Diving in Kota Kinabalu - need advice

[t-rocks69]

malaysia islands i personaly like sabah divers. i was cert. by them and on my last trip this past july i dove with them again. ask for neville. great guy from new zealand. le meridian was very nice place to stay. if you need any suggestions of places to eat around town let me know and i will ask my wife. she is a local sino/kadazan and will know the locations and names better then i would.

have fun.
trocks69

 

[malaysia-islands]

I'm back from Kota Kinabalu! Everything went smoothly. Weather was fabulous (I thought November was rainy season? But no!)

Dived with Neville. Nice guy but strongly well-opinioned type of guy (he hates the police, the marine park authority, and even white guys, HAHA). We had great chat while on the dive boat.

The dive? Quite OK, viz about 10m I think, but it did get reduced at some parts due to the sandy bottoms. Highlight? Not much fish, but GIANT gorgonian sea fans that really thrilled me.

Le Meridien was good, extra large bedroom, just a few small things to complain here and there. Shangri-la Tanjung Aru was a let down, especially when they put you in a room next to the current renovation work (and the pre-renovated rooms are just not up to Shangri-la standard for me). Gayana was fabulous, can easily mistaken it for a floating resort in Tahiti

Photos coming soon. My bags unpacked yet!

 

[t-rocks69]

glad you had fun. yea neville is very straight forward in his views. i think thats why i get along so well with him. people like him you always know where you stand. about the fish i wish there was more also but i think the locals (phillipino's) have fished where they shouldn't have. and most of the marine park rangers are a joke. they just collect a pay check. i have actually seen them watch a person fishing in the park area and not do anything about it. seemed to much of an effort for them to stop the man from fishing so they just turned around and went to a differrent part of the island we were on.

please show the photos would like to see them.

 

[malaysia-islands]

Haha, I don't think they are Filipinos anymore, they've been living here since the day of yore. More aptly, they are locals. I have mixed feeling about that, because fishing and fish-bombing has been their practice for a while, well before coral preservation by establishing the marine parks. I guess that's why the nearby islands such as Pulau Sepagar, which may seemed very close to Pulau Gaya, is not under the jurisdiction of TAR Marine Park.

The RM20 fee for dive is quite a slap in the face. If you are a foreigner, RM50 per day. Honestly, quite expensive. Will drive the tourists away.

I've finished editing and resizing my u/water photos from Sulug West and Gaya's Hanging Garden. I just need to put them together before publishing it.

 

[t-rocks69]

sorry to say the phillipino illegals are still coming in and in larger numbers then when i was ther in 2004 for my wedding. i have seen a huge differance in KK in 2 years and not always for the better. the really sad thing about the illegals is they mostly are not the good honest working phillipino's i meet when i was in manila in 1997. most of the ones in KK are crooks or thief's and my inlaws tell me there not getting any better.

well enough of the political stuff lets see some cool fans

 

[ricjohnson]

Hi
Yes Neville is OK..a likeable loon...I ended up messing around trying to get washed up tyres off the beach and onto areas where they were creating artificial reef. But agree TAR diving not the best....of, course I was on my way to Mabul and Sipadan last year via TAR...so tricky competition. Diving Mabul and Sipadan again...not sure about TAR...might if spare days but probably try another destination if time.
Don't forget flights can reduce the number of dive days AND I believe that road trips go up high so must consider this too when travelling!? I thought I could travel overnight last yeaR VIA bus and same a days diving but altitude considerations blew this out.
Peggt at travel desk at Sabah is very helpful and last year found me a good deal with Borneo Divers at Mabul.. Liked them...excellent setup...probably visit them again this year. Cheers

 

[malaysia-islands]

I recalled when I dived in Menjangan by land-based transfer from Sanur, the dive operator avoided the central highlands of Bali during our return trip. I estimate the max elevation through that route could not be more than 1,000 metres above sea level.

If you are taking the bus from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan/Tawau/Semporna, you will pass by the highest roadside point around Kundasang at about 1,600 metre altitude.

 

[malaysia-islands]

I haven't uploaded the dive photos yet. But these are the resorts that I stayed at throughout my visit to Kota Kinabalu in November 2006. Seemed like I went trigger happy with the photos, LOL.

Le Meridien: http://www.malaysiahotelreview.com/sabah/hotel/le-meridien.shtml
The newest hotel. Quite OK when it comes to design. My Deluxe Side Sea View room was spacious. Did I mention the 27" LCD TV?

Shangri-la Tg Aru: http://www.malaysiahotelreview.com/sabah/hotel/shangri-la-tg-aru.shtml
Somewhat an old resort. In fact, undergoing renovation now. They put me right neighbouring the renovation work. Disappointing Kinabalu Wing room (that's why they are renovating I guess). Great pool and man-made beach area. You can easily see hundreds of people sunbathing at the resort

Gayana Resort: http://www.malaysiahotelreview.com/sabah/hotel/gayana-resort.shtml
Floating resort by the bay in Gaya Island. Great resort concept overall. All rooms are built above water. Crystal-clear beach. Average room but extra nice sea-facing balcony. The food was acceptable and expensive.

And these resorts were from a few months ago...

Magellan Sutera: http://www.malaysiahotelreview.com/sabah/hotel/magellan-sutera.shtml
I really loved the hotel architecture. Very tropical-cum-Mediterranean. Superb pool and crystal-clear man-made beach. The room wasn't bad either. Really happy to stay here again.

Pacific Sutera: http://www.malaysiahotelreview.com/sabah/hotel/pacific-sutera.shtml
More like a hotel than a resort. A lot of conference makers stay here. Very disappointing and tired-looking room. Great view of the marina. Otherwise, the swimming pool and beach area were awesome!