Scuba Diving Malaysia Sipadan Mabul and Borneo resort travel package


 

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  Scuba Diving in Malaysia Sipadan Borneo Islands

 

Mabul Resort Scuba Diving


 


Sipadan is no discovery, it's been around for a while now, but the real discovery is the diving around Mabul itself, home to the world's best "muck diving". "Muck diving" is an expression that was coined in PNG to describe the diving to be had under a liveboard boat while it is on safe anchor for the night. Usually a protected inlet somewhere, the water underneath the boat is shallow and the bottom is either silt, sand, dead coral or clumps of dirty coral on a silty bottom. The visibility is almost always limited.

 

Although you can still walk around the entire island in less than an hour, Mabul is considerably larger than Sipadan, and boasts two resorts and a large village, mainly home to fisherman and employees (and their families) of the two resorts.
Sipadan and Mabul couldn't be more different. While the interior of Sipadan is untouched tropical forest, Mabul is predominantly made up of actively producing coconut trees. Practically every tree on the island is numbered and is associated with a distinct individual who cares for the tree and harvests the coconuts.
The Smart Divers resort is nestled in a coconut grove on the south-east side of the island overlooking the water and near-by Sipadan Island. It consists of 40 wooden duplex chalets with each room featuring two oversized single beds, a couch, shelves, ceiling fan, flyscreened windows, air-conditioning, a private en-suite offering free-flowing hot and cold fresh water and a front verandah.


The public buildings include a main house which is an open air pavilion where meals are taken, an air-conditioned lounge, called The Deco, set aside for watching videos, and a huge lock-up airing shed for storing your equipment each evening.

 


Start your day with a buffet breakfast which usually consists of fruit, cereal, toast, tea, coffee, eggs, possibly porridge and some sort of noodle dish. A large whiteboard lists divemaster and guests assigned to each boat. A quick squiz at the whitebaord will tell you the dives scheduled for your boat that day giving you an idea of what to expect and what lens to assemble on your camera.
After breakfast, mosey down to the dive shed. Scattered in front of the shed are little leaf umbrella structures, numbered to correspond with boats. Full tanks will be waiting for you. Simply assemble your gear under the umbrella reserved for your dive boat and ensure everything gets loaded onto the tractor which services the boats. After that, you never touch your dive gear again during the day since the staff switch tanks for you between dives.

In the evening, the tractor brings your equipment back to the dive shed where you disassemble, wash and hang everything to dry in a securely locked airing shed. At Smart Divers Resort, you NEVER carry a heavy tank, not even a few meters.
Each boat has a permanent driver and deck hand. If you are working with heavy camera equipment or multiple systems, it's worthwhile getting to know your driver and deckhand. They are happy to carry your cameras to and from the boat for you. All you have to do is ask once. After that, it's automatic everyday. I simply left mine on the front verandah when they were ready to go and then forgot about them. My eagle-eyed deck hand was always lurking about and before I knew it, they were whisked away to be stowed in padded, shady comfort on the boat. For this extra service, you might want to tip the boat driver and deck hand a little bit on the side or give them a souvenir from Australia such as a t-shirt, hat or pinch koala.

 


 
If you're diving around Sipadan, then you're out for the whole day, but if you're diving around Mabul, then you will be coming back to the resort between each dive allowing you the opportunity to have a quick shower, change film, take a nap or lounge around the main house sipping cool drinks.
Evenings are recovery time. Lounge in the beachfront deck chairs until the last light has disappeared and then mosey up to the main house in anticipation of a great buffet meal which usually features a mixture of Asian and western dishes.

After dinner, you can do a night dive, chat with new friends, browse the library to determine how many new animals you saw that day, watch a video or retire early with a good book. At least once in your visit, grab a torch and a few other people and walk around the island on the beach. Look carefully in the scrub where the beach meets the brush for kraits, or black and white sea snakes, which come ashore in the evening to hunt for small reptiles and rodents. Creepy!

 
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Add 50% on top of the above prices for single occupancy of a 2-bed chalet. This must be booked in advance.

DIVE PACKAGE INCLUSIVE OF
  • All airport-hotel-airport transfers within Kota Kinabalu on arrival and departures days
  • Domestic Airfare BKI/TWU/BKI (Kota Kinabalu-Tawau-Kota Kinabalu)
  • Transfers between : Tawau - Mabul Resort - Tawau by van and speedboat
  • Chalet type accommodation on twin-sharing basis with attached bathroom and hot shower facilities and the comfort of air-conditioning (to request the new detached/stand alone one room chalets, please add RM50.00 (US$14.00) surcharge per person/per night on top of the package price)
  • All food and beverage while at the resort (excluding alcohol, juice and/or carbonated soft drinks)
  • 3 combination boat dives per day with divemaster on Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai Island
  • Unlimited beach diving on Mabul Island
  • Use of tanks with air, weights and weight belt

FACILITIES
Resort: Sipadan-Mabul Resort is located at the southern tip of Pulau Mabul overlooking Sipadan.
Accommodation is made from native materials of Borneo on Twin Share Basis, unless the Single Supplement is paid. We have 45 beach chalets and 22 are stand alone chalets which could accommodate 90 guests at any one time. All the chalets have attached toilet with hot shower facilities and the comfort of air-conditioning which is available for 24 hours. Electrical outlet is 220 Volt AC.

