Help...Advice for good weekend liveabord from Singapore in May (to Malaysia) needed!

[cnhoff]

Hi guys,

i will be on a business trip to Singapore mid May and would like to make good use of the weekend from 25-28 for a "quick" live aboard to Malaysia.

Can you recommend any decent charters or dive schools for this? What places are worth the money? (Tioman Island etc.)

I was looking at the following e.g.:

Weekend liveaboard on the MV DiveRACE going to Aur / Dayang / Jack Rock.

http://www.waikikitravel.com.sg/Dive_Packages-Weekend_Liveaboard.html

Can anyone comment on those destinations?

Thanks for your help!

Chris

 

[Quero]

Those are typical destinations for weekenders out of Singapore, and that boat is a budget option rather than a luxury one. You'll be okay with them, Chris, but keep your expectations realistic.

Beyond Dive Race, you might also consider a land-based option. Many dive ops in Singapore organize weekly trips to Malaysia. They go overland from Singapore to Malaysia and then to either Tioman or Aur by ferry boat. You can expect a lot of student divers among these trips, but also some fun divers.

 

[Zippsy]

Sadly you will miss the White Manta which is sailing from Kota Kinabalu to Layang Layang at the time. We won't get back to Singapore weekend trips until mid-June.

The Dive Race is available at DiveRACE | Scuba Diving | Padi Diving Course | Diving Equipment | Learn to dive | Trip Booking. There is also the Ark, another budget boat owned by Friendly Waters Friendly Waters Seasports. The MV Seaborne also sails from Singapore (and is even smaller and more of a budget operation than the other two) but I am having trouble finding a working & current website for them. It used to be MV Seaborne .

 

[cnhoff]

Thanks guys, i think i will go with the Dive Race, because it fits my schedule perfectly. I mean for 350 Eur it would be mad to skip a trip like that even if the diving was so-so. At least it is a change from those could water lake dives i am doing here

What about those divesites? What can i expect in comparison to other sites like Sipadan or Bunaken that i have been to?

Chris

 

[frogfish]

What about those divesites? What can i expect in comparison to other sites like Sipadan or Bunaken that i have been to?

Chris

Well Sipadan and Bunaken are world class (or at least can be). Aur and Dayang are definitely not, but can still be pretty good... Jack Rock on a good day is amazing, some joke it was named after Jacques Cousteau

 

[Zippsy]

Opps, just for more completeness, the Mata Ikan also still goes from Singapore too but is often - not always - on charter trips. MV Mata Ikan - Proud Ship of Singapore

...and of course Jacques Rock was named for Jacques Cousteau who once described it as his favorite dive site in the South China Sea. At least that is what I was told. By myself.