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Hello All, I just joined the board. I will probably be going to Singapore on business in October and would like to go diving for a week by myself. As the title says, I am a novice and was just certified in March. I have done 10 dives here in northern CA. My wife and I just got back from a sailboat cruise in Tahiti where I did 7 dives including a night dive. I will do as many dives as I can locally before I go, though I was definitely spoiled by Tahiti.
I have been reading the forums and have looked at Banaken, Sipadan, and Maldives. I don't want muck diving and I am more interested in the coral, fishes, and some big fishes. I would definitely consider a LOB if it is not too pricey. My main concern is the strong currents for my level of diving ability. Also I am looking for a place that has a good dive operation. Thanks.
There are some great liveaboard options in the Maldives and the diving is excellent, especially for rays, reef sharks and whale sharks. There is a new liveaboard called Theia which is one of the more expensive ones, or you can choose cheaper ones like Galileo, where you would be paying around $150.00 per night.
With just a week to play with, I'd say your better options will be those that don't require a lot of travel time. My advice is to go to Tulamben on Bali. It's easily accessed from Singapore and there is excellent, not too challenging diving there. The weather is still good in October, though it is during the low season. Alternatively you could come up to Phuket in Thailand, which is also a staight shot from S'pore. We have quite a lot of dive sites appropriate for newer divers; the drawback is that October can be quite rainy here. Feel free to PM me for more info about either place.
There are some great liveaboard options in the Maldives and the diving is excellent, especially for rays, reef sharks and whale sharks. There is a new liveaboard called Theia which is one of the more expensive ones, or you can choose cheaper ones like Galileo, where you would be paying around $150.00 per night.
I'm sorry, but I would never ever recommend a LOB for a novice diver! In particular not on the Maldives. Neither the novice diver nor the other guest will be happy, because some dive sites will not be dived due to the current, depth or both.
I would rather recommend north Sulawesi (Bunaken/ Gangga/ Bangka, Lembeh if excellent buoyancy) or Bali. It's quite close, without strong currents, resp. can be avoided) and you don't have to dive very deep to see amazing animals.
Oh yes, and not to forget: it's cheaper than a LOB.
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