A vinyl swimming pool measuring 41 ft X 21 ft with a 6 ft deep end. A glass bottom boat 12 ft long, excellent for non-divers, who can enjoy the beauty of underwater marine life. A large dining hall/bar area is used for meals, socializing, dancing and staff shows. Coconut drink, carbonated soft drinks, beer and wine can be purchased at the bar. A small sundry shop sell a range of T-Shirts, films, batteries, toiletries, souvenirs etc. An office takes care of the registration and billing; it is equipped with a Mobile Telephone/Fax for communications with the mainland. Our 90-member staff awaits to make your dive holiday safe, easy and fun.

WHAT TO BRING
  • Personal Dive Equipment or Fishing Gear
  • Personal Items and Tropical Beach Wear
  • Insect Repellent
  • Torches

CONDITIONS FOR DIVING

  • All divers must produce proof of certification by an internationally recognized Diving Agency upon arrival before participates in any diving activity. Divers who have not dived in the last 12 months or if they exhibit uncertainly in their skills may be required, at the sole discretion of SMART to do a Scuba Refresher Course.
  • All guests will be required to sign a "Liability Release (Waiver)" and "Express Assumption of Risk" form upon arrival. No diving or snorkelling activities will be permitted until the above said form is signed and witnessed.

 

Fly Malaysia Airlines from your hometown to Tawau via Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur. Plan one night's accommodation in Kota Kinabalu on your inbound journey. You will be met in Tawau by SMART Divers Resort who bus you to Semporna (1.5 to 2 hours). From there a speed boat zips you out to the island (another 45 minutes).
TRANSFERRING FLIGHTS IN KUALA LUMPUR:

     The Kuala Lumpur airport is one of the best organized in the world. If traveling straight through, you should be issued with boarding passes from where you are, one to Kuala Lumpur and one for the next flight to Kota Kinabalu. Make sure your luggage is checked all the way to Kota Kinabalu (BKI).

    On arrival in Kuala Lumpur, change some money in the international terminal. You will go through immigration there; a shuttle bus takes you to the domestic terminal. It's a long walk so you might want to invest in a collapsible trolley. On your return trip, check in at Tawau, making sure your luggage is checked all the way to your final destination. Arriving at the domestic terminal in Kuala Lumpur a shuttle bus will take you to the International Terminal (Terminal #1) where you complete outgoing immigration formalities.

LENGTH OF VISIT: Most divers are happy with five or six days of diving around Sipadan Mabul/Kapalai Islands.

ACCOMMODATION: 40 wooden duplex chalets (22 are stand alone chalet), each with private en-suites, hot and cold running water, fly screens, ceiling fans and air-conditioning.

FRESH WATER: There's plenty of fresh water and no restrictions for its use. A huge freshwater bin is available for cameras and several rinse bins for dive gear.

CLIMATE: Equatorial with fairly uniform temperatures ranging from 32°C during the day to 22°C at night. Humidity is high (85-95%).

CLOTHING: Very casual. Light cotton clothing, t-shirts and shorts. There are no dress restrictions on the island.

CURRENCY: The Malaysian Ringgit (RM). At the time of publication: US$1.00 = RM 3.70.

HEALTH: While still listed as a malaria-infected country, most literature states that malaria has been widely eradicated from many parts of Malaysia. Discuss your needs with an experienced travel doctor. Warning: divers should never take Lariam because of common side-effects including nausea and vertigo. Discuss alternatives with your doctor. Mosquitos are not a big problem on Mabul and the rooms have fly screens. Sand files are not a problem on Mabul, too.

ELECTRICITY: 220v, 50 cycles using a plug with three rectangular prongs similar to British plugs. Power 24 hours a day.

TIME ZONE: Mabul is 8 hours ahead of GMT.

SHOPPING: SMART Divers Resort has a small boutique offering t-shirts, sunscreen and postcards. They also have batteries and a limited selection of film, but it's best to bring your own. They also have a selection of large coffee table books which are significantly cheaper than at the airport.

CREDIT CARDS: VISA, Mastercard and American Express accepted.

TIPPING: Tipping is usually discouraged in Malaysia because a service tax is automatically added to most restaurant and hotel bills, but once you've experienced the great service at SMART Divers Resort, you'll want to leave something to show your appreciation. If you were happy with the service, then US$5.00 per guest per day would be appropriate. All tips should be placed in the box at reception to be divided equally among all staff. This ensures everyone involved gets something, not just the most visible personnel.

DIVING: Three boat dives a day, unlimited beach diving on Mabul Island. Water temperatures range from 26°C-31°C. Thermoclines exist, especially on Sipadan, and divers should be prepared with a range of protection. As a minimum, pack a woolly-lined lycra suit and possibly a 3mm one-piece neoprene suit. Visibility averages 15 to 30+ metres around Sipadan and is extremely variable; without warning it can drop to three to six metres. Around Mabul it sometimes no more than 6-7 metres, especially if someone has kicked up the silt.

 

Amr Nour Consulting Co,. Pte Ltd
20 Cecil Street, #14-01 Equity Plaza, Singapore 049705
Tel:+66898715124   E-Mail : info@amrnour.com
 
 

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