Do Not Dive With Sangalaki Dive Lodge

[diver69]

Received unconfirmed information from a source in Malaysia that the "portion" of Sangalaki Dive Lodge that was sold is from the Indonesian partner. That is, the Hollands are still part owners (majority, I assume) of SDL.

I'll try to get more information and will try to confirm the info and will share.

Diver69

 

[Rachelle]

Hello diver69, can i PM you? I'm a divemaster and wanted to bring a group in Sangalaki. Need infos on where to stay (definitely not in SDL!) and the best time to go there. Thanks...

 

[chip104]

rachelle, after reading 69s epic adventure, I hope you have better luck than him! hehehe

this place is slap bang in the middle of the coral triangle...what a waste of an op...

 

[diver69]

Hello diver69, can i PM you? I'm a divemaster and wanted to bring a group in Sangalaki. Need infos on where to stay (definitely not in SDL!) and the best time to go there. Thanks...

Hi Rachelle,

Of course you can pm me. I'm not sure if I will be able to offer too much info as I never made it to Sangalaki.

But pm me and we can discuss further - I do have a little more unconfirmed info that I would rather not post here becasue it is unconfirmed.

Diver69

 

[chooitan]

This will be very interesting. Over the years i have heard 1st party accounts of the steadily deteriorating conditions of Sangalaki Dive Lodge. Now is a good time for them to make their statement.
Is this slow decline due to the owners losing interest in the resort? Is it mismanagement or is it maybe that being the only resort on Sangalaki has bred indifference?
I have sent the email and the link to Sangalaki Dive Lodge and am very interested to hear their opinion.
I am actually planning a trip to SDL in August but was already getting cold feet even before your timely email.
Please tell me, is this Sofia person, a Malaysian? If she is, could you please give me her contact so as I can talk to her?
I am Malaysian, and proud of it. I believe that we have very decent dive operators here. I myself am one. And i am not one to shy away from reporting incompetent or irresponsible Malaysian operators. So if you have a problem with operators here and have the correspondence to prove their malintent, I would be more than happy to take up the cause for you if distance have made it unrealistic for you to pursue the complaint.
Let's wait and see if SDL will respond to this. I suggest you forward this mail to PADI so that they are aware of the situation.

 

[malaysia-islands]

Hmmm, too much Malaysian connection here? Hope this doesn't bid farewell to real Malaysian Borneo dive sites like Sipadan, Mabul, Lankayan, etc. Sangalaki is in Indonesia, so, honestly, I'm not all that surprised. Jack Jackson in his book said that it has great diving though, and unique stuff like the jellyfish lake.

 

[diver69]

chooitan,

Sonia (not Sofia) is indeed a Malaysian based in Kota Kinabalu. If I gave the impression that she was to blame for my woes during my dealings with SDL, that is not my intention. I realize she was probably receiving/seeking instruction from the Hollands.

I will pm you her contact information. Do let us know how your inquiry turn out.

Diver69

 

[Batfish]

I suggest you forward this mail to PADI so that they are aware of the situation.

PADI is a training organisation, and their standards apply only to PADI courses and not the way businesses are run, so I don't suppose they can do anything.

All this Sangalaki slanging is making me very curious. We offer Sangalaki packages, though I'm not sure we have ever sold any! Looks like we need to make a little inspection visit. If any of the rumours of new owners or management are true, I hope some of you spies will let us all know.

I can say that the resorts we regularly deal with in Malaysia are all very well run, very professional. A pleasure to work with. Places like SMART, Mabul Water Bungalows, Kapalai, Borneo Divers, Lankayan Resort are all real examples of how to run a dive resort. One bad egg should certainly not make people think bad of an entire country! (PS I am not Malaysian, so this is not jingoism speaking!)

 

[Zippsy]

Maybe it's typical of how Indonesian Dive operators are or did Malaysia get Sangalaki along with Sipadan and Litigan???



btw, i KNOW other operators in Indonesia aren't normally anywhere near this bad. I'm just making a different point. and yes I know their reservations are done in a Malaysian office.


And I'm not Malaysian or Indonesian either. I'm one of those rare Americans that knows a little world geography.

 

[Batfish]

Sure, its in Indonesia, but we tend to bunch it together with the Sipadan/Sabah area, as its in the same general part of the world. Best way to get there is via Balikpapan, reached by flight direct from Singapore, but still many people go via Malaysia - Kota Kinabalu to Tawau. The important thing is to connect with the ferry (except Sundays and public holidays) from Tawau to Tarakan in Indonesia, a border crossing for which you will need a pre-arranged visa.

Sangalaki Tourist Information

For what its worth we also find Indonesian Resort Operators easy to work with at places like Manado and Lembeh, and also in Bali.