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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / March 2005Sabah diving (borneo)
I just spent 10 days on the Reef Dive Resort which is northeast of Sipadan about 1.5 hours by boat. The resort was awesome. The folks that worked there were nice and the rooms were fine. The food was absolutely perfect. The cost was about $115 a day US and that includes everything. Included in that cost was a bcd and regulator and weight belt. The best part was the diving. I did 32 dives in ten days and would have done more had I brought a dive buddy. The resort is on Pulau Mataking and there are 6 close islands with many reefs and for a little extra they'll take you to Sipadan. Diving in the morning at Sipadan sucks because you hear huge explosions that originate about 12 km away for what they call fish bombing... an illegal form of fish harvesting. The explosions were terrifying to say the least. I also visited a live aboard dive boat called Celebes Explorer. I'm going to try it someday as the people were very nice on it. > I just spent 10 days on the Reef Dive Resort which is northeast of > Sipadan about 1.5 hours by boat. The resort was awesome. The folks that > worked there were nice and the rooms were fine. The food was absolutely > perfect. The cost was about $115 a day US and that includes everything. > Included in that cost was a bcd and regulator and weight belt. How did you get that rate? Also, it appears you did not pay single supplement. Do they allow you to sign up on a willing to share basis and thus not be required to pay single supplement? How did the stay and the diving compare to staying at Sipadan/Mabul? Did the resort arrange to pick you up and transfer you from the Tawau airport? > The best part was the diving. I did 32 dives in ten days and would have > done more had I brought a dive buddy. The resort is on Pulau Mataking [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I also visited a live aboard dive boat called Celebes Explorer. I'm > going to try it someday as the people were very nice on it. Some people that I met last spring whilst staying on Sipadan, followed up their days at Sipadan with 5 days on Celebes Explorer. They absolutely loved it. >>I just spent 10 days on the Reef Dive Resort which is northeast of >>Sipadan about 1.5 hours by boat. The resort was awesome. The folks that [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > thus not be required to pay single supplement? How did the stay and the > diving compare to staying at Sipadan/Mabul? I flew to Tawau and finished my research of where to stay/dive there. I was thinking of staying in Tawau or semporna and doing day trips for 3 dives a day and decided against it because of all the boat time necessary. I walked into the Reefs office in Tawau and was quoted the above rate (this includes 7th day free. It was a little slow and they did not require the supplement. Clearly Sipadan is the best diving around. Sipadan has massive walls that attract mantas and there are also plenty of sharks, barracuda and turtles around. However I was quite happy with the 26 locations we dove on mataking and surrounding isles. Simply put I'd say Sipadan has more big stuff and Mataking has more little stuff. Little stuff including pairs of cuttlefish, octopi, eels and tons of variations in coral. > Did the resort arrange to pick you up and transfer you from the Tawau > airport? As soon as I agreed to stay with them they supplied all transportation. They dropped me at the airport after I stayed in semporna for a day waiting to be able to fly. >>The best part was the diving. I did 32 dives in ten days and would have >>done more had I brought a dive buddy. The resort is on Pulau Mataking [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > their days at Sipadan with 5 days on Celebes Explorer. They absolutely > loved it. The big point to this is that Sipadan Island is closed. They let us on for ten minutes but then kicked everyone off. The Reef resort bought Manaking island when they closed Sipadan. I checked out the Mabul resorts and was not very impressed. bill > > How did you get that rate? Also, it appears you did not pay single > > supplement. Do they allow you to sign up on a willing to share basis and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > above rate (this includes 7th day free. It was a little slow and they > did not require the supplement. What a luxury to have been in that position. > Clearly Sipadan is the best diving around. Sipadan has massive walls > that attract mantas and there are also plenty of sharks, barracuda and > turtles around. I'm not clear that it's the best diving around. I certainly enjoyed it and there was quite a thrill to see the hammerheads and the mantas and there was lots of other cools stuff, but I'm still not convinced it's "the best diving around." I particularly enjoyed the diving in Mabul . . .certainly not the underwater features or corals, but the abundance of small and