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You can dive in Phuket - fly to/from Penang with Firefly. If you had an extra day,do a liveaboard in the Similan islands - best diving along that entire coast.

Musandam. Much much better. I used to live in UAE and it was my weekend diving. I always went with seven seas divers. Go on one if the weekend dhow trips from dibba to get up to the tip of Musandam. You may also want t consider khasab - more wild but great diving. Extra divers have a dive...

I blogged about my trip to Borneo last year, including Sipadan, rainforest/lbased tours and climbing Mount Kinabalu. Lahad Datu is a good option for non divers. It's amazing up there. Also kinabatangan river for a greater variety of primates and bird life Crocodile rocks the river – Borneo...

I've been to both and I have to admit I preferred Lembeh, although Ambon does, as OP says, have some great stuff and is less crowded. I also stayed at Maluku divers which operate at a high standard. I then joined a live-aboard (Amira) from Ambon and did the itinerary up to raja ampat - which is...

Your husband should definitely get certified before a liveaboard. If you have time, you could go to Koh Phi Phi where he could do his referral dives thenbuild up his confidence before joining the boat. Similan Islands diving is great and he wouldn't get the best of it if he is a complete newbie...

You can definitely dive Verde island from either Anilo or PG - it's closer to PG though, so I'd recommend you plan to dive there when in PG. I doubt the drop off at PG option is workable - it's quite a distance. Contact Gavin at Badladz in PG. He'll keep you right, but Badladz is a budget...

I am no expert but have researched this in the past. For Indonesia, you will prob want a Limited stay period visa, valid up to 12 months, but would need to be multiple entry if you are travelling out of country. If you are over 50, you can get a retirement visa in Thailand with a certain...

Hi - I was in Sipadan last year. Stayed at Borneo Divers - the original operators that first set up on Sipadan. Nowadays there are many. My trip report is here: Fish soup for breakfast – sampling Sipadans’ diving feast | Bags of Adventure

Hi - I went to Zanzibar a couple of years ago. Stayed at the Doubletrees resort at Nungwi - in the North of the island. It was a 5 minute walk along the beach to the dive centre which was great. I blogged about it here - it will give you a good idea of the place and the diving Nungwi...

Sent you PM.

thanks for your comments. Muck diving is diving in the sand or areas that are generally not so pretty but provide a habitat for some of the lesser seen species. Many dismiss muck diving as it isn't so pretty as reefs etc, but you can see some incredible marine life. I have blogged about muck...

Thank you very much for your comments on my Sipadan report. Sorry about your stick. With regard to Andaman Islands liveaboards, they only run Jan - March and there is now one boat permenanly at Port Blair - the Infiniti. Around Havelock Islands are some nice sites for sure. The best sites in...

All these comments and guidance is spot on. If you like muck diving, as well as Lembeh Straits, go to Ambon. Raja Ampat is vast and there are two distinct areas to explore - North for the big stuff, and South for macro - it is pgymy seahorse lovers idea of heaven. Komodo is also great - the...

I'm glad you made it to Sipadan too. I went to Mabul last year - it had long been on my bucket list and rate it very highly - my trip report is here for anyone interested (plus other stuff I did in wonderful Borneo) Fish soup for breakfast – sampling Sipadans’ diving feast | Bags...

I know this thread is a bit old, but if are others are looking/researching, I dived in Sallalah 2012 when I lived in Oman. The only operator at the time was Extra Divers, who had a very new and well resourced dive centre in the grounds of the Marriott at Mirbat. It was a very nice break and...

I have been in AD 4 years and I havent come across any regular diving clubs other than the Club. Plenty informal groups of divers that come and go, as expats do, and a couple of dive operators that have a loyal following. the wrecks off AD and in Musandam are not that brilliant dives anyway...

Hi Johanna - I have dived regulalry at the Damaniyats for 3 years - it really is the best weekend diving if you are UAE based. The only minor snag is sometimes the viz can be cruddy, but you will still see lots os great stuff. The Aquarium is by far the best site but the current can be raging...

Hi - Muscat and the surrounding area is pretty much the best diving in the gulf region - especially the Damaniyat islands. Ok for your q's: 1. viz will vary between 5/8m and 15m. temperature will be around 23/24. 5mm full length 2. Oman Dive Centre is the biggest and msot established -...

Hi - looking to go to Djibouti early December to do day boat diving or liveaboard. Whalesharks/reefs etc. Any recommends? I can do full package (will do own flights) or tailor make arrange for myself and my buddy. Just need some first hand experience of sites and operators. Thanks.

Thank you so much for everyone's replies! I knew it will be winter, but hints of rougher seas and cooler temps I think will need a bit more research. I live in the Middle East and have become a total warm water wossie, although I have dived in Scotland and the pacific North West. all your...