chachita
Contributor
This report is for a trip taken this past August, so it's a bit outdated, but better late than never!
I was in Singapore for work and wanted to squeeze in a weekend of diving. After extensive research here on SB and elsewhere online, I decided to go with the White Manta Liveaboard. I travel alone, had never dove in Asia and was concerned after reading many reports of sinking boats, lost divers and whatnot, so I wanted to make sure that I chose a well established, reputable and professional operation. I am delighted to report that the White Manta operation, boat and crew were outstanding. I will definitely consider them for future trips and I recommend them to anyone looking to dive in their areas of operation.
We boarded Friday evening at the Tanah Mera Ferry terminal, which is an easy 15 minute cab ride from downtown Singapore. The boat was new and spacious. It was full with about 30 divers, everyone sharing accommodation. I shared a room with three others, all in bunk beds. Beds were spacious and comfortable and the en suite bathroom was excellent and spotless. My roommates were great and there were no issues.
Passengers were from all over, with the majority expats working in financial services in Singapore. Most were British and Australian, but there was also a Dutch family and some Asian couples. Interestingly, there were three father-daughter teams. A great mix and a lot of very nice people - which is important if you are travelling alone and as you are spending three days together in very close quarters. Many were experienced divers but many were also getting their OW certification, including several young people.
The crew was excellent - very professional and very focused on safety. Briefings were thorough with ample detail. Divers were split up in small groups of about 4-5 divers, each with its own DM. Luckily there were a very knowledgeable brother and sister in my group who made up for our DM, who was an older gentleman who barely spoke and who swam ahead of our group without interacting or pointing anything out. At one point I needed additional weight and it was almost impossible to catch up with him to ask for more. It all worked out OK and, other than the weight incident which occurred on the last dive, I wasn't sufficiently concerned to bring it to the attention of the boat management, who I'm sure would have assigned me to another DM. Listening to the other divers, it seems that most DMs were actively engaged, pointing things out and providing support, so I think our fellow was the exception, not the rule.
Food was plentiful and delicious - a mixture of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Western. I also had one of the very best Thai massages ever.
The diving: just OK, not great, but going in I knew that Pulau Tioman and Pulau Aur aren't considered top sites in Asia, just very convenient for a weekend trip, so I wasn't expecting Sipadan conditions. August is typhoon season and there had been a disturbance in the area, so the sea was quite choppy and the Captain decided to change the itinerary: instead of going to Pulau Tioman we went to Pulau Aur. We sailed all Friday night and finally stopped at daybreak. The sea appeared calm, but there was quite a bit of current in most areas. In one spot the current was quite strong, and because that particular dive wasn't a drift dive, it was quite strenuous and unpleasant. The visibility was around 25-35 feet for the most part with the exception of the last dive where it was less than five feet. The land [sea?] scape was similar to that of the Florida Keys: monochromatic with green and beige for the most part. Only at night using lights did the colours explode. Didn't see a lot of fish but did see tons and tons of worms and sea stars, including a giant blue star, which was cool. That part of the world is macro territory and indeed, the majority of the sights were tiny little creatures. The water was warm so a 2.5 ml shorty was perfect for the day and a 3mm full suit was more than enough in the late afternoon and for night dives. The boat moved from dive site to dive site. We did four dives on Saturday and two more on Sunday.
I am used to diving in the Caribbean, in azure water filled with clouds of fish, sponges and corals in every conceivable colour of the rainbow and in water with no current and great viz, so the diving in Malaysia was definitely not as good. Also not as good as in Key Largo, where the landscape is also quite monochromatic, but the sea teems with fish of all types and sizes along with corals and sponges. By comparison, the area around Pulau Aur and Jack Rock was quite empty - at least when I was there.
Having said all this, I truly enjoyed the trip and increased my diving experience. I would definitely do another trip with the White Manta or its sister ship the Black Manta to other spots in Asia, like Richelieu Rock and the Similans, which everyone assured me I would love. But now that I know that the Caribbean is full of the type of diving I love, I'm focusing on doing Cozumel or Roatan next summer.