bizarre life. >However I was quite happy with the 26 locations we dove > on mataking and surrounding isles. Simply put I'd say Sipadan has more > big stuff and Mataking has more little stuff. Little stuff including > pairs of cuttlefish, octopi, eels and tons of variations in coral. And that's why I'm asking. The tons of variations in coral, lots of unique and/or special little stuff sounds good. > > Did the resort arrange to pick you up and transfer you from the Tawau > > airport? > > As soon as I agreed to stay with them they supplied all transportation. > They dropped me at the airport after I stayed in semporna for a day > waiting to be able to fly. OK, that sounds good. Borneo Divers were awesome that way, I thought. Picked me up at KK airport, took me to my hotel in KK, picked me up early the next morning and back to the airport for the flight to Tawau. Then picked me up again in Tawau, over to their grouping site and then by van to Semporna, boat to Sipadan and all the same on the return trip. It was all part of the price, so I was pleased and impressed. (snip)> > > The big point to this is that Sipadan Island is closed. Yes, I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to stay there before the shutdown. >They let us on > for ten minutes but then kicked everyone off. I thought you could snorkel there after your dives? Is the big Borneo Divers dock/pier still there? I also thought that diver's could/would eat up on shore. No? >The Reef resort bought > Manaking island when they closed Sipadan. I checked out the Mabul > resorts and was not very impressed. You mean you actually went to Mabul and looked things over? I thought the Sipadan Water Village was lovely, but more money than I wanted to spend. I stayed at Borneo Divers and their new acco was unexpectedly very nice, the food was great, but their grounds really need some ambiance. Hopefully, there will be some growth there soon. I hear some people say good things about SMART on Mabul and the idea of a pool does appeal to me. I can't always be in the ocean, particularly at Mabul. Borneo Divers really didn't have an area for shore-diving or snorkeling, which was a shame. Have you been to Layang Layang? If so, how does it compare to Mataking? rOn Mon, 07 Mar 2005 02:35:28 GMT, the cup of "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> overfloweth with the following: > You mean you actually went to Mabul and looked things over? I thought the > Sipadan Water Village was lovely, but more money than I wanted to spend. I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Mabul. Borneo Divers really didn't have an area for shore-diving or > snorkeling, which was a shame. SWV is generally the nicest place to stay at the moment, but as you noticed, you have to pay for that. I spent a while living at SMART and had a fantastic time, although it doesn't have the house reef advantage that both SWV and Borneo Divers have. Having said that they have carts to carry dive kit over to the other side of the island which makes it more or less hassle-free if you want some shore diving. I haven't stayed at Borneo Divers at all, or seen their accomodation, but when I was there I was sickened by the amount of trash that was being dumped into the water at the end of their jetty, close to the last pair of mandarinfish - not behaviour that's likely to get me to stay at their resort. Hopefully they've changed their attitude over the last few months. SMART also had big expansion plans while I was there, and were hastily putting up new huts along the long jetty on the SWV side of the island. I imagine many of them are usable now, which should give a house reef for them now. As for the pool at SMART, it's really not very big, so I wouldn't bother factoring that into any equation about staying there. Nice in theory, but the sea is much more inviting, and the diving is what we all go for! Stan > rOn Mon, 07 Mar 2005 02:35:28 GMT, the cup of "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> > overfloweth with the following: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > fantastic time, although it doesn't have the house reef advantage that both > SWV and Borneo Divers have. I didn't think that Borneo Divers had a house reef. I guess one could wander all the way down the pier and haul in there. OTOH, I thought SMART did have a house reef. >Having said that they have carts to carry dive > kit over to the other side of the island which makes it more or less [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > to get me to stay at their resort. Hopefully they've changed their attitude > over the last few months. I'm happy to say I didn't see such behavior. > SMART also had big expansion plans while I was there, and were hastily > putting up new huts along the long jetty on the SWV side of the island. I > imagine many of them are usable now, which should give a house reef for them > now. As for the pool at SMART, it's really not very big, so I wouldn't > bother factoring that into any equation