First Quarter 2011
The world’s best diving – on a budget.
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E ENGLISH
Are you one of those divers with a little time on your hands but not a lot of money? Do you want to get away from soulless hotel developments that distance you from local people? Are you fed up with having to get as many dives in as possible during a week without giving your body time to adjust? Sick of paying a fortune to be rushed through your dives without getting the chance to really appreciate the most beautiful sites in the world? Well, there is another way, take it simply. You can still enjoy the worlds best diving but do so on a budget, taking your time to get to know the dive sights and the country your visiting. With this publication we aim to guide you to some of the worlds best unspoiled dive spots where you can get to meet local people, relax and enjoy your diving as a lifestyle not just a quick break. There is nothing more rewarding than having the time to get comfortable with a reef and getting to know it’s characters. Learning your way around a destination’s dive spots and picking your favourites. Ok, to save money your going to have to rough it a bit. Maybe stay in a wooden hut and eat local food. Why the hell not though, it won’t do you any harm and it will make for a much more enjoyable experience than staying in a sanitised holiday resort. What is more you can rest assured at least some of your money will be supporting the local economy. From enjoying a bowl of noodles to diving with local guides on local boats you’ll be keeping the money in the area. Some of the dive destinations featured are actively fighting the encroachment of developers and are promoting sustainable diving practises. All are in or close to protected marine parks and we urge you to support dive shops that have a responsible attitude — your likely to find that is most. By diving responsibly and supporting small operators who have a vested interest in maintaining the reefs, hopefully the corals will be preserved for future generations to enjoy. In this edition we feature Malaysia, Egypt, Thailand and Indonesia, all well known places for exceptional diving. We have highlighted our favourite places to stay but as there is so much diving to be done in these countries we will revisit them. For further details about each place and recommendations from other divers visit simpledivingtips.com. You’ll find blogs detailing the latest from these dive destinations and further information on the various eco projects. In the next edition look out for advice on dive sites all around the world including Mozambique, Honduras and further adventures in Malaysia and Indonesia. Enjoy Simple Diving wherever it takes you.
TEXT: Liam Roberts, Damian Foster PHOTOS: Katy Phillips
Strike gold in Eygpt’s Sinai Desert he word Dahab means ‘Gold’ in Arabic and this beautiful dive location in the Sinai desert is certainly a treasure. Mentioned in the Koran, Dahab is a place of legend. Once an isolated Bedouin village, Dahab became a hippy hangout in the 1980’s. Now it has gently evolved into a relaxed scuba diving paradise. Cheap accommodation positioned right by the beach, inexpensive food and drink and a peaceful atmosphere
combine with the natural wonders of the Red Sea to make Dahab a place to stay far longer than you intended. Although Dahab has long been in the sights of greedy hotel developers it’s Bedouin owners have fought off big business and fortunately Dahab has avoided being ruined like it’s distant neighbour Sharm El Sheik. It retains local Egyptian culture and this blends gently with a slow paced backpacker and diving crowd. Expect to see
common in Dahab Lionfish and Scorpion fish are extremely
Bedouin slowly lolloping past on the backs of camels, children playing on the beach and hear the mystical sound of the call to prayer. Dahab spreads gently up a coast fringed by an impressive reef drop off. To the north is the former Bedouin village of Assalah on a kilometer long beach, full of backpackers and cheap accommodation. The centre of ‘town’ is set around the beautiful bay of Masbat and Mashraba, where you will find everything you need. To the south is the Laguna or Dahab City Medina, where there are some resort hotels and a huge cresecent shaped sand bay popular with wind and kite surfers. The most ‘traditional’ thing to do in Dahab is not to do anything. It’s one of the best places in the world to indulge this most exquisite passion and a lot of Dahab’s reputation among travellers roots in it. Cafe tents line the beach with soft cushions, carpets, tea and Shisha bubble pipes. However if “doing” something appeals there is definitely world class diving. Although on dry land Dahab is a barren, if not awe inspiring, desert, immediately below the water is an incredibly colourful and life filled reef. The calm sea and balmy weather ensure you spend a good portion of the day either snorkeling or venturing further under the water.
