Any ideas for Diving from a Singapore base?

[dtbriten]

Hey.. I have scheduled an 11 day trip on Peter Hughes for No Sulawesi in mid-April 2009. Staying with a friend in Singapore before and after and because the trip is so long from the states would like to do another liveaboard or land based (prefer liveaboard) to back up with the No Sulawesi trip. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Cabbie]

The White / Black Manta may be back in Singapore in April. they do weekend liveaboards out of Singapore to Tioman / Seven Skies / Anambas Island. Check out Welcome to Whitemanta.com.

 

[dtbriten]

Thanks for the tip. Do you , by any chance, know of any liveaboards you would recommend in the Andaman Sea?

 

[Cabbie]

White Manta does 3-5 day trips (before coming to Singapore for our "season"!) - it is Thai owned/registered. Leaves from Phuket, I think. Other than that I don't have personal recommendation but would say do your research as I've heard some not very good things about some boats / operators !!!

 

[BobHaze101]

I get to Singapore once a year on business for a week, and in '07 and again a couple of weeks ago I dove with White Manta. Can't say enough good things about the quality of the boat, dive operation, dive spots...even the food! They operate out of Thailand for the monsoon season, and I expect the dates they leave & return are weather dependent. I know in '07 White Manta returned to Singapore on March 30 and I went on a trip with them that weekend. It may be a bit more expensive than the coach and ferry/"speed boat," but if you have the $$ it's definitely more restful and both the diving and companionship are really great.

 

[frogfish]

You can also go to plenty of other places from Singapore if you have a bit of time - One obvious destination would be Sipadan.

Otherwise yes Black Manta (the more luxurious boat of the White Manta operation) is a great choice, both for trips out of Singapore but also for the Andaman sea

 

[Live_in_Sin]

Black & White Manta, both are great for the price. Mid April, they should be back in Singapore. April is great time for diving east coast of Malaysia(Tioman / Aur). another option for LOB in April is tubbataha reef or Maldives. 4 hours from Singapore.

 

[vladimir]

It's been a while since I lived in Singapore, so my experience is pretty dated. There are a lot of places to consider though. As much as I love liveaboards, after 11 days on Peter Hughes one of the islets in the area would look pretty appealing to me. Sipadan used to be my first choice--when you could stay on the island. The Sangalaki--Derawan--Kakaban combo, also off Borneo, was also good. Terengganu, up Peninsular Malaysia's east coast, is worth looking at as well. Layang-layang is (used to be?) good for a short stay. Does Peter Hughes disembark on Bali? I'd be tempted to stay (or go) there for a week. Bali has a nice variety of diving available. As indicated above, the Andaman Sea is out of season in April, I think, so plan on diving east of the Malaysian/Thai peninsula.