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ASIA

Dive Asia: Tioman, Phuket, Rawa, Bali, Maldives & Sipadan

With warm tropical waters, a wealth of wrecks, reefs and marine life - plus a variety of locations and accommodation to suit all budgets - it's clear why Asia is one of the world's top SCUBA diving regions. Katherine Perry reveals where to get wet...

Get wrecked
The largest island off the Malaysian east coast, Pulau Tioman is a popular spot for Singapore-based divers as it's easy to get to and has more than 15 dive sites to choose from. There are eight sunken wrecks within this marine park - a favourite spot for large shoals of Jackfish and Fusiliers. Another good dive spot is Renggis Rock. Circle it and be treated to turtles, Blacktip sharks and a resident barracuda.
GO April to October.
STAY Paya Beach Resort (http://www.payabeach.com/), Minang Cove Resort (http://www.minangcove.com/)
DIVE Resort dive centres.
GETTING THERE Berjaya Air (http://www.berjaya-air.com/) fly four times each week from Seletar Airport. Or you can take a three-hour drive to Mersing, followed by a two-hour ferry ride with Auto Mersing (Tel: +60 7 799 6019/3123) or Blue Water Express (Tel: +60 7 799 5696).
CONTACT http://www.tioman.com.my/.

Spoilt for choice
Phuket is the gateway to almost every dive site in the Andaman Sea. Expect spectacular reefs, too many dive operators to count and the choice of day trips or "liveaboards" - where you can spend the entire time at sea. Renowned local dive sites include Anemone Reef - named for the garden of anemones covering the top of the reef, Shark Point and the Koh Racha islands. If you have time to "liveaboard" for a few days, venture further afield to the Similan Islands or as far as the Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks.
GO November to March.
STAY Club Andaman Beach Resort (http://www.clubandaman.com/), Laguna Beach Resort (http://www.lagunabeach-resort.com/) or Sarojin (http://www.sarojin.com/) in Khao Lak for easy access to the Similan Islands.
DIVE Resort dive centres or Sunrise Divers (http://www.sunrise-divers.com/) run day trips and "liveaboards".
GETTING THERE Daily flights with SilkAir (http://www.silkair.com/) and Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways.com).
CONTACT http://www.phuket.com/.

Great for kids
The reef at Pulau Rawa in Malaysia isn't very deep, so it's perfect for kids. Children can learn to dive from the age of eight but are restricted to shallow depths, making this an ideal place to hone their skills. See playful Clownfish - now forever known as Nemo, colourful Parrotfish, a resident Moray eel and juvenile Blacktip sharks. Rawa is also a great snorkelling spot for younger kids and non-divers. Another option is Pulau Sibu although shallow waters and irregular weather patterns can affect visibility.
GO April to October.
STAY Rawa Safaris (http://www.rawasfr.com/), or on Pulau Sibu try Sea Gypsy Village (http://www.siburesort.com/), Sibu Island Cabanas (http://www.sibuisland.com/) and Rimba Resort (http://www.malaysiaislandresort.net/).
DIVE Resort dive centres. Rawa offers equipment rental only and you have to be certified before you SCUBA.
GETTING THERE Three-hour drive to Mersing, then a 30-minute speedboat transfer.
CONTACT http://www.rawa.com.my/, www.myoutdoor.com/sibu.

 

All-in-one

Tulamben Bay is Bali's most famous diving area and has a wreck, a vibrant house reef and a plummeting drop-off - all just metres from a volcanic rock beach. Perhaps the world's easiest wreck dive, the USS Liberty is covered with coral growth and up to 400 species of reef fish call her home. At the other end of the beach, the Tulamben Wall drops off to over 60 metres. Grey reef sharks, Bumphead Parrotfish and even the elusive Mola Mola (Sunfish) have been seen here. Enjoy a great drift dive between the wreck and the drop-off, over a beautiful house reef with a myriad of marine life including schooling Jackfish, Lionfish and Ribbon eels.

