Just arrived in Sing... where do I dive?

[alwayssummer]

Hi folks. I just flew into Singapore yesterday morning and I'm ready to dive. I could really use some info on what's good this time of year. I will be here until the second week in May. I would like to spend as much time under water as possible, but also keep my budget on the smallish side, if possible. Where should I go, and what should I expect to pay? Thanks!

 

[Searcaigh]

The nearest decent diving is probably in Malaysia

 

[Quero]

You should post on the scubasg web discussion board as well as here. There may be locally-organized trips/groups you can join. Tell them Quero sent you :blinking:

 

[Zippsy]

If you are working weekdays here and only have weekends, every dive shop in town organizes regular Friday night to Sunday night trips to Tioman or Aur / Dayang, off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. LOBs leaving from Singapore are more expensive but less hectic. The other option of bussing up to Mersing and getting a ferry across will certainly save money.

If you do not need to stay in Singapore during the weekdays, head up to Perhentian, Tioman, Redang or down to Bali - if possible - for better diving.

 

[rails]

Hi alwayssummer,

I'm here in SG and just recently took my AOWD with scubapeople. You may contact them via email. here is their website.
ScubaPeople » Scuba Diving Singapore | Scuba Singapore | Dive Center Singapore | PADI Dive Centre Singapore

They offer trips in Tioman/Sibu/Aur/Redang. I've already joined their trip in Tioman and Sibu. I will be joining them again on May 24-26 (long weekend, vesak holiday).

Their pricing depends on the location, check their "trips" page for pricing and schedule. The price for Aur/Sibu/Tioman already includes transportation, accomodation, and equipments.

So far I have a great time with them.

I hope I was able to help you.

regards,

Rails

 

[alwayssummer]

Hey Quero, thanks for the advice. Those folks were quite helpful.

I looked at the LOB option and everything seems to run $500-$750 for the weekend leaving here and that's a little steep. Then I looked at trying to get to Tioman by land/sea and my coworkers told me when all is said and done I will most likely be on the island for less than 24hrs. Meh.

Is there a better way?

 

[Quero]

Try contacting local dive operators. They take a mini bus (and sometimes a big bus) to Mersing and then the ferry Tioman pretty much every weekend in season. They depart on Friday after work, get to the island for Saturday and Sunday diving, and then go back to Singapore Sunday evening. No idea what the going rate is, but they're all in competition, so I wouldn't expect huge variations from one shop to the next. Go back to the scubasg forum again to get info on Singapore dive ops.

 

[Zippsy]

I sure hope you are going to ADEX this weekend as there are MANY Singapore shops there offering their weekend trips. The overland trips are between $300 - $500 including transport, meals, accommodation and 6 dives. LOBs are more expensive because of the fuel, boat and crew costs. IMHO, LOBs are worth the difference because when you do a weekend on one of those better ones, come Monday morning, you feel like you just had a holiday. For the overland trips, come Monday, you feel like you NEED a holiday. That said, if I was young, with a tight budget and didn't need to operate on Monday at 100%, I'd save the cash and go more often.

 

[diverjed]

Is there any local Singapore diving for just one weekend day (Saturday)? That's all I have

 

[Quero]

There's Pulau Hantu, Jed. It's not especially pleasant with generally poor visibility, but there are things to see if you've got the right mindset. Check with local Singapore operators to ask about guided dives there. Here's one example, but other shops also do this. Next time you get over this way, budget some time to come up to Phuket. It's a short flight (a little over an hour) and we've got some really good diving in comparison with what you're used to at home in Lake Norman, LOL.