An (Almost) Dive Escape to Pulau Sibu
We headed out for a pre-christmas break to try and get in a spot of diving, it nearly worked! Check out of latest (almost) dive site review!
The view from the beach at Sibu, looking out towards Pulau Tinggi
As it’s the end of the year we decided to head out of KL for a few days prior to Christmas day and maybe try to sneak a few scuba dives while relaxing on a tropical island. Although it’s the monsoon season on the east coast at the moment, due to global warming it has gotten less severe in intensity over recent years and a lot of resorts, especially those in and around Johor will stay open all year round. One of those is Sea Gypsy village on Pulau Sibu run by the fantastic Wills family from the UK.
Our A frame for the week
The launching point for Pulau Sibu is the jetty at Tanjung Leman which is around a five hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, thankfully the boat wasn’t early in the morning so we were able to enjoy a leisurely drive down without having to worry about rushing. Once we arrived we paid our marine park entrance fees and waited fro the boat to arrive which it duly did. As mentioned earlier, the monsoon isn’t as intense as previously and the journey over to the island was pretty calm, although the boat needed to moor on the opposite side of the island due to the large waves crashing in on the resort side. We jumped off the boat and were met by the Sea Gypsy team who insisted on carrying our luggage for us as we navigated a slightly muddy and slippery path. We arrived at the resort after about a 15 minute walk and were promptly welcomed with a cocktail and given the lowdown on important information such as bar opening times, breakfast, lunch and dinner! I’d packed my underwater camera and diving mask as I was travelling light and wondered the short distance (around 15m) from our A-frame room to the dive centre to enquire about diving. Having visited Sibu a few years ago I knew what I would be in for, some nice, but not spectacular corals and limited visibility but it would be good to get in the water, maybe get a few photos and just ensure my skills were kept in tune - if you’re anything like myself I just love diving and it’s any excuse to getting the water! I was in luck, they were looking to put on a single tank dive the next morning, although it all depended on the size of the waves crashing in to the beach as to whether or not we could go, or at least if we would need to swim out to the boat. I walked away happy and went to assemble my camera gear to check everything was in good order and leak tight before heading to the beach to chill out for a few hours whilst the sun was out. Whilst chilling on the beach were watched a few of the staff members surfing the waves coming in which was pretty impressive but made me wonder if we’d be able to get out on the water the next day…..
Dan’s Nasty Frogmen dive base
The next morning i woke early, anticipating the days scuba dive ahead of me, but my heart sank a little when I could hear the waves crashing in whilst still lying in bed. I opened the door to our A-frame a jar and peaked round to have my worst fears confirmed as the waves seemed to be pretty large and powerful. Still, I was hopeful and made my way down to breakfast and loaded up on pancakes and coffee before making my way over to the dive centre. The team were ready for me and said we would be diving, although having to swim out to meet the boat which meant having to make my way through the waves with full kit on! I struggled out through the crashing waves and needed a little assistance but made it eventually. Once up on the boat it didn’t feel too bad and was looking forward to getting into the water - we set off towards the days selected dive site - one that the local team through t would be pretty shelved and after 15 minutes we arrived, but found to our dismay that the waves were around 4m and the boat was actually surfing down them as we got there! Looking at it, there was no way we would be able to dive here so set off to look at other sites that we might be able to dive without being beaten up by the waves. After scouting a couple of other sites that were considerably calmer the divemaster, Ben, had jumped in but the visibility was practically zero, so we decided to call it off - better to be safe and dive another day than invite disaster, separation and potentially worse by being stubborn. The boat journey back to the resort was uneventful and made good time, after we reversed to procedure for getting out to the boat we got back to the dive centre and washed equipment down. Not to let a few waves put a damper on things, the resort manager, Richard along with the other staff decided to get the slip slide ready for kids of all ages to enjoy which we promptly did!
The restaurant and bar area
Meal times ta Sea Gypsy are a bit of a treat, the food is really good and mostly local Malaysian fare as well. After a lovely lunch we settled down onto the beach and grabbed a couple of body boards and thought if you can’t beat the waves, join ‘em! The body boarding was great fun, although getting it wrong and being wiped out by one of the bigger waves could be potentially hazardous and a little painful. Still after an afternoon and fun messing around in the water we were ready for some nice cold beers as the sun went down and we had a fantastic evening meal, followed by everyone decanting to the bar area for a few evening drinks as well. The next day was spent in pretty much the same fashion, relaxing on the beach, enjoying great food and hospitality and nice cold beers in the evening! In fact, the resort is one of the most welcoming places for expats in all of Malaysia - its owned by a British family and run on a day to day basis by Richard who is fantastic at making everyone is made to feel welcome as well as putting on activities for the kids during the day - I’m not sure he ever gets to sleep with the amount of work he seems to put in and then socialising with the guests in the evening! Another nice touch for families with young kids is the separate meal time, a bit earlier for the young ones and the enthusiastic story telling as well - it means that adults get a bit of welcome quiet time while the resort staff entertain the kids.
Our final day, Christmas eve, came really quickly and I had enquired about trying to sneak in a dice before leaving. This time when I woke up I thought i was in luck, I couldn’t hear the waves crashing in and it was brilliant sunlight when I stepped out of the chalet. However, there was a rescue diver course on going and after they’d been out to practise a few skills it was obvious that the visibility was still like soup and thus I wouldn’t be in luck with getting a dive in. Not that it really mattered, we’d had a fantastic, relaxing time which was greatly needed after a year of COVID lockdowns and stress. One other highlight that really showcases what a fantastic resort for families this is were the “pop-up” Santa Claus appearances! One member of staff would dress up as Santa and run through the gardens or along the beach making sure the children would see him, a great touch and brilliant fun which really helped to get us in the Christmas spirit even though we were about to leave. Although I didn’t manage to sneak in a cheeky pre-Christmas dive as I had hoped it did really matter - had a fantastic break and I will be back in 2021 to hopefully experience the diving that this beautiful part of Malaysia has to offer.