Dahab’s incredible Blue Hole is world famous
Diving is really popular in Dahab and the reefs here form part of a marine park. Expect gloriously colourful drop offs and cave and crevice diving. Dive sites that are a must include Blue Hole, Bells, The Canyon, Coral Garden, Eel Garden, Lighthouse, Moray Garden, The Islands and Three Pools. If you fancy travelling to more remote sights consider camel diving: a trek through the desert with Bedouin to Gabr El Bint and Ras Abu Gallum.
Dahab’s most infamous dive site is the Blue Hole, 107 meters deep with an arch opening onto the reef face at 58 meters. This site is considered to be the most dangerous scuba diving site on earth, regularly killing inexperienced and experienced divers foolish enough to risk it. A high number of
Orange Anthias are to be found all over the reefs
instructors and dive masters have met their fate in the Blue Hole including many who had successfully passed the arch dozens of times. Should you be interested in attempting this dive you MUST go through technical dive training and use the correct gases. Diving this site on air alone is near suicidal, so even if a very experienced person offers to take you through, avoid it.
Free-diving is the new kid on the block in Dahab and an increasing number of the worlds top freedivers are visiting for training. If depth is something you are passionate about several operators have mixed gas available and you can hire complete technical diving equipment. You’ll find regular dive courses all over Dahab, several outfits also offer TDI mixed gas and Nitrox.
You can dive the Blue Hole as a regular dive — it’s one of the top ten diving spots in the world. Bells to Blue Hole is extremely popular and an incredible dive. But be aware that it can be crowded later in the day due to buses from Sharm El Sheik visit. A dive in the Bells, takes you straight down a chimney an exhilarating 30 metres in depth. Then you emerge over a saddle and cross the Blue Hole and experience a true feeling of weightlessness.
Although extreme diving is an option most people just fall in love with the local dive sites and the fish life that lives there. Dahab is a great place to really get to know a reef and enjoy a relationship with the critters that live there. Most diving is shore diving and the North – South orientation makes finding your way around easy. Expect to befriend Moray, Barracuda, Rays, Turtles and ,if you look closely, seahorse and pipe fish.
Most people fly into the Sinai via Sharm El Sheik. From Sharm you can catch a bus to Dahab or jump into a taxi for a hair raising journey through the desert and mountains. There overnight buses from Cairo and the airport at Taba, north of Dahab, is now taking more flights. Avoid entering Egypt via the Israeli border.
With its pleasant weather all over the year, Dahab is an excellent place to visit any time of year. Weather in summer can get extremely hot and during winter it is much milder especially during the nights. Dahab has a very dry climate and rain is extremely rare, even during the winter months.
A coral outcrop just off the bea ch in the middle of Dahab
TEXT: Bob Finch PHOTOS: Dave Walker
Party Island or peaceful dive paradise? oh Phan Gan is an island off the Central Gulf Coast of Southern Thailand, halfway between the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Since the seventies people have followed the hippy trail to the island and the notorious full moon parties. Neighbouring Koh Tao has traditionally always been famous for diving and is often described as the biggest dive school on the planet. Whilst it’s true that you can choose to party in Koh Pha Ngan most of the island is a calm and peaceful paradise.
We think Koh Tao is just simply too busy Accommodation and food are easy to and over dived. It’s for this reason we find on Koh Pha Ngan with the busiest have chosen Koh Pha Ngan as one of part being the town Thong Sala and our top dive destinations. the notorious Haad Rin beach. These areas are very developed but are good On Koh Pha Ngan the diving is just for a night out and do provide all the as good as it’s neighbour, actually it’s arguably better. From easy dives off the conveniences of a town which saves a trip off the island to the mainland. A beach to longer trips by boat you can quieter place to stay with good access easily experience the world of tropito snorkeling and diving is the north cal diving. All of the dive sites directly of the island. Many people rent motoraround Koh Pha Ngan are situated on bikes to explore the island but beware the south west, west and north coasts of the roads. Thai mafia do have a of the island. presence on the island and although you are unlikely to come in contact with them it is best to choose a small family run place to stay away from the action and remember to keep your nose clean! Several beaches can only be accessed by small boat and if you really want to get away from it all in paradise this can be a perfect option. Most dive schools run daily trips to dive sites around Koh Pha Ngan and to the premier dive sites in the Gulf of Siam like Angthong Marine National Park, Sailrock and Koh Tao! Choose your dive operation carefully as shops open up and close again frequently on the island. There are a few dodgy operators so don’t be guided by price alone.
