Best city to live in and dive from?

[vladimir]

I'll go along with you there Vladimir but it needed to be explained. Singapore does have some nice dive shops too. That said, it's been a few years since I've been back. Can't remember the names nor exactly where they are located. Is anyone able to help me with names and locations? I'll be shopping there next week. TIA

My default dive shop is LeisurePro, but I got excellent service and a reasonable price from the shop in Lucky Plaza a couple of weeks ago, when they serviced my Suunto computer. They don't have a lot to offer, in terms of inventory or expertise, but they might be worth a look, depending on your needs.

---------- Post added December 10th, 2013 at 11:13 PM ----------

He's british!

Okay. Since you're British, have you considered the Canary Islands?

 

[Wingy]

Since you are living in Thailand if you want to stay in SEA im not a fan but Bali for a while may be a change of atmosphere for your Girl (she can shop at topshop and the mega malls) and you can still dive til your hearts content. Aus is a good option, be aware that the job market is down at the moment and in West Aus the cost of living is pretty high and securing a working visa can be difficult. I personally dont like diving perth and south but Ningaloo and Rowley Shoals rock and have lovely warm water..but not a lot of job opportunities. Its also 1700km from Perth. GBR may be a more logistically feasible option. Not sure of the job market there.

 

[Doc]

He's british!

The Brits love keeping Canaries. It might work.

 

[Hank49]

San Pedro, Belize. You can wake up, grab your gear and be in the gin clear water in 20 minutes. Also near to the outer atolls if you have a boat. Get a boat. Boats are too cool. Chics dig boats too.

 

[roydude]

Haha, yup, English - but you're right, Canary Islands could be an option (we did live in Barcelona for a couple of years, so I have a little Spanish ... but being typically English when it comes to other languages, it is just a little ).
San Pedro - I'd never have thought of that to be honest and it looks really cool! Definitely worth a visit!
Has anyone lived in Malta? We were looking at that the other day. Seems to be a popular destination for Brits (I think there's a lot of PADI IDC's there).

 

[billt4sf]

Not exactly. The diving off the island of Singapore is pretty poor, in my opinion. But I did just spend a long weekend in Bali, and it was easy and cheap. Singapore has direct flights to Manado (Lembeh, Bunaken), Kota Kinabalu (gateway to Sipadan or Layang-layang), Port Moresby (just a short van ride to Bootless Bay from there), Cairns, etc.

Wow. This sounds like a great idea! How is the cost of living in Singapore? Can Americans get visa for an extended period (not to work)? We might like to move there for a year. Might be really hot & humid though.

Bill

 

[Hank49]

Wow. This sounds like a great idea! How is the cost of living in Singapore? Can Americans get visa for an extended period (not to work)? We might like to move there for a year. Might be really hot & humid though.

Bill

And just north of Singapore on the West Malaysia peninsula is Tioman, Redang and numerous other small islands offshore there. I lived there in 97-98 and the diving was really nice.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Cost of living in Singapore is ridiculous.

 

[HotSakira]

Melbourne,Australia.
Nice city
Great diving

 

[vladimir]

Wow. This sounds like a great idea! How is the cost of living in Singapore? Can Americans get visa for an extended period (not to work)? We might like to move there for a year. Might be really hot & humid though.

Bill

Cost of living in Singapore is ridiculous.

That sums it up pretty nicely.

A 1,000 sq. ft. apartment in town starts at about $4,000 a month. (A bargain by HK standards.) A Toyota Camry will set you back about $140,000. Dining out, consumer items, etc., are all expensive, even by New York City standards. But if you are willing to live in the outskirts (the whole country is only about 30 miles from east to west, so you're never too far from anywhere) without a car (you don't need one—public transportation is cheap and excellent) it's much more manageable.

The visa situation would be easy if you wanted to stay in a hotel. You could just get a series of tourist visas (good for 90 days). But you need a long-term visa to rent an apartment, and there are fairly narrow criteria to qualify. An employment visa might be easier, strangely enough. But there has been some public backlash against the influx of foreigners, so it's not as easy as it used to be.

Yes, it's hot and humid. It's typically between ~84º and 92ºF during the day, with over 90% humidity, but we have been having a nice little cool spell here lately (rainy season). The whole city is air-conditioned.