extra large dudddee! (sea turtle), a couple of cuttlefish, and an extra large pufferfish at Renggis. Some of the divers claimed they saw 3-5 sharks. Our dive instructor saw one, but when we tried to look for it, it swam away :(

We saw fusiliers, huge bat fishes, a car wreck, a blue spotted lagoon ray and tons of marine life has to offer. The corals and the rock formation in Labas dive site is very awesome. :D

Here are some of the photos taken from this trip :)

finding nemo?

a huge puffer fish :)

dive / snorkle boats :)

Read more »

Posted in: Dive,Malaysia,Pulau Tioman

Back Issue: Kota Kinabalu

Selamat Datang! Here are some facts about Kota Kinabalu!

• Kota Kinabalu (a.k.a KK), formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in Malaysia.
• The five islands (Gaya, Sapi, Mamutik, Manukan and Sulug) comprises the preserverd Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park.

• KK's hottest months are April and May, while December and January are the coldest
• People mainly speak Bahasa Melayu.
• The currency accepted in monetary transactions is Malaysian Ringgit (RM).

The people in KK are hospitable and made our stay truly wonderful :) We stayed in Borneo Beach House (BBH), which by the way offers great service and cheap accommodation. We had a 4-bed airconditioned bunker reserved for us. They can help you book your itinerary as well (such as White Water Rafting, Climb Mt. Kinabalu, Island Hopping, etc.) We would like to thank David, Hanz and Mark for being so warm and friendly :) By the way, we walked from the airport to BBH, that's how near it is from KK International Airport :)

photo taken from http://www.borneobeachouse.com

On the first day of our adventure, we searched for any good deals in Jesselton port, where we got the chance to meet Borneo's beach bums (Borneo Beach Bum). Their staff are very warm and accommodating.

We were able to drive a speedboat since we were the only ones going on the island hopping! :D And most of their staff were Pinoys as well :)

We went to Mamutik, Sapi and Manukan islands. Did parasailing, ate some yummy buffet lunch and went on diving. It started to rain late in the afternoon but fortunately, we were already on our way back to the beach house.





The food shops there closed earlier than we expected (either that, or we just went out later than we should have :P). We ate at First Beach Cafe along the beach shore. Had some drinks and yummy finger foods :)



That was pretty much how we spent our weekend in Kota Kinabalu :) We siyurely will come back, and this time, with our friends :)

How To Get to Kota Kinabalu:
(depending on your country of embarkation :) )
======================================

- Air Asia
- Cebu Pacific
- Malaysia Airlines
- Silk Air
- Tiger Airways
- Jetstar
- Dragonair
- Royal Brunei Airlines

Mode of Transportation:
====================
Taxi (Teksi)
(we don't know how to go around using the public transportation so we took Teksi to go around KK).

Budget (all in RM): 488 (exclusive of pocket money)
======================================

Room (4-bed airconditioned bunker): 70/night
Dive: 250
Buffet Lunch: 50
Parasail: 75
Jetty: 27
Manukan Fee: 10
Tariff: 6
Pocket Money: 100-150
======================================

...that's all for now folks! :)

-=08.08.08=-

Read more »

Posted in: Asia,Kota Kinabalu,Malaysia

4 Days Before Kota

http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/tunku-abdul-rahman-park/

Read more »

Posted in: Asia,Malaysia