about staying there. Nice in theory, > but the sea is much more inviting, and the diving is what we all go for! :^) Thanks for the info. > Stan > > rOn Mon, 07 Mar 2005 02:35:28 GMT, the cup of "chilly" > <slarson@shaw.canada> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > wander all the way down the pier and haul in there. OTOH, I thought SMART > did have a house reef. When I was there BD didn't have exactly have one as the huts had just opened for business, but they used the reef section at the end of the jetty as such. SMART had one at the end of the long jetty, but wasn't used nearly as frequently as SWV house reef, presumably due to the lack of accomodation on that side at the time. Of course that may have changed a lot now, especially since Sipadan has finally closed, so progress on Mabul is likely to have accelerated. To be honest I can't wait to go back there and see what it's like now, especially as I have a new camera/housing to try out! Stan > I also visited a live aboard dive boat called Celebes Explorer. I'm going > to try it someday as the people were very nice on it. I was onboard for my second time last year and really like the experience. It isn't the best "boat" out on the oceans, but the crew and service make up for of the lack. It has 8 cabins so the most divers aboard will be 16, which is better than the 18 and 20 boat capabilities in many locales. Then the diving is quite good and if you take the week charter (they used to do 10 days trips but stopped) you dive get from Sipadan to Sibuan, weather permitting. Like most liveaboards they provide transfer from Tawau to the Jetty, and unlike some liveaboards are quite willing to change itinerary if the conditions and reports indicate another site would be better diving. I really liked the whole operation. It seemed that the purpose of the trip wasn't just to take people diving, but to give people the best diving and onboard experience possible. I compare the CE to Ocean Rover (which I think is the best liveaboard around) very favorably. It is a sweet operation. I have booked thru Ken Knezick (his outfit is called Islands Dreams) www.divetrip.com and Stephen Frink, www.waterhousetours.com both did a good job for me. Also I have talked to people who booked once they were in-country, apparently the charter cost was much less doing to that way, but the boat has become busy lately and that may be more of a risk now than it used to be. Having stayed on both Sipadan (as you know, no longer possible) and Mabul in the past, my preference and recommendation for anyone heading that way is the Celebes Explorer, though I did think SWV on Mabul was a pretty slick little resort. In any case with the longest charters being but 7 days, there is time afterward to visit some of the land based resorts if more diving is the desire. "Daniel Arrepas" <arrepas.daniel@butler-rosebury.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :I was onboard for my second time last year and really like the experience. :It isn't the best "boat" out on the oceans, but the crew and service make up :for of the lack. What's wrong with it? Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > What's wrong with it? I don't know. You would have to ask the person who stated there was something "wrong with it". "Daniel Arrepas" <arrepas.daniel@butler-rosebury.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Like most liveaboards they provide transfer from Tawau to the Jetty, and :unlike some liveaboards are quite willing to change itinerary if the :conditions and reports indicate another site would be better diving. And which liveaboards are not willing to change their itinerary if conditions suggest that doing so is a good idea? Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > And which liveaboards are not willing to change their itinerary if > conditions suggest that doing so is a good idea? "And which"...what, am I being scolded? It is probably easier to list those who in my experience are willing to go the extra mile (pun intended) than those which are not: Celebes Explorer, Maldivaru, Ocean Rover, Telita, Golden Dawn, Belikiki, Solmar, Kararu. Lammer Law used to be one of these, but has since stopped altering itinerary much. There are lots of boats unwilling to burn extra fuel and tire the crew with longer runs to better diving if the conditions at the scheduled site are not as good as usual. I'm not talking about small changes, but rather significant itinerary changes which really improve the diving ops, if the scheduled stop is weather beaten or for some other reason something less than usual. As always, YMMV "Daniel Arrepas" <arrepas.daniel@butler-rosebury.