I was in Singapore for work and wanted to squeeze in a weekend of diving. After extensive research here on SB and elsewhere online, I decided to go with the White Manta Liveaboard. I travel alone, had never dove in Asia and was concerned after reading many reports of sinking boats, lost divers and whatnot, so I wanted to make sure that I chose a well established, reputable and professional operation. I am delighted to report that the White Manta operation, boat and crew were outstanding. I will definitely consider them for future trips and I recommend them to anyone looking to dive in their areas of operation.
We boarded Friday evening at the Tanah Mera Ferry terminal, which is an easy 15 minute cab ride from downtown Singapore. The boat was new and spacious. It was full with about 30 divers, everyone sharing accommodation. I shared a room with three others, all in bunk beds. Beds were spacious and comfortable and the en suite bathroom was excellent and spotless. My roommates were great and there were no issues.
Passengers were from all over, with the majority expats working in financial services in Singapore. Most were British and Australian, but there was also a Dutch family and some Asian couples. Interestingly, there were three father-daughter teams. A great mix and a lot of very nice people - which is important if you are travelling alone and as you are spending three days together in very close quarters. Many were experienced divers but many were also getting their OW certification, including several young people.
The crew was excellent - very professional and very focused on safety. Briefings were thorough with ample detail. Divers were split up in small groups of about 4-5 divers, each with its own DM. Luckily there were a very knowledgeable brother and sister in my group who made up for our DM, who was an older gentleman who barely spoke and who swam ahead of our group without interacting or pointing anything out. At one point I needed additional weight and it was almost impossible to catch up with him to ask for more. It all worked out OK and, other than the weight incident which occurred on the last dive, I wasn't sufficiently concerned to bring it to the attention of the boat management, who I'm sure would have assigned me to another DM. Listening to the other divers, it seems that most DMs were actively engaged, pointing things out and providing support, so I think our fellow was the exception, not the rule.
Food was plentiful and delicious - a mixture of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Western. I also had one of the very best Thai massages ever.
The diving: just OK, not great, but going in I knew that Pulau Tioman and Pulau Aur aren't considered top sites in Asia, just very convenient for a weekend trip, so I wasn't expecting Sipadan conditions. August is typhoon season and there had been a disturbance in the area, so the sea was quite choppy and the Captain decided to change the itinerary: instead of going to Pulau Tioman we went to Pulau Aur. We sailed all Friday night and finally stopped at daybreak. The sea appeared calm, but there was quite a bit of current in most areas. In one spot the current was quite strong, and because that particular dive wasn't a drift dive, it was quite strenuous and unpleasant. The visibility was around 25-35 feet for the most part with the exception of the last dive where it was less than five feet. The land [sea?] scape was similar to that of the Florida Keys: monochromatic with green and beige for the most part. Only at night using lights did the colours explode. Didn't see a lot of fish but did see tons and tons of worms and sea stars, including a giant blue star, which was cool. That part of the world is macro territory and indeed, the majority of the sights were tiny little creatures. The water was warm so a 2.5 ml shorty was perfect for the day and a 3mm full suit was more than enough in the late afternoon and for night dives. The boat moved from dive site to dive site. We did four dives on Saturday and two more on Sunday.
I am used to diving in the Caribbean, in azure water filled with clouds of fish, sponges and corals in every conceivable colour of the rainbow and in water with no current and great viz, so the diving in Malaysia was definitely not as good. Also not as good as in Key Largo, where the landscape is also quite monochromatic, but the sea teems with fish of all types and sizes along with corals and sponges. By comparison, the area around Pulau Aur and Jack Rock was quite empty - at least when I was there.
Having said all this, I truly enjoyed the trip and increased my diving experience. I would definitely do another trip with the White Manta or its sister ship the Black Manta to other spots in Asia, like Richelieu Rock and the Similans, which everyone assured me I would love. But now that I know that the Caribbean is full of the type of diving I love, I'm focusing on doing Cozumel or Roatan next summer.
