Malaysia, December, 1994. "Monsoons were occurring on the East side of the peninsula. Read each dive advertisement with scrutiny. We were unable to find any type of dive operation on Penang that was interested in taking us diving. . . . We moved on to Langkawi where the ads were full of fish and crystal clear water, which turned out to be 20-30 foot visibility at Pulau Payar, a small island 45 minutes from Langkawi, an underwater preserve. There were schooling fish, morays, a friendly turtle, many anemones with the black spotted orange anemone fish, and some gorgeous gorgonians. Colonies of bright blue tunicates were abundant especially on the small wrecks. . . . However, I felt like I was in a Kansas blizzard; there was so much plankton or other particles in the water that visibility was limited. The marine life was there but the visibility wasn't. . . . Langkawi Adventures gave us honest and up to date information. They stated that at best visibility would reach 50 feet. We went with them for a day trip. There was no limit on dive time and Anual was a wonderful guide. Our lunch stop was at a small dock where we could feed baby black tipped reef sharks and a porcupine puffer. The food was a layered sandwich and plenty of fruit and water. The watermelon was delicious. This dive day was much cheaper and catered to individual needs as compared to the next two days on the Langkawi Coral. . . . We had signed up for a package dive while we were in Kuala Lumpur. Big mistake. The hotel where we stayed did not have a balcony. This made drying four sets of gear in one bathroom interesting. Earlier we had stayed in little beach bungalows for a few dollars a night. They had porches and lines for drying and were comfortable with overhead fans. (Sandy Beach Motel and AB Motel) Ask for bungalows on the beach, not the ones near the road. We would board the huge Langkawi Coral at 10:30 a.m. and hopefully arrive at the platform at Pulau Payar an hour later. Then it was hurry, hurry to get equipment together. We were the only ones with our own regulators, BCD's etc. since the package included equipment. We were shuttled onto a small aluminum boat that putted out to a dive site. They had a limit of 40 minutes of bottom time. We disregarded this limit and ended with a 10 minute lunch and maybe a 30 minute surface interval before the second dive. The boat was ready to leave before we even docked at the platform from our second dive. It reminded me of the snorkel operations at the Great Barrier Reef. The second day was worse. The seas were rougher so stepping from the platform to the bobbing boat with full gear on was an adventure. One of our group stepped onto the dive boat when the boat boy let go of the platform causing the gap to widen between the two; he ended in the water. After we were loaded, another group appeared and began getting onto our small boat. But, they had intentions of diving another site. Therefore, we had to crawl over onto another even slower boat. My friend's mask got smashed by a tank; they were gracious and replaced it for her. . . . I will never dive with the Langkawi Coral again. It is perfect for snorkelers and people who want to peer at fish from afar. It is not at all recommended for divers. This was the most expensive and worst diving I have ever experienced and I've been diving for over 15 years in many waters of the world." Marilyn Koukol, Kinawa, Japan

Sipadan

Borneo Divers, January, 1995. "Turtles everywhere ­­ even under my cabin. Sharks. A wall of barracuda, thousands circling in a hypnotic dance. Hanging Gardens may have been the most beautiful reef I have ever seen. 50 to 75­foot depth tended to be dark and cold with poor visibility. 25­50 feet was magnificent, but (obviously) few larger fish; reef fish without end. A fabulous place. But five days would be enough. Sunny, windy, some rain at night. Strong and changing currents. Water temperature 75°­80°. . . . Food was fine. Accommodations were Spartan. Service was excellent. I was going to South East Asia on business and made the trip to Sipadan as a side trip. Had I flown all the way to Borneo just for that, I would have been disappointed. It was very good, but the trip out is a killer." Daniel Jensen, Maryknoll, NY

Borneo Divers, July, 1995. "While Malaysian testing procedures are different from DOT/CTC, only one tank was in hydro by US standards. . . . Shacks were bare minimum small with ceiling fan. Hey what more can you expect for $2690 from Houston. The trip itself is hellacious but well worth it. Three operations on the island. This is too many when they are near capacity. . . . Food was excellent plentiful and well presented. American fare available at breakfast. . . . Fish life of all types was abundant. Coral was beautiful. Some areas were barren or trashed due to storm damage. On boat trips hated to leave water with 1000-1500 psi left. Currents can be swift and in opposite directions at different depths. Helping lionfish to feed is not to be missed. Crocodile fish, leaf fish, leopard sharks, white tips and turtles every dive. Did 35 dives over 7 1/2 day period." Gerard E. Kelly, Houston, TX

Pulau Sipadan Resort, September, 1994. "Amazing variety of fish, coral, invertebrates, and turtles, turtles, turtles. Literally, 2,000­foot wall only 30 feet offshore, only 30 feet from diving hut. Some beach huts but most 15­50 feet into jungle. Service first­class. Best air connection: Malaysia Airlines (MH) LAX­TPE, then connect MH from TPE­BKI (Kota Kinabalu), then BKI­ TWU (Tawau). From Tawau, resort arranges van and boat (2.5­3 hour total) to Sipadan. Recommend overnight in Semporna at Dragon Inn before boat." Bruce Klitzman, Durham, NC

