Short getaway places

[stevesteve]

Hi, does anyone know of a short getaway for a diving trip, other than tioman, dayang, aur, redang? Was thinking of not disrupting my work, so leave on friday evening and back on sunday night, just like our usual malaysia trip.

[DIN]

Dont think there is much options. Bintan? Never dived there though or perhaps go Phuket and for I day dive, then come back on Sunday night?

[diver-hloc]

Going Tioman or Dayang/Aur isn't too bad... its the rush back to S'pore part I don't like... Nowadays with so many gears I need to pack... very hard to do things fast 

[bryan norman]

I spent quite a lot of time near Semakau and Hantu last year and there were days the vis was awesome, especially near Semakau. I was on a boat, but I can see easily 10-15m down. I think a lot depends on the tides and the amount of recent rain of course.

Apart from locally, yes, you can try Bintan. Apparently, Trikora has some good spots. The Indo visa issue is a bit of a hassle for us non-locals, though.

As for Malaysia, has anyone tried Pantai Lanun? It's off Penyabong. We were told that there's a secret little beach that has water as clear as on a good day in Tioman. A bit out of the way sure, but if the vis is good and there's some life down there, then perhaps you could try there and avoid the whole ferry palaver.

It's true, the rush back to Singapore on Suinday is a royal pain, especially the jam. We got stuck for - get this - 3.5 hours a few weeks back.

Still, the diving off Tioman may well be about the best we're gonna get I reckon, as far as our backyard is concerned anyway.

Or maybe we should try Tengah. It's just 30 minutes off Mersing. You don't even need a ferry. Anyone dived at Pulau Tengah?

[Napoleon_wrasse]

other than tioman, dayang, aur, redang? ... leave on friday evening and back on sunday night

Anambas Islands: Friday night leave on liveaboard. Saturday 4 dives, Sunday 2 dives. Back Sunday night.
Not done it myself yet though. Does anyone here have any info on the diving conditions.

I think Redang cant really be considered a short getaway. Driving + boat ride to island is at least 12 hours?
At best 5 dives.

On the W side of Malaysia, Penang & Langkawi are not worth diving. Might as well dive Hantu Is. And same problem with transport.

I assume you do not include places you fly to. You could squeeze in 4 dives on Saturday for these places. Only for the desperate.

[bryan norman]

I went on a dive trip to Langkawi, but the vis was actually quite good. Best of all was the amount of life down there; it was thick with large fish, some feeding from your hands. It may not be the kind of thing we're all after here, but it's quite a draw, because it was a constant coming and going of divers.

[racerx_]

yeah i've been looking for the same.. trying to find a "one day" diving spot.. go the night before or in the morning and return at night.. hard to find. Tioman's ferry schedule makes it tricky. Bintan people keep suggesting, but i can't find anywhere online that lists a dive center there to work with direct. There's a resort but i think the DC is for guests only.. unless book a trip through a dive shop or something.  Someone suggested Sibu (the malaysian one). anyone tried that?

otherwise, how do you dive hantu? are there boats nearby to hire or how do people do it? curious to try..

[bryan norman]

I saw dive boats parked at RSYC. They take divers to Hantu. There must be at least one Singapore dive operator that has Hantu as one of its backyard locations.

Hantu can be quite diveable on some days, but you need to be a bit lucky of course. They should keep a vis-watch, so when the vis is good, divers are aware and they can go check it out. Plenty of life down there too. I've seen turtles, dolphins, huge barracuda and assorted smaller pelagics, even coral patches off some of the pylons nearby.

I think Sibu can be great too, as it's not too far from Tengah, which has awesome diving locations.

The ferries to and from Tioman are a bit tricky, yes, but if you book online at least you won't risk ending up in Mersing without a ticket.

[bryan norman]

Anambas Islands: Friday night leave on liveaboard. Saturday 4 dives, Sunday 2 dives. Back Sunday night.
Not done it myself yet though. Does anyone here have any info on the diving conditions.

I've been going to Anambas quite a few times since this post, which is how I know that it's doable as a weekend dive trip. Provided you go by plane.

I realize planes and diving typically don't mix, but this plane is a prop craft and whilst I'm no aviation expert, I doubt that it flies at altitudes that are an issue for diving. (Anyone can confirm either way?). The trip is less than 1 hour by the way.

Meanwhile, dive conditions in Anambas, especially if you know where to go, are superb. Vis can be in excess of 30-40 m and coral reefs are unequaled. There's some bomb damage here and there but the sheer size and density of the coral is awesome.

That said, there's not a whole lot of big stuff, though I did see groupers, sharks, turtles, parrot fish, muray eels and schools of rainbow runners, trevally. Napoleon fish too

Also saw dolphins on a few occasions. Still awaiting my turn to see a whale shark.

Weird how Anambas is still such an outsider here in Singapore. Pulau Bawah is a mere 150 miles away or so from Singapore. From there, it's just a little hop to Tarempa, which is a great jumping board to the various pretty islands that abound in the archipelago.

As it happens, I'm headed to Anambas tomorrow, by ferry mind you. My first time there this time of the year. Reason is the mild monsoon we're having currently; my buddies there are saying the winds are light, the water is flat and the visibility is off the scale!

I'll bring my camera gear and post some pix and clips once I'm back, next week.