Where to from Singapore?

Hi all,

Work's sending me to Singapore for a week next month, and it means I'll miss getting out on a liveaboard here that I was booked on. So, would love to get some diving in while I'm away. Is there anything relatively close (I'm fairly certain Singapore doesn't have anything decent?) that I can do in a few days? Nothing as far away as the Philippines or Bali, but I'm wondering what other options there might be in SE Asia?

Or, am I better off coming home as quick as I can to make the most of the start of Summer here in Oz? Means a lot less gear I'd need to travel with!

Thanks for any help.

Ryan.

Well if faraway is 2.5 hrs flight away, you are limited to Phuket/Khao Lak (season just started and ONLY 1.75 hours away), Ko Samui/Phangan(also 1.5 hrs away, diving not as good as Andaman side) and the southern Andaman side islands like Ko Lanta. On the Malaysian side, you can fly/drive (minimum total travel time 4+ hours) to Perhentian, Tioman and surrounding islands (beginning of rainy season) or Langkawi (err forget I mentioned this).

I fail to see what Brissie and the surrounds have to offer that PI, Thailand and Indo don't... that is DIVING wise!

Well if faraway is 2.5 hrs flight away, you are limited to Phuket/Khao Lak (season just started and ONLY 1.75 hours away), Ko Samui/Phangan(also 1.5 hrs away, diving not as good as Andaman side) and the southern Andaman side islands like Ko Lanta. On the Malaysian side, you can fly/drive (minimum total travel time 4+ hours) to Perhentian, Tioman and surrounding islands (beginning of rainy season) or Langkawi (err forget I mentioned this).

I fail to see what Brissie and the surrounds have to offer that PI, Thailand and Indo don't... that is DIVING wise!

Currently it's the monsoon season at the east coast of malaysia. so Perhentian, Redang, Tioman, Aur ... are out of question.

Best bet is still Thailand and Indonesia sites at the end of the yr.

THanks for the quick reply Drew! Don't get me wrong, I love the diving around here, but it's always nice to see something different.

I probably didn't word it quite right, Philippines I've been to once, and Bali I'm probably doing next year. I'm really just looking for something where I can jump off a direct flight from Singapore and jump into the water (more or less), stay there for a couple of days, then come home. Does such a place exist? Tell me if I'm dreaming!

I probably didn't word it quite right, Philippines I've been to once, and Bali I'm probably doing next year. I'm really just looking for something where I can jump off a direct flight from Singapore and jump into the water (more or less), stay there for a couple of days, then come home. Does such a place exist? Tell me if I'm dreaming!

Let's see. My choice destinations from boarding flight to getting wet in under 7 hours = Bali (great shore or short boat dives along East Coast (Padang Bai, Ahmed, Tulamben etc)) Not much sun now since rainy season is starting.

under 9hrs= Anilao PI... VERY traffic dependent but good mix of muck and reef.

Manado= night dives around Manado are actually quite good but all muck. Boat dives but short rides.

Lembeh= farther than Manado, but fantastic muck dives. Depending on resort you can have awesome dive sites as housereef.

Medium hot:

P. Tenggol= best dive area in Peninsular Malaysia. No direct flight from SIN (that I know of...but I haven't been in 3 years at least)

Just to get away and wet choice:

Tioman= flight from SIN

Perhentian= Same as Tenggol but farther north.

With Phuket/Samui, even if you arrive by noon, the only way to dive is to hire a speed boat to take you out to the dive sites as the day boats leave in the morning. If you are very eco-unfriendly and make your carbon foot print and credit card strip felt for sure , charter a speed boat to the Hin Daeng/Muang or Similans.

Max, it's monsoon but the dive ops still open. It's just rainy but many sites still diveable... esp in Tenggol. Viz won't be great though.

I'm really just looking for something where I can jump off a direct flight from Singapore and jump into the water (more or less), stay there for a couple of days, then come home. Does such a place exist? Tell me if I'm dreaming!

My wife is from singapore, I've been there several times. Every time, I visit, I do exactly what you're asking.

Manado (bunaken or lembeh), Bali, and Phuket all fit your request, and offer great diving. I've done all 3 from singapore. direct flight, get off the plane, and jump into the water after a (relatively) short ride.

have fun! And don't forget your no-fly time before coming home

Let me know if you have more questions.

Scott

Thanks guys! Manado sounds like it could be the go. Anyone have any suggestions for cheapish, hastle free diving and accommodation?

Seabreeze/Bunaken Divers is run by an Aussie/Indo couple. PM me if you want his cell number.

Cocotinos is also getting very god reviews.

Or if you fancy Lembeh there are lots of options.

You also have the option of just hopping across to the Riau Islands for a day or two. I've only been diving there once. The vis wasn't great, but there was some decent macro. I was told that the vis can change drastically from day to day.

You should be able to organize everything from Singapore.

if you're going to manado from singapore, silk airlines worked well for me. I'd avoid the indonesian airlines. I booked directly on their web site for the best price.

Scott

Check out the local dive shops in SGP. They usually trun really cheap 3-5 day trips.

I lived there for a year a couple of years ago.

/Erik

For Bunaken I was just at Kima Bajo and it is an excellent upscale resort just minutes from the Manado Airport. The diving in the marine park was excellent, great reefs and also some muck, but last month we dove with a lot current (it was a full moon). For Lembeh I was at Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR) and it is also great resort, although the critter count was down as compared to my visit two years ago. You cant go wrong diving in either Bunaken or Lembeh.

Elmer

Hey Ryan, would have to agree with Manado, some of the best diving I have done and its not all muck the reef around the area is in good nic. Most of the pic here manado were taken on a trip there in Sept of this year. Would definitely recommend Cocotinos as a great place to stay for diving.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Unfortunately the trip has been cancelled, so no heading over this time. On the up side though, it's got me closely looking at Lembeh and Manado for a trip next year

I have started planning for my next trip aiming at 2 or 3 weeks in May/June next year. I have been looking at Bunaken and/or Lembeh. This post is 5 years old so I decided to revive it hoping for some more recent comments. I am looking for basic affordable accommodation to maximize spending on the diving. We don't care too much about fancy rooms or food, as long as it is safe. Me and buddy are interested in good house reef with unlimited diving, ideally with good macro and fish life. Nudis would be nice too, big fish optional. The two places that have filtered towards the top of the list are:

Bunaken: Seabreeze Resort/Bunaken divers

If price lists are correct cost is unexpectedly low and reviews mixed, but mostly good. I could not find info on shore diving but the the area in front of the resort is said to be good for snorkling which bodes well, althouh perhaps shallow but that just means longer dives:) Any feedback on the house reef, resort/dive operation would be helpful, as well as an update on the general reef health, fishiness, and dive conditions in the area.

Lembeh: Divers Lodge Lembeh

Distinctly more upscale than Seabreeze but still reasonable. From Google Earth it appears they are on a little peninsula with a coastline on both sides. Can you dive both sides and what is it like. The backside appears to be a sheltered bay which may represent a different ecotope than normal sites. It is also located at the Southern tip of Lembeh which may give the opportunity to dive both the straigth and Eastern side of the Island. The main reason for asking is that I don't want to only muck dive so having access to some reefs would be nice. Alternatively we can split the trip between one week muck in Lembeh and one week reef in Bunaken.

For others interested in the area: there is a lot of good info on Lembeh resorts in the following thread http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=32013&hl=%2Blembeh+%2Blodge, but they don't address my specific questions.

Other tips for the general area and best time for travel are welcome too.

Thanks, Bart