Visiting SG for ADEX 2012 - Where to Dive?

[DIN]

If you prefer departing from Singapore, liveaboard options are limited here. The New White Manta is the best LOB Singapore has to offer but unfortunately they will leave Singapore for Similan next week and only be back for one weekend trip on the 5 to 8 April trip before saling to Layang Layang. If you are interested, have a read here http://scubasg.com/index.php?topic=2273.0

There are other decent boats available like DiveRace and Seaborne and the typical LOB in Singapore is Fri to Sun like clubeye mentioned. If you can spare a little more time, there are tons of options available. You don't necessarily get more dives on a LOB form Singapore unless its a long weekend. You will have 3 days and 1 night dives on Saturday and 2 morning dives on Sunday before heading back to Singapore, arriving in the evening.

The thing about Singapore is that it lies in the center of it all. Flights are plentiful and reasonably priced. All the good destinations is no more than 4 hours away. I believe ADEX ends on a Sunday and if you have to wait till Friday for a trip you are better off flying on Monday to Phuket or Bali. This will be a more efficient option for you and get the most out of your time here.

Phuket is one and half hour and Bali is two and the half away. If you have a timeframe in mind, please let me know and I can suggest a few options for you.

[nev]

I've been on many liveaboards (even worked on one). Singapore's LOBs are the worst. One was so jam-packed that I ended up sleeping on the sundeck in a sleeping bag for the entire weekend. I was working on that trip as a favor and I didn't even get a bed. There were too many divers and not enough guides, I was forced to lead 3 dives a day and assist on 3 other. That was the first and the last time I did any favors for that boat. On a separate occasion, my trip was cancelled because they couldn't secure the minimum number of divers to depart (there were only 6 of us).

I was a paying guest on another Singapore-based LOB and I overheard the owner (jokingly) reprimanding a trainee DM for eating too much of the food meant for guests (!!). The DM course is a paying course, hence the trainee is a guest. It was meant as a joke but a very tasteless one, nobody was laughing. On another trip, the owner of the same boat backed out of a deal for my club, even though I have collected deposits and was about to transfer it. I had to cancel the trip and return the deposits. I've organized so many trips for my club and that was the only time I've ever had to cancel a trip.

On another liveaboard, we had a DM who shot up like an over-inflated lift bag because she could not control her buoyancy. She went too fast and without warning for my buddies and me to catch her.

I'm not naming any names in case I get accused of slander, but all these are true stories.

I've been wanting to go to Repulse again but I don't want to dive with any of Singapore's LOBs anymore. Any suggestions?

Sorry to rain on your parade Geoffrey but you're better off taking a short flight to Bali or Manado to dive.

[clubbye]

Agree.

In terms of flight options, i think Bali is the best bet. Flying on weekdays (off peak) would be much cheaper, and plenty of choices, Air Asia, Jetstar, Qatar, KLM, Garuda, SQ. typically, 2.5 hours flight, and another 2 hours transfer to Tulamben, and you be having lots of good diving.

Am actually headed there tonite, itinerary as follows:

Airasia flight 9.35 pm depart, arrive bali 12 midnite. Arrive at resort in tulamben at 2 am.
2 full days of diving. depending on depths....can do up to 6 dives a day!
last day, check out of resort, stopover in ubud for lunch, stopover in Kuta buy tshirt and grab a beer. arrive at airport at 4.30 pm, depart at 6 pm. arrive back in SG at 8.30 pm, head to hawker center for late dinner/early supper, plus beer. sleep, back to work on monday!


Alternative (but subject to weather conditions in anilao)

Midnite flight to Manila arrive 4 am. arrive in Batangas at 6 am. start diving.....
Depart 8 pm flight from manila, arrive in SG at 10.30 pm, go supper, grab a beer....

Manado is trickier as only direct flight is via silkair and garuda and prices not so cheap must buy when on promo.
, also schedule timing not great...

Have not done much phuket diving but understand its mainly liveonboards or day trips, and not much housereef diving (ie. free and easy diving)

[clubbye]

Clarification. I was agreeing with DIN. Not Nev.

Sorry to hear that Nev had such poor experiences with SG LOBs. I may have been fortunate that I have had good experiences with SG LOBs to date. I have done LOBs in many other countries so far as a paying guest, and i think the LOBs in SG i have been on have improved greatly since i started diving in the early 90s, to the extent that the there is at least one operator here who is as good as any for the price you are paying.

[nev]

My typical Bali weekend is to fly out of SG on Fri night on the 7 or 9PM flight, arriving 2.5 hours later just in time for a Padang food late supper. Early night, then one full day of diving on Saturday to Nusa Penida, an easy 45-min boat ride. Sunday is usually spent having brunch at Cafe Batujimbar in Sanur (the Sunday-only market is awesome). Then I take the 1PM flight, back in SG by 4PM I tried the 6.20 AM Monday Air Asia flight and went straight to work, but was too zombified to do any work that day. If I want to have 2 diving days I'd take the Monday off. I get to do 6 dives in 2 diving days, same as a typical LOB out of Singapore or a land-based trip from Tioman/Aur.

[clubbye]

Haha....now i am in agreement with Nev!
But better if you can spend more time there and during the weekdays. Weekends in Balis can be frantic affairs in certain parts. you should really take your time, relax. can't think of a better value place to do a mixup dive/relax holiday for that price!!!

[Geoffrey]

Thank you to all.. The information you provided is greatly appreciated..and exactly what I needed to make a decision.. I will spend this weekend making the final plans.

[AquaMarine Diving - Bali]

We book White Manta/Black Manta for our clients and have had good feedback (we can also offer some free add-ons!).

If you have enough time for a liveaboard here in Indonesia, there are a variety of options: What is your budget and what are your available dates (to be on-board)?