g Koh Pha Ngan Your just as likely to see a whale shark divin
If it is your ambition to see a whale shark your just as likely to have an encounter diving from Koh Pha Ngan.
Some jungle rimmed beaches are only accessible by boat
During local dives you are likely to see a surprising variety of corals and a healthy cross section of reef and pelagic fish. Expect to see hump, staghorn and table corals, plate and leaf corals, anemone corals, brain corals and soft corals on the deeper sites. Every dive should introduce you to a variety of damselfish, angelfish, groupers (some of a fair size!), goatfish, wrasse and parrotfish, and snapper and anemonefish to name but a few. You can also find stingray, big schooling barracuda, cuttlefish, tuna and hunting mackerel. Koh Ma is a small island connected to Koh Pha Ngan by a sandbar located in the north west of the island. The island offers a great range of colorful corals and fish. This area is a perfect place for
Blue spotted ray’s tuck themselves away in the rocks or sand.
snorkeling with steeply shelving reefs, interesting scenery and hard and soft filter corals at depth. Expect schooling fish, bannerfish, big grouper and hunters like stealthy barracuda when there’s a little current. Similarly Haad Yao and Had Salad offer long relaxed coral reef dives with an excellent range of hard corals and reef fish with a maximum depth of 14m. Koh Tae Nok, a small island just located in front of Koh Pha Ngan has both hard and soft corals and a wide range of marine life. Sail rock is undoubtedly the most famous dive site in the Gulf of Thailand. Located between Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao this spectacular rock rises out of the water creating a steep wall dive with a maximum depth of 40 metres.
Sail rock has a huge range of marine life, spectacular underwater scenery, rock formations and as a highlight the legendary ‘Chimney’ swim-through. The finest diving around Koh Pha Ngan is easily the Ang Thong National Marine Park. This archipelago consists of forty two islands and offers some of the most beautiful, vibrant, undamaged coral in Thailand. Explore colourful swim throughs and walls filled with an exotic mix of marine life. Departing from Koh Pha Ngan, a boat trip takes about two hours to the northernmost tip of the marine park. The largest island, Koh Anthong, has the best range of fish in the Gulf of Siam and here you’ll find less common creatures like turtles or sea snakes.
The closest airport is Koh Samui which has frequent flights from Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Chiang Mai and Kuala Lumpur. Transportation to the ferry dock is easy to find at the airport. Ferries depart several times a day with the last one around dusk. Most people arrive by ferry from the mainland port town of Surat Thani. Surat has good rail connections to Bangkok and an airport.
The best time to visit Thailand is traditionally considered to be from November to February. This is the cool season, when there is little rainfall and less humidity. Although during the monsoon season (May through to October) Koh Pha Ngan can enjoy great weather with rain only being occasional.
Mae Haad bay has some incredible coral just off shore
TEXT: Claire Forrest PHOTOS: Paul McCormack
Lombok’s three unspoiled and peaceful diving paradises he idyllic Gili Islands are located just off the northwest tip of Lombok, Indonesia.
playing reggae and serving up western and Asian food. Best of all, there’s no cars or motorbikes to disturb the peace.
planning, have so far prevented the Gilis being ruined by over development like parts of neighbouring Bali.