Pulau Sipadan Resort, May, 1995. "A totally satisfying trip; 2.5 hour flight to Kota Kinabalu from Kuala Lumpur; transfer to a 25 minute flight to Tawau; and finish with a 2.5 hour bus/boat journey to the island. Thorough briefing immediately upon arrival (including C-card check) and then shown to clean, Spartan, two bunk cabin (common toilets, showers). On the beach, this resort has solved the sandy floor problem by placing water buckets everywhere before entering a room. . . . Gear was always mounted for us (not always rinsed following a dive). Plenty of fresh water (distilled) to drink, shower. Convenient and generous fresh water baths for cameras, wet suit washing, etc. . . . Food good and plenty of it as long as you got there on time; late arrivals often had to settle for what was left, although no big complaints. Biggest complaint was the 57 fried eggs put out each morning that went cold in nanoseconds. Could have done a better job on snacks between dives, and you had to ask for juice (vs. the always full water jug). . . . Diving was excellent. Not the best I've seen, but good corals, mostly hard with a few softs. Lots of marine life, including sharks, schools of barracuda, and dozens of turtles, usually no fewer than 10 on each dive. Because the resorts/government is strict on touching, they have no fear of divers and will swim within inches. Capable divemasters, no big deal on your own profile as long as you passed the scrutiny of an initial checkout dive. Briefing on all dives includes depth/time limits, but if an avid photographer was chasing a great shot, you were considered a mature adult who was responsible for your own safety. . . . No more than six or seven individual sites and I wouldn't recommend more than three or four full diving days, unless you really like turtles. Although they advertise night and unlimited beach dives, there is only one site for these dives, the drop-off, an ordinary dive with marginal visibility. It used to be heightened by being able to enter Turtle Cavern, where scores of turtles have been trapped and drowned over the years, until two Japanese divers decided they could dive it at night alone and paid the ultimate price. PSR needs to set up better night dive sites. . . . The staff created a relaxed atmosphere, and were unfailingly cooperative. On the last day when I was trying to get in two boat dives before departing on the one p.m. boat to the mainland, they had canceled my 11 a.m. dive boat due to three divers and combined it with a 10-diver cattle boat leaving at 11:30 a.m.. When I protested they immediately reinstated the 11 a.m. dive. Nice move. . . .All in all, I think there are better sites (PNG, for example), but it certainly ranks above places like Thailand and Philippines." Edward Svitil, Singapore

Sipadan Dive Center, September, 1994. "Well­run operation. Friendly, helpful staff. Divemaster who let you use computers and who let you follow the leader or not depending on your desires and experience. Best beach dive in known universe; truly unlimited since the wall off the lodge is really alive at just 15 feet. Had some 6­dive days. Diving was better than prior Coral Sea (Cairns, Australia) and Sulu Sea live-aboards that I have done. Prime attractions: profusion of fish life, rich hard and soft corals, massive schools of jack and 'cuda, at least one really weird critter on every dive, and, of course, the Pacific's worst turtle infestation - you will never chase another turtle again. . . . . Rooms one step above camping out, but this operation has screened windows; saw more lion fish than mosquitoes. Mostly rooms with attached baths: toilet, sink and cold shower; hot showers for the price of a short walk. . . . Food was buffet and good, with an Oriental slant. Lots of fresh fish, shrimp, squid, but always several alternate main courses. . . . Malaysian Airlines a class act all the way. A safe, well­ trained, professional operation (I am an American Airlines pilot so that is not a completely casual operation). . . . The bugs were there but not like some Caribbean sites where they drive you inside; saw more lion fish than mosquitoes. Prime offender seemed to be a little sand flea no­see­um that you never felt bite but the itch started a day later. Not oppressive but bring DEET. " Dan Kestly, Twain Harte, CA

Sipadan Dive Center, July, 1995. "Shore diving and the flat that leads to the 2000' drop-off near the resort has little coral but has fish and at the smallest distance from shore gets to 6-10' deep maybe 50 yards offshore, then drops straight into beauty. Most diving is wall diving with excellent corals although there is evidence of previous fish bombing -­ broken coral in several locations. Top of reef and wall 20' deep in most places and full of fish. . . . Big tuna cruise the walls and resident schools of barracuda and jacks (several hundred in each) are great for excitement and photos. Longest boat ride is maybe five minutes. Turtle lover's paradise; swam with 20 green or hawksbill turtles on a dive. None is shy. Each morning we walked around the island (25 minutes) and saw fresh turtle tracks leading to/from new nests. (Sadly, also saw trash washed up on shore daily, which we often collected). . . . Food was excellent and plentiful and varied. No fishing or trapping on island so all is brought in from mainland. Night dives all shore dives at the nearby drop-off. Good number of shrimp, nudibranchs, and blooming corals. The lion fish became a nuisance as they flocked to flashlight-lit areas to hunt, getting in the way of macro-photography. . . . The resort didn't accept traveler's checks but did take a credit card and cash. Sipadan Dive Center ran an excellent operation. We were met and directed at each transportation junction point. . . . Our room had shower, toilet and basin - all cool water (salty tasting). Hot shower available a few buildings away, but only when rain cooled the air did it feel good. Air usually was warm enough to make cool water shower quite comfortable." Fred Turoff, Phila, PA

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