Malaysian Diving - a few general questions

[Pitchblack70]

...so, we're considering planning a trip to Kuala Lumpur next year, and fit in some diving of course!

RE: the gear we'll need, wanted to know what type of exposure suit would be necessary, and how much add'l gear to bring vs. rent on site? (Tanks, vs regs, etc.)

Thanks in advance for any information! :blinking:

 

[UnderwaterAsia]

Malaysian waters are warm and tropical. Generally, a 3mm wetsuit is absolutely fine. If you are planning on buying wetsuit, you want it to be useful for more than one trip though. If you always plan to dive in warm tropical waters, then a 3mm is fine. If you think you may dive anywhere slightly cooler (say 26/7 degrees celcius or lower) then a 5mm may be better.

You will almost certainly be able to rent all your equipment, including a wetsuit, if you so wish - although I would check that in advance with the dive centre(s) you plan to dive with. It is also very possible to take all your gear (excluding a tank, which will definitely be supplied for you) with you, but you may have to be a little ruthless on other things you pack to avoid hefty luggage charges (especialy with Air Asia - the biggest budget airline in Malaysia).

A third good option would be to take a wetsuit, mask and fins and rent a BCD and regulator. This way, you would not have too much weight to carry around, but would not have to fork out to rent a full set of kit every time you go diving.

Hope that's helpful. If you need any more help planning your trip, let us know.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi Pitchblack,

Fitting in some dives when in Malaysia? Sounds like you might be thinking about diving in Peninisular Malaysia - Tioman or somewhere like that.....It is OK there. However it is not world-class. it is favoured by KL and Singapore folk who want a few cheap days of getting wet.

If that is all you are interested in then that is fine. However I see you are from NY and coming a long way. You might be disappointed if you think that the mainland of Malaysia is going to offer awesome tropical diving.

I would recommend you think about a short flight from KL to either Sabah, Malaysian Borneo where you can dive the world-famous Sipadan or nip up to Phuket for a couple of daytrips or a short Similans liveaboard.

Then you will get to do the kind of diving that will live long in the memory. It seems a waste to come all that way and then settle for OK diving instead of making a little effort and having a great time.

There are lots of cheap flights around with Air Asia so don't think the flights themselves will be prohibitively expensive. Of course the diving packages will be more than KL weekenders expect to pay, but the quality will be several times higher.

Hope that helps

 

[Zippsy]

Good answers Phil and OTS. One other thing to mention is that the best recommendation for diving will also depend on the time of you that the OP is here. The monsoons may rule out some places or at least make them less desirable.

 

[Bronson]

I used to Live in NY and now in Singapore. I dive often at Tioman but agree with above that there are many better places within a short hop from KL. Your decision depends on the time of year you will want to dive (the monsoons blow out many Malaysia areas late Nov till Early March) Let us know when and how much time you have so we can better advise you.

As for travel, do plan to come light. You can rent most things but if you have them bring your mask, fins, snorkel, BCD, reg and wetsuite. You may be fine in a 3mm wetsuite.

i did just what you are thinking on my 1st business trip to KL from NYC. I went to Sipadan/Mabul for a week and had a blast. On my 2nd trip i went to LayangLayang and on the 3rd trip i stayed in the area (SIngapore now).

 

[gee13]

If I were to spend time around Malaysia and surrounding countries for dive opportunities, I would make a short hop to Bali and dive Lembongan, Penida, then ferry across to Lombok dive the Gilis, take a short hop flight to Manado dive Bunaken and Lembeh, then back to via KL and off to Sipadan for the icing on the cake. You would have dived some of the worlds top spots without having to spend time travelling too far. Once you do this world class diving, Tioman and Redang would seem like a fish tank rather than true ocean.

 

[Maxiney]

Hi -- We're thinking of going to Layang Layang. Can you tell us about the diving there? maxinebaker@verizon.net. Thanks. Maxine