Link to photo album -> here
Friday, May 28, 2010
Vesak day .. a new public holiday in Singapore that offers us another opportunity to go on a weekend. A first for me this time because it is a weekend diving awaits me. After 5 years in Singapore, I finally decided to get my Open Water. Destination Tioman.
So at 2am we take a taxi to Mersing. Arranged with an intermediary, Benson, Singapore taxi takes us from the Malaysian border and deposited us at a petrol station in Johor Bahru where we expect the Malaysian taxi that takes us up to Mersing. Instead ½ & 2 hours, it will only take 2 hours and is therefore at 4am we are at the Mersing jetty.
The boat was only 6:30, we wait then the food court on the corner. My last trip to Tioman was in about 3 years and I am amazed that the world is already waiting on the platform. At 6 o'clock I'm going to get our tickets from the counter Bluewater Express. The boat will leave with 1 hour late, as usual. We sat outside to avoid catching a cold while the air conditioning in the boat running at full speed.
third stop of the boat, here we are at ABC Beach. We went to B & J Diving Center where I had booked our diving lessons as well as 2 bedrooms. After 30 seconds, we discover that they have booked a room instead of 2. After 10 minutes, you discover that the guesthouse was a mistake and canceled all reservations. It is 9am, you're tired and you must walk half of the island in search of a room. As a weekend of three days, all the guesthouses are full. In going over to B & J, they offer us to stay at the dive center in the room of the brother of the manager. We accept. They finally caught up well. The first
day will be rather quiet. After completing the registration forms, we sit in a room to watch the 5 videos of the Open Water. We met Alex and Irina who also spend their Open Water. The festivities will begin tomorrow with the diving pool in the morning and 2 dives in the afternoon. To put in the mouth, it now decides to swim 200 meters required for certification. No problem.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
8:30, here we are at the edge of the small pool of B & J Diving Centre with a maximum depth of 2 meters. We assembled our equipment and I breathe for the first time under water. Let me tell you that I felt more confident amid fumes of sulfur Kawah Ijen that two meters deep with a regulator in your mouth.
And it took more traditional exercises to comply with the Open Water: putting his mask underwater, breathe without a mask, remove the BCD underwater, recover a regulator stuck in the back .. brief but happiness.
Anyway, the fear is gone and it's the first two of four dives in open sea before us in the afternoon. Two dives to 6-8 feet al'ABC House Reef with training in emergency ascent, buoyancy in midwater, .. which are fairly well placed. Cons by marine life is not extraordinary and not very good visibility.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
again on a war footing at 8:30 am, we take this time a boat with a dozen people. We keep our instructor, Jurgen, while the other group plunge with Darren, a Canadian who speaks faster than his shadow.
30 minutes by boat and arrive at Labas, instead of our first dive. Having done all the required exercises the day before, the last two dives are much more focused on the discovery of the underwater environment. With a few blue-spotted rays and angel fish, diving is rather disappointing for those who have done snorkeling in Bunaken (Manado) or the Perhentian Islands. Anyway, the goal of the weekend is primarily to pass the Open Water.
Meals on the boat followed by 10 minutes of "survival" on the surface, which is also requested for certification. This was perhaps not expected, but remain 10 minutes to get stung by jellyfish has become the true survival. It then went on a second dive that gave visibility even worse than the first.
Back to B & J is now time for our final quiz. Having borrowed the manual from JB for at least 2, I must admit I was rather theoretical level rigged. One error on 50 questions and here we are certified with 98% correct answers.
So it was pizza at Sunset's with Alex and Irina to celebrate our entry into the club and to change various local food.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Last day to Tioman. To honor our new status PADI Open Water, we start again in new boat for 2 dives. We discover Canyon and Fan back to Labas. We are now empowered to dive to 18 meters and to venture into the caves and underwater tunnels. Good thing because this is the dive master had planned for us. By cons, he probably had not expected that after 30 minutes I am already on the reserve. So we go back to 5 feet for the safety stop for 3 minutes. I finished the dive with 10 bar for 38 minutes at an average depth of 14m.
The second dive will be the same level this time with a safety stop over on the second controller of Alexander while I still had 10 bar ..
Back to B & J to 15h, we are preparing and waiting for the Bluewater Express 16.30. Half an hour late only. Then again it is the taxi and back to Singapore.
Contacts
B & J Diving Centre
ABC
Beach Tel: 60-9419 December 18
http://www.divetioman.com/
Siti (Bluewater Boat tickets)
Tel: + 60 - 13-7777 380
Other contacts that we have not used:
Tioman Dive Centre
Kompong Tekek
Tel: 60-94191 228
BlueWater Express
Tel: 60-7799 5015
Seagull Express
Tel: +60-7799 4297
Main Expenditure
- Taxi Singapore-Mersing: 140 SGD / path
- Boat Bluewater Express Mersing-Tioman: 35 MYR / path
- Open Water : 1,000 MYR for 2 dives pool and 4 dives in open sea
- Diving: 200-210 MYR for 2 dives (boat and breakfast included)
- Housing: 40-70 MYR for a room with fan
100-150 MYR for a room with air conditioning
Link to photo album -> here
- Open Water : 1,000 MYR for 2 dives pool and 4 dives in open sea
- Diving: 200-210 MYR for 2 dives (boat and breakfast included)
- Housing: 40-70 MYR for a room with fan
100-150 MYR for a room with air conditioning
Link to photo album -> here