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :There are lots of boats unwilling to burn extra fuel and tire the crew with :longer runs to better diving if the conditions at the scheduled site are not :as good as usual. I'm not talking about small changes, but rather :significant itinerary changes which really improve the diving ops, if the :scheduled stop is weather beaten or for some other reason something less :than usual. We might be on different wavelengths here. I am assuming that the knowlege of a substandard dive site is gleaned after arriving at it - possibly during the first dive. This being the case, there is another factor to consider - time. The captain has to try to determine whether the passengers would prefer to do another dive or go for a boat ride. Tough call because the boat ride does not guarantee an improvement. My own observations, based on 18 or so liveaboard trips are: 1. The captain monitors the weather and adjusts his planned intinerary accordingly. 2. Available sites are often limited. Depending on location, the limitation might be mooring lines, or what is available on the lee side of the island. I have never had a captain knowingly take us to a bad dive site. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > We might be on different wavelengths here. I am assuming that the > knowlege of a substandard dive site is gleaned after arriving at it - > possibly during the first dive. I would suggest it is a bad captain that doesn't know the locale enough to project what a site might be like based upon the weather he is supposedly monitoring (as well as radio contact with other dive boats, fishing boats, merchant boats and sometimes personal boats. There are some sites that are quite difficult to project...Roca Redonda comes to mind, as does Mergui... so I realize there are exceptions. But in general they should be somewhat aware of the possibility. They should throw it to the passengers the day before what the possibilities are, and if the passengers decide to visit and it is crap, he has done all he could for the given situation. As unpredictable as the ocean is...dives sites are often very predictable in the very short term, if water conditions and weather are monitored and considered in conjunction with local knowledge. I think everybody here at one time or another has had a Captain make that offer sites, over supper. > This being the case, It shouldn't be the case in most circumstances. > there is another factor to consider - time. The > captain has to try to determine whether the passengers would prefer to > do another dive or go for a boat ride. Tough call because the boat > ride does not guarantee an improvement. As I said above...I think it a bad situation when the Captain gives the passengers the choice at the last moment upon arriving at the planned site. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but generally not. > My own observations, based on 18 or so liveaboard trips are: > 1. The captain monitors the weather and adjusts his planned [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > limitation might be mooring lines, or what is available on the lee > side of the island. I wouldn't argue that point. If you hit the Brothers and it is crappy, or there are 9 boats chain-moored, there isn't really any place close enough to make dives that day. But places like this are mostly the exception, rather than the rule. In the more usual cases, if the Captain is on his toes and has the willingness to cruise, he can offer the guests choices before arriving at the site, and leave it in their hands whether or not to continue on or deviate from the planned itinerary. The only thing pertinent to my comment is that most boats are unwilling to make that 2nd choice the best it could be, while some fewer boats are willing to work hard and long enough to offer a truly next best site. > I have never had a captain knowingly take us to a bad dive site. I doubt that is accurate, though I don't doubt you believe it to be true. Dan, if you are happy that the sites and selections the basic itinerary on your 18 trips is the best you could have visited, that is great. In the case of your experience all that matters is if they made you happy with the diving sites they dropped you on. I wouldn't argue your satisfaction with the boats you have been on. My experience in somewhat more liveaboard trips is that compromises are made by most boats on most itineraries because visiting only the best sites, in many cases, burns a lot of fuel and works the crew very hard on the nighttime crossings. So they set up an itinerary that 1) produces the least night sailing distances and 2) offers nearby alternates when the planned site is bad or supposed bad. And that is a far cry from offering the better dive sites a locale can provide. Celebes Explorer is one of the boats I have found very willing to work hard enough that the best sites are the ones they get the boat to. And when the weather is not productive and they know their planned site will be poor, they are equally efficient and willing to move to the next best site, regardless of the distance they may put in during the night, rather than move a little to the next anchorage or mooring line. And that was the gist of my comment in that original post. |
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