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Book your international flight to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and then get yourself to Semporna via Tawau.

Kuala Lumpur to Tawau

Book a flight from KL to Tawau with Air Asia for around RM200 plus taxes.

Air Asia leaves from the Kuala Lumpur LCCT which stands for Low Cost Carrier Terminal. Its about 10km from the main international terminals. Follow the signs from arrivals to the car park and you will find the bus station and a transfer bus for RM1.50. It takes around 15 mins but leave some time to spare.

Air Asia are very strict about excess baggage and its expensive but they are very friendly to scuba divers. Pack your gear separately and identify it when you check in and you will pay maximum of RM30.

Singapore to Tawau

Book a flight from Johor Bahru to Tawau with Air Asia for around RM200 plus taxes.

Johor Bahru is the Malaysian town across the causeway from Singapore. After you land, take the train into town and then a bus from Queen Street bus station to Malaysia! Total cost less than S$5. You will need to get a taxi to Johor Bahru airport (also called Senai airport) because the buses are difficult to find but this should only cost you RM20 or so.

Tawau to Semporna

All day boats to Sipadan and transfers to Mabul resorts start in Semporna, a fishing town 100km from Tawau. The diving day and resort transfers start early so it is better to go direct to Semporna when you arrive.

Leaving Tawau airport you have two options. The bus ticket counter will sell you a ticket to Tawau (RM10) and direct you to the bus behind the police station. Tawau town is 30km from the airport south. Semporna is 70km north. If you go to Tawau first you will have to retrace 30km on your second bus before getting closer to your destination.

So before you buy your ticket to Tawau, go and look behind the police station. You will likely find a mini bus going direct to Semporna and they charge only RM20. Save yourself two hours and RM20 and go direct!

If you are tired, late or fancy splashing out, a taxi costs around RM100 and will fit up to 3 tired divers and their gear!

You could save yourself all that hassle by booking diving ahead. Most dive resorts will come and collect you if you book ahead. Read our recommendations in Part 2 - Sipadan Diving Options

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If you like turtles and sharks, great drop offs and reefs to snorkel then you will love Sipadan. This island off the east coast of Malaysian Borneo used to boast the worlds best shore dive. About 10m/30ft from the beach the wall drops to 680m/2200ft. Since 2005 the island is a marine park and is protected from dynamite fishermen and over diving by the Malaysian Navy and Sabah Parks officials. Divers must stay on close by Mabul or take day trips from the coast town of Semporna.

For such a wonderful dive site you would expect premium prices, but Sipadan is surprisingly accessible for those on a shoestring budget. Get yourself to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and follow the tips below for a unforgettable dive holiday without breaking the bank.

• Part 1 - Getting to Semporna
• Part 2 - Diving Sipadan options
• Part 3 - Diving elsewhere in Sabah

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Released yesterday - each and every dive and diving story can now be shared on Digg, Reddit, Technorati, Blinklist, Del.icio.us, Mag.nolia, StumbleUpon and Netvouz.

Links are in your user sidebar but obviously not when you are editing! Sharing great dive information just got easier.

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1. no-one ever looks at them anyway

It’s true that most of the time when you go diving, a cert card is all you need to get you on the boat. But on the other hand our world is changing and dive resorts need to check a little deeper to be sure their insurance will cover them if the worst happens. Don’t be upset if they ask for a dive log, its the primary evidence of your diving experience. Read the rest of this entry »

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1. you have a countersigned record of dives for later training

Whether you are interested in technical diving or going pro some time in the future, you will need a dive log showing you have enough experience to move to the next level. Some resorts even insist on seeing dive logs before they will take you to some more advanced dive sites. In these days of increasing litigation it is good for them and for you to know that your fellow divers are experienced enough for the dive. Read the rest of this entry »

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Right from the word go theDiveBuzz has had contextual help when you are building a dive log. Now we have moved it into the user side bar so you always know where it is. If you are wondering what mark up you can use for your dive narrative or what section you need to add to get course information listed on your homepage, just look to the right and you will find it.

If you want to read up first before you plunge in, or have questions about your account then go to the help library. This is always linked from the main navigation at the top of every page. Its a compilation of all our contextual help and more.

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We have added a sidebar to all our diver’s pages so you can see at a glance whose dives you are browsing.

We have moved the main navigation up to the top, always in the same place. The top line is the main navigation for all the site, the second line is your navigation when you are logged in.

Your user sidebar contains all the actions you can do on a page, including creating a new dive or story from any page.

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We had feedback from a number of users you only dive a couple of times a year. So we have created a Pay as you Go account. Just like a paper dive log, you can buy dive/story pages when you need them. There is no commitment, just a one off payment for 10 pages.

Pay as you Go customers are eligable for BuddyCredits. When you introduce a dive buddy to theDiveBuzz then you and your buddy will both earn free pages to top up your account. Read more about Buddycreditâ„¢

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