Singapore Expats

hi guys, am thinking of taking a open water scuba diving course for beginers at the end of Oct/early Nov, wondering if anybody here is interested in it as well, maybe can go together. Or if any suggestion in diving clubs, also more than welcome to let me know.

Thanks.

M

Do you have any idea of the cost? I was going to do it in Thailand later this year on a short vacation, because I know it's rather cheap there (about 250 SGD).

i think its abt 600plus incl 2 open water dives in MY i think.

I was interested in the end of last year, and a couple of fellow dive beginners had recommended a few sites, and I remember the course was around ~S$400...maybe it is right...here's a few links.

http://www.thedivecompany.com.sg/openwater.php

This one below is ~S$600

http://www.deepbluescuba.sg/scuba-cours ... er-course/

imacy wrote:hi guys, am thinking of taking a open water scuba diving course for beginers at the end of Oct/early Nov, wondering if anybody here is interested in it as well, maybe can go together. Or if any suggestion in diving clubs, also more than welcome to let me know.

Thanks.

M

I plan to head to the waters before Monsoon kicks in Nov.
Nearest would be a weekend dive (Friday we leave and come back on Sunday) It be across the Border to Malaysia; 2hours drive + 1hour boat
Tioman Island.

We can go then!

mattks wrote:Do you have any idea of the cost? I was going to do it in Thailand later this year on a short vacation, because I know it's rather cheap there (about 250 SGD).

I know its cheaper in TH or PH, but the monsoon starts in Nov, so the diving course will be suspended till Mar Next year, thats why I wanna take it in Oct preferably and in Singapore so just 1 short trip to MY during weekend

iamnorah wrote:

imacy wrote:hi guys, am thinking of taking a open water scuba diving course for beginers at the end of Oct/early Nov, wondering if anybody here is interested in it as well, maybe can go together. Or if any suggestion in diving clubs, also more than welcome to let me know.

Thanks.

M

I plan to head to the waters before Monsoon kicks in Nov.
Nearest would be a weekend dive (Friday we leave and come back on Sunday) It be across the Border to Malaysia; 2hours drive + 1hour boat
Tioman Island.

We can go then!

Thats my plan too

dive courses are a lot cheaper in thailand or indonesia. if you can roll a dive course into a holiday it'll save you some money (all PADI courses come with the same number of dives included as part of the training).

if you ask your dive center about "referral courses" you can do all the classroom and swimming pool stuff here then do the actual fun things when you arrive at your holiday destination. it means you end up paying the higher price for part of the course at home, but you don't spend time doing homework on your holiday.

also remember that when it's monsoon in tioman (or anywhere else you care to think of in the south china sea) it's not the monsoon in other places like koh phi phi or koh lanta. or even farther south in the philippines.

you could probably pay for your flight with the money you'd save by doing the course elsewhere...

TweedleDum wrote:dive courses are a lot cheaper in thailand or indonesia. if you can roll a dive course into a holiday it'll save you some money (all PADI courses come with the same number of dives included as part of the training).

wow thanks for the info

no worries. i'm an old dive instructor that just moved to singapore. once i get connected with a club or dive center here i'll be able to give more detailed information about prices and facilites available in singapore.

until then, i hope you enjoy your open water course! make sure you get along with and trust your instructor and you'll have the time of your life

Ok, I am a reasonably experienced diver and spend pretty much all my freetime on the hobby since I moved here...

some thoughts: The wife and I have our own equipment and on many sites we know don't need a guide - so we know exactly what we want and then can go for the cheapest offer.

You on the other hand want to make an education. While one might think that OWD courses should always be the same: they are not, there are huge differences between schools that do the bare minimum or even less and the seriously good ones. I am a cheapskate, but the OWD course is the one thing I would rather go for quality. The most expensive offer is not necessarily the best... but the cheapest ones are very likely sub-standard.

I know and can recommend a local school that for example offers unlimited pool sessions for students - till you really manage the skills (http://www.thesubmersibles.com/). I think that's a good thing.

I just went on a weekend boat trip to Malaysia and we had some open water students on board. Frankly is that probably the coolest way to do it, but obviously not the cheapest - you do the swimming pool and theory lessons during the week and go on a liveaboard for a weekend. I usually go with White Manta (http://www.whitemanta.com/) which is the biggest and most comfortable boat in Singapore, but the Ark or Dive Race are others that are also just fine...

P.S: Now is the best season...

Im interested too. I also heard about White Mantra. Kep us posted

Has anybody done an "actual" safety audit of these dive vessels? I didn't probably ten years or so ago, and all were substandard when it came to safety equipment, e.g., life rafts still within inspection dates. Sufficient rafts for the number of passengers & crew on board. Sufficient life vests for the number of people on board. First Aid equipment & fire suppression equipment still within inspection parameters, flare pistols and flares, etc., etc. I've been diving going on 45 years and have been a certified diver since 1976 which also includes the better part of 20 years doing both SCUBA and commercial Oilfield/powerplant/harbour hard hat work. Most vessels in Asia are woefully under equipped when it comes to safety.

Just a word to the wise...... As I said, I've not done any audits on local dive vessels in around 10 years. You should inspect all the above EVERY time you get on board a dive vessel even if it's the same vessel (some have been known to "share" equipment so it may or may not be fully equipped.)