Malaysia or Phillipines??

[pekingcowboy]

Hi all,

I just came across this message board today, and it's a great forum.

I'm going on my first dive vacation next week! (I've been saving up for a couple years now.) I was originally planning to go to Bali, to do some diving in the Gilis islands and Komodo. But after the bomb incident in Bali, I've decided that it wouldn't be a good time to go there. The airline should allow me to change that flight segment... I hope!

So, I'm wondering if I should go to the Phillipines or Malaysia for two weeks of diving & relaxation. (After the two weeks, I'll be heading to Thailand and will dive at the Similan/Surin Islands.)

I've read the posts & reviews for the Perhentians - great reviews there. But how's the diving for mid-late October?

I'd be looking to go the backpacker route...

Thanks kindly!!

You can email me at j2hui@yahoo.com if you prefer.

Jeff

 

[neve]

Sorry to hear you won't be going to Bali coz my friend dived in Nusa Penida on Fri and saw dolphins and giant stingrays. But I would not recommend going to Bali because it is very unstable at the moment. I'm originally from Bali, but living in Singapore at the moment.

Between Malaysia & Philippines? Definitely Philippines (even though I've never been).

Popular Malaysian diving destinations (Tioman, Aur, Redang, Perhentian) are almost (if not already) closed for the season due to monsoon.

Sipadan, Layang-layang, Mabul and Kapalai are diveable year round but is supposed to be miserably rainy during this period (until late March).

The Visayas (in the Philippines) is supposed to be good during this period (Oct-Mar): places like Bohol, Panglao, Cabilao are popular with divers. Major attaractions are dolphins, occasional Manta Rays, and the hammerheads in Cabilao. Or else you can opt for more touristy places like Puerto Galera.

Would you consider Thailand? It's just starting the season as well, and Phi-phi Island, the Similans, Richelieu Rock are supposed to be gorgeous. Lots of manta ray and occasional whale sharks.

Or if you're feeling rich, take a liveaboard to the Burma Banks. It is dubbed "diving's new frontier" and apparently gorgeous, pristine, and unexplored.

But do some research, don't take my word for it because I've only been to Malaysia

 

[diverkim]

I would choose Philippines because of the great number of species. Lots of dynamiting at various reefs though.
But when you mention Malaysia, I think you mean peninsular Malaysia (perhentian and Redang are nice enuf) but Malaysia also means Borneo. Borneo means Sipadan and that is excellent diving.
For Philippines I liked Cebu very much. The wrecks of Coron were great too. Boracay is not great for diving. Puerto Galera is good and so is Anilao, just south of Manila. Apo Reef is great off Mindoro.
#1 destination in my opinion is Sipadan in Borneo; #2 is Bohol in Philippines, near Cebu.

 

[Mikimaru]

Can I jump in here please ?? Diverkim, I've heard similar comments to yours. Thanks for the confirmation. I am also considering the Philippines in February. What do you good people think of Dumaguete (Negros Oriental) and Malapascua (north of Cebu) ? A Philipinne aquaintance says that Bohol and Malapascua offer the "best" diving in the Philippines in terms of variety and quantity of species. I've read good things about Dumaguete as well though. Any insight about the weather in February ? Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Christian]

I'll second Diverkims opinion. Go for Sipadan, it is good year round. I think most rain is supposed to fall in january-february in Sabah, but my experience from Sipadan in this period is quite good. So I guess november might be even better. Also the island would probably be quite. However security on Sipadan has been questioned since the kidnappings of tourists and Sipadan staff by the Filipono guerilla Abu Sayaff.

Layang Layang would probably be out of season since the chinese sea is much rougher at this point of time.

cheers

christian

 

[8newk8]

Hey, I'm going to Bali tomorrow! Thought about changing my plans, but what the hell. I'm a danger junkie!

As for your options. I definitely recommend the Philippines. It still ranks waaaaaaaaaaay up there as my best travelling experience, ever. The diving was absolutely fantastic, but the culture was moreso. The people are just amazing there. Dynamic. Musical. Fun loving. Got an edge to them. And the educated ones speak perfect American English, which makes life a little bit easier.

I went to a divers paradise called Moal Boal, on the island of Cebu. If money's not an issue, then you can fly into Cebu, and rent a cab to take you all the way there for something like $40. Once there, you'll be in divers paradise. No other tourists but divers. There used to be a beach, but a typhoon took care of that, and now all there is is diving. It's famous for a site called Pescador Island. If you know your Spanish, you'll recognize "pescadore" as Spanish for "fish". And there are a hell of a lot of them. The island is like a big asteroid that was dropped into the sea, and became a habitat for a hell of a lot of fish. Just beautiful, with a current that takes you from one side of the island to the next. It's one huuuuuuuuge wall. I loved it.

And when the diving was done, I loved the partying afterwards.

Consider it.

I'll think of you when I'm in Bali!

 

[diverkim]

My friends told me that Dumagette in Philippines was good too. But everyone tells me the best place is a reef in the middle of the S Philippines. The name eludes me now but it is only diveable by liveaboard and only in certain seasons. Is a lot of current there too. Yes, it is called Tubbataha. Everyone tells me it is the best place in Philippines.

 

[Rickg]

I have to agree with DiverKim's recommendation on Sipadan also. We went there for the past 2 year's in Nov and both times had maybe 2 bad days (rain and wind) and 5 good days out of the week we were there each time. A bad day on Sipadan is still what I would consider a pretty good dive day. There was never a day when we couldn't get out to dive. If you go, I recommend you stay at Borneo Divers because their shop is the closest to the Drop-off which is the only shore diving site on the island. The drop-off is about 50 yards (at the most) from Borneo Diver's dive locker. You get 3 boat dives a day and unlimited shore diving so it is feasible to get in 5-6 dives a day if you do the night dives also.

Hope you have fun wherever you decide.

Rickg

 

[diverkim]

That is true because I did 5 to 6 dives everyday when I was there. Great diving and so many turtles, bumphead parrotfish, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, barracudas, ...

 

[pekingcowboy]

Thanks for all the responses!

I've decided to go to the Philippines for a week or so of diving. I'm flying into Cebu, and then will go diving on some of the islands around there.

Any recommendations on specific dive shops to go with?

I'm looking for inexpensive places to go diving, and for basic accomodations as well (backpacker).

Looking forward to doing my Open Water Referral, then some cool diving!

I'll head out to the Similans a few weeks after Cebu.

Thanks,

The Peking Cowboy