The three Gili Islands Trawangan, Meno, and Air came to the attention of the wider world as a backpacker mecca in the 1980’s and 1990’s. This is still true to some extent, and the Gili’s are still a fixture on the Banana Pancake Trail. The islands are very relaxed and laid-back, with countless little beach side cafes still
There is a strong environmental focus on the Gilis as the reefs were damaged in the past. Trawangan now has a couple of expensive resorts but life is still all about the beach and there are many options to wine and dine, hang out and meet new friends. Lombok’s traditional Muslim culture, and wise
The name “Gili Islands” is rather redundant as gili simply means “small island” in Sasak, but the name has stuck and is universally used and understood in Lombok. Gili Trawangan is the largest and most visited of the three islands and is known as a party island. Gili Air is the closest to Lombok, and has a small local community. Meno is sandwiched between the other two better known islands and is quieter and the most laid back. All three islands offer diving and it’s worth a stay on each. In peak season it can be hard to find a bed on Trawangan but each island has plenty of options to suit all budgets. Dive prices are fixed by agreement between the dive operators on each island, so there is nothing financial to be gained by shopping around. The best approach is to settle down on your chosen island, ask around, and get to know the dive shops. Other divers often have the best advice and can point you in the direction of their favourites.
Meno Turtles are common and a hatchery is established on Gili
The sea between the Gili islands has some notorious currents and whilst this makes for fun drift diving beware of getting caught out whilst swimming.
ceful jellyfish ethereal than the gra There is nothing more
An impressive array of sea creatures can be seen on the Gilis: turtles, manta rays, bumpheads, sharks, and more. There are about 18 dive sites around the three islands, with a variety of topography (slopes, walls, ridges and canyons) and an enormous amount of diverse marine life. Trawangan’s best dive spots include Deep Turbo — a sandy bottom at 30 meters that has a number of huge sea mounds. There are plenty of overhangs and cracks to explore that house morays, crabs and fish. Coral growth is good here and there are some resident garden eels in the sand. Sunset Reef is a gently sloping reef with big slabs of table coral and gardens of staghorn. Halik Reef has a steep slope with a series of canyons in the deeper areas that are often home to local turtles.
Gili, Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air
Shark Point, the most popular dive site on the island, is a vast open site and one of the best places to see white tip, black tip and even grey sharks. There are also other big visitors such as rays, turtles and bumpheads. Manta Point, a little further south, can offer the opportunity to spot seasonal visiting mantas. Gili Meno boasts Takat Malang and Simon’s Reef a plateau with big coral heads and impressive canyons, overhangs and swim throughs. The Meno Wall is a soft coral carpeted wall and home to all manner of crustaceans. Some big groupers and turtles are often seen at this spot which is a popular night dive destination. Spanish dancers and cuttlefish are the delights after dark. Gili Air has a large Japanese Wreck, a World War II patrol vessel in 45 meters of water. It is home to a large number
of lionfish and scorpion fish and often attracts schooling barracuda and jacks. Hans Reef boasts a host of bommies and rocky outcrops and it’s a great site for macro life. Air Wall offers a drop off to around 32 meters, some good coral formations can be found here with plenty of overhangs and arches filled with glassfish. Every dive shop on the Gili Islands is a member of the Gili Eco Trust , a non-profit organisation set up to protect coral reefs surrounding the islands. Dive operations regularly do free to participate beach clean ups and provide environmental education. There is a one time only reef tax of Rp 50,000 payable by all divers and dive students. The tax is collected by the dive operator and is used to fund the work of the trust in protecting the Marine park.
Most people arrive on the Gili islands by boat from close by Lombok or Bali. There is an airport on Lombok or you can fly into Bali. From Bali there are now numerous direct boat services to the Gilis, all of which continue on to Lombok. You can catch a boat from Kuta on Bali or from Padang Bai if you are starting from places such as Ubud and Candidasa, or Amed and the east coast dive areas.
The Gilis are noticeably drier and hotter than Lombok, but evenings can still be cool and refreshing. The rainy season is roughly from November to April, but it rains much less than on Bali. The peak tourist seasons are July–August and December–January.
