clammy

hmmm... not a very useful pol is it?? well, i for one will love to dive more often MINUS the long custom queue at JB and Singapore customs while hauling all that dive gear.... Sometimes feel like doing back to back trips but the tot of going to the customs really put me off...

As above! Did i miss any out?? Other popular destinations like Redang is left out as its intended to be a weekend dive getaway poll. Or can anyone correct me on this one? (possible to do a weekend redang trip? how?) Thought we can start this thread so reefers can compare and perhaps find out the pros and cons of each destination: Safety, Costs, travelling time, non-divers, children friendly, good/bad service, logistics, customs.. etc etc.. Perhaps a good avenue to bitch about what type of service we want from operators/facilities??

at least u still have abank account to tok about...

coralss?? nah... the corals in maldives not that fantastic also.. only the soft corals dendronepthyia at blue caves are spectacular... You want nice corals?? try CEBU phillipines... their reefs are cover with white pumping xenia, all sorts of hard corals, and many nice varieties. Somemore the locals dont take care of their beautiful waters themselves.. so might as well take some.. haha Can actually hear bombing of fishes elsewhere when we are underwater at a supposedly protected site! hmmm.. yah.. must visit maldives again... but still got so many target edstinations to go thru... fiji, hawaii, mauritious, palau, yap, tahiti, PNG... and the list goes on...

hammerhead, mind sharing details for your tioman trip without all the logistical nightmare and cheaper too?? Take ferry from Singapore?? tot that would add up the cost.... Share share leh.. think quite a lot of people will be interested. Maybe can start new link..

my head says portugal but my heart says italy.. Bo bian... old men like me still stuck in the good old days where italian soccer was tops..

yah... can you stop reminding me?! well, once work starts, like kelstorm.. its hard to get leave when one is a newbie in the company... so worrying aside, might as well make the best of one's free time and spend some quality time with love ones underwater? Dat said.. perhaps i' spending so much time diving that im not actually trying that hard to look for a job yet??!! oki oki.. got to convince my honey... one more dive trip.. just one more??!!! Guess that's wat happens when one is lure too far into the "wet" side...

I'm under the currently very "popular" demographic of: Job-burn-out, give boss the sack, using limited savings, armed with "wat the heck" attitude, to live life to the fullest. Envious heh! Feel free to join me.. its whether one "kan de kai" or not... Heck.. maybe its just my mid-life-crisis...

actually planning to go with frens this weekend for a very short trip. Havnt confirm tho. Will update i fthe trip is confirmed.

bad reputation dat surround the resort? wats wrond with the resort there? i prefer them to tioman etc as its so laid back, and kampong, without compromising too much on comfort. guess if i have to "pick bones from egg", my only complaint will be the communal toilets.. so hammerhead, where do you normally do your diving? no 3-4 hour boat rides= you dont dive at tioman, aur, dayang? Hmm.. will like to try out different type of diving for weekend dive trips without all the logistical hassle.. (3-4hour boat rides, long Q's at customs etc)

wow! U actually went for the submarine ride!! Quite expensive wo.. dats why i didnt go. So did you actually descend to 40 meters? Oh! did you go for the seaplane ride? was so tempted to go as it provide great phototaking opportunities of the islands and atolls.. That's one of the downside of taking SQ as both flights(to & fro) are at night, and thus no chance to appreciate maldives beauty from above... bo bian, i have to be contented with underwater pics..

hilarious! A must watch for dog lovers..

mind letting us know what size BC you are looking at to help us keep a look out for you?

Guess dives range from operators to operators. For me, certified divers $350 inclusive of all food and drinks, transport, 5-6 dives, and a restaurant dinner at mersing on the journey back home. Not so sure for non divers.. but i think around $180..

My guess is that by starting a new thread titled something like : Good money offered for reasonably new, good condition, 2nd hand BCDs, size (xxs-xxl) etc, should have at least a couple of genuine sellers? I'm sure considering how expensive reefing and diving is, there will be a lot of reefers who will be willing to trade some unused BCDs for a nice sps frag etc.

So cheap ah? Got any hidden cost not?? But then again, if in the 8days there, you do 5 days of diving... which is not inclusive of the package... think will cost significantly more too.. Why dont you go for the Hilton package? sure seems like a good deal to me. And do post pics for us to salivate after your holiday.

I think what hammerhead mean is free-diving or skin-diving. As a lot of us actually dive underwater while snorkelling, our dive profile will be affected. Especially when we dive deeper than say 3 meters which is fairly common when we want to investigate some nice corals or reefs. Its recommended that we stay on the surface while snorkelling between dives, or at least get adequate interval time after snorkelling. Any experts can help regarding this issue?

hmmm... am using jacket style myself, but am really tempted to get the back inflated types. Very slim profile, flexible use, and apparently better balance and control, and no weight belts needed. But then little or no pockets (this is a big plus to me), its heavier(baggage constraint?) If you are looking at cheaper ones, why dont go for 2nd hand ones? know of a few frens that are constantly "changing " N "upgrading" their gear. think this is quite a common thing in diving. So, if you ask around, should be able to get a decent BCD at a reasonable price off frens.

Just recieved this pic of my dear and meself from fellow diver Mr Ueda Yoshi. My guess is this pic is taken of us after he spotted the manta ray, and finally got our attention by screaming into his regulator.

627per nite??!! is maldives more expensive then mauritius? tot mauritius further away wo..

wow... looks like Redang is a must go... didnt u get to see the usual "boring" stuff like schools of trevally, barracuda, turtles, etc? Any idea when is the time to visit redang with a chance to spot whale sharks? Do try and post some pics.. no need babes etc, perhaps a nice pic of the resort and the beautiful beaches?

congrats! you will be having lots of fun in the pool.

NTU?? Where did you get the idea? haha. Nah.. most of us if not all are working adults.. Seldom get to see students in our dive group.. Only those who come with their parents and are fortunate enuff to learn diving at a tender age.

haha.. just trying to blur the faces enuff so they wont be recognised.

there are actually quite a number of lobsters! didnt had time to take pics of them tho. The students were Qing to have a look at them. Think the dive site named lobster bay. They were quite shallow at around 8-12 meters depth.