GO: April to November.

STAY: Tauch Terminal Tulamben (www.tulamben.com/englidex.htm), Mimpi Resort Bali (http://www.mimpi.com/).

DIVE: Resort dive centres.

GETTING THERE: Daily flights with Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/) and Garuda (http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/). Allow three hours for additional road transfers.

CONTACT: www.divetheworldindonesia.com/bali-diving-sites-tulamben.htm.

 

Luxe-plus

Otherwise known as the Pearls of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives offers world-class diving and a wide choice of luxury accommodation. The diving here is simply stunning and more than 40 exclusive resort islands have their own dive schools. Hundreds of sites are scattered amongst coral reef islands offering house reefs, wrecks, majestic coral bommies - Aboriginal for "mountain" - and numerous opportunities for drift dives. Expect to spot big fish including Napoleon Wrasse, Eagle Rays, tuna and sharks, in great visibility. The North Male and Ari Atolls are more commonly visited and famous dive sites include the Wreck of the Maldives Victory, Banana Reef, Shark Point, Barracuda Giri and Manta Point. On land you'll enjoy amazing beaches, fabulous food and relaxing spas.

GO: August to April.

STAY: The Banyan Tree (www.banyantree.com), Club Med Kani (http://www.clubmed.com.au/kani/index.php), Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili (http://www.sixsenses.com/). Or the Four Seasons at Landaa Giraavaru (www.fourseasons.com/maldives), the group's second resort in the Maldives - which opened in November.

DIVE: Resort dive centres.

GETTING THERE: Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/) and Emirates (http://www.emirates.com/) fly direct or Sri Lankan Airlines (http://www.srilankan.aero/) flies via Colombo, followed by seaplane or speedboat resort transfers.

CONTACT: http://www.themaldives.com/

 

Diving Utopia

One of the world's premier dive spots is a bit of a trek to get to - but it's well worth it. Sipadan is a tiny rainforest-covered island off Borneo and is actually the top of an ancient volcano rising up from the north Sulawesi Sea. The surrounding reef system houses many magnificent dive sites full of pelagic (open sea) animals such as sharks and Manta rays, a swirling vortex of barracuda at the aptly named Barracuda Point and arguably the world's largest turtle population. Last year the island was declared a protected national park in order to preserve its incredibly diverse marine life. Make sure you dive every site at least once.

GO: April to December

STAY: Accommodation is only available on the neighbouring islands of Mabul and Kapalai at Sipadan Mabul Resort (http://www.sipadan-mabul.com.my/) and Sipadan Kapalai Resort (http://www.sipadan-kapalai.com/).

DIVE: Resort dive centres.

GETTING THERE: Fly with Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/), Malaysia Airlines (http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/) or Royal Brunei (http://www.bruneiair.com/) to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo and stay overnight. Fly on with Malaysia Airlines to Tawau the next day, then take a bus or taxi to the port of Semporna followed by a resort transfer by speedboat. Some resorts will meet you at Tawau.

CONTACT: www.divetheworldmalaysia.com/sipadan-scuba-diving.htm

 

SCUBA LINGO

Air hog Diver who sucks the tank dry in record time, also known as a hoover.

Bends Decompression sickness.

Bommies Large mounds of coral, Aboriginal for mountain.

Buddy The person who always sees more interesting things than you, knows the scientific names of all coral and marine life and leaves you to wash out their gear while they kick back with a cold beer.

C-Card SCUBA certification.

Dive Babe A female diver.

Dive Chick A female diver who wears make-up, constantly combs leave-in conditioner through her hair and whose boyfriend assembles and carries her kit.

Ex-buddy Someone who leaves you stranded.

Guppy New diver.

Pretzel Someone suffering badly from the bends.

Stroke A clueless diver who's a danger to himself and anyone in the near vicinity.

Text: www.wrolf.net

 

DIVE SCHOOLS

SINGAPORE

 

 

Posted Dec 06

 



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