If you like the small stuff, keep an eye out for Nudib ranchs
ands e all around the isl Hawksbill turtles liv
No roads, no development, just you, the jungle and the beach. erhentian means “place to stop” in Bahasa Malay and the Perhentian Island’s crystalline blue water teeming with aquatic life will make you want to do exactly that. Easily accessible from the northeast coast, the Islands are Malaysia’s best kept secret. Stunning diving, picturesque beaches, and the chilled vibe of simple island life cause people
to leave their hearts buried in the white sand once they’ve gone. Two islands make up the inhabited part of Pulau Perhentian: Kecil and Besar. Kecil — the small island is our favourite and tends to attract budget travelers and divers. Although tourism is the lifeblood the Perhentians have certainly not lost their rough and tumble, jungle appeal.
Perhentian Kecil is definitely no high end hotel destination: it’s the perfect place for the simple life and getting to know the undersea world. There are no buildings over two stories tall, no motorized vehicles, and electricity is provided by intermitant temperamental generators. You won’t find banks or ATMs on the islands and there is very little in the way of infrastructure. The main activities are diving or hanging out with the huge monitor lizards. Be aware that this region of Malaysia is very religious and generally alcohol free. Although alcohol is available on Kecil it isn’t cheap. The word is out and the island is popular with backpackers from all over the world and quickly fills up during busy season; it’s not unusual to find people sleeping on the beach. Life on Kecil is divided between two equally stunning beaches: Long Beach is the largest and has more nightlife and accommodation. Relaxed Coral Bay has cheaper places to stay and is the place to be for glorious sunsets. The two beaches can be walked between in 15 minutes, through the jungle — don’t forget your torch at night.
The islands are all part of a protected marine reserve
A large group of giant bumpheads will happily swim with you
Pulau Perhentian is part of a protected marine park, the diving is superb and very inexpensive. Thanks to a turtle restoration program, sea turtles as well as sharks are numerous. A host of dive shops on both islands provide PADI courses and fun dives, starting at US around $25 per dive. Visibility is usually around 20 meters during the dry season and sea conditions invariably calm whenever you are close to the island. Popular dive sites include the Pinnacle (aka Tokong Labnvut, “Temple of the Sea”), a coral encrusted pinnacle rising from the sea bed, and the Sugar Wreck, an easily accessible 3500 ton sugar hauler that sunk out in the open ocean. For sheer pleasure almost anywhere around the north of the island provides gorgeous coral filled bays and gentle drop offs. Your likely to meet the big
group of giant Bumphead Parrotfish as they make their way around the island and look out for rays and Lion fish. The best place to see sharks (black tip) is in front of an extremely small “beach”, only accessible by boat, between Shark Point and the Teluk Dalam beach, or the rocks off the Coral View. They are usually seen cruising the bottom of the reef but be careful in low tide, you could end up swimming right along side them. Have no fear though they are usually completely harmless youngsters. For turtles, best place is the middle of the beach in front of Perhentian Island Resort, where the sandy bottom is covered with algae. As a special treat you could splash out on a day trip to nearby Redang Island, which offers diving a notch above the local
options, well worth it, but be prepared for a rough ride in a small speedboat. Competition for divers is fierce and consequently cheap but before choosing your dive center check the state of equipment. Its not only about the price, it’s also about the safety. There are plenty of smaller operations so you can avoid big dive groups and being rushed out of the water.If you can, dive with operators who support the marine environment. Several Dive Centres run regular reef clean operations and offer Reef Check survey methodology, to monitor and conserve the marine environment. Your likely to find you’ll end up spending longer than you expected on the islands. Pack your bag well. Like many before you, you may even choose to end up calling the Perhentians home for a while.
Pulau Perhentian is best accessed via the small mainland town of Kuala Besut. A combination of rail and bus can get you to Kuala Besut overnight from Kuala Lumpur. Many travellers also arrive via Thailand and Butterworth. Spine-adjusting, speedboats and gentler ferries make daily trips from the mainland out to the islands.
One factor that helps the islands maintain their beauty is the eastern monsoon that effectively limits the season to the period between the beginning of March until late October. The Perhentian islands are practically empty and most businesses are closed during the rainy months. July is peak season so book accommodation in advance if you can.
Peace and tranquility as the sun sets at Coral Bay