Men\'s Health Malaysia - Jun 2017

60 JUNE 2017

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPH

MUNA NOOR

PHOTOGRAPHS

ISTOCKPHOTO; TIADCHAD.COM

Guy Skills

SANDY BEACHES, THE SUN

and seawater combine to make

recreational scuba diving an

appealing form of adventure travel.

Which makes us pretty darn lucky as

Malaysia has some of the best diving

sites in the world.

It can’t hurt either that, besides

providing you with the opportunity

to show off your hard-earned

physique, diving is a great, low-

impact form of resistance training.

The measured breathing and the

ability to think and act calmly while

underwater are also an excellent

stress buster and confidence builder.

At the invitation of Victorinox

Swiss Army Timepieces Malaysia,

we travelled to Tioman Island

off the coast of Pahang with Baki

Zainal, Victorinox ambassador,

avid ocean environmentalist and

TV host. The mission was to get

acquainted with Victorinox’s INOX

Professional Diver watch collection,

go diving, and play a small part in

saving the ocean.

While the frequent divers got

handy anchoring four coral nursery

tables that we had built earlier to

the seabed, lapsed divers (that’s us)

got a half-day refresher, and novices

underwent the Discover Scuba

Diving (DSD) course under the

watchful eye of dive operator

UDive (www.udive.com.my).

Our subsequent “fun dive” at

Labas Island, one of many dive

sites off Tioman, involved some

nifty manoeuvring through caves

and caverns amongst stingray,

moray eel, and countless shoals of

TRAVEL

Depth

Perception

We braved a nine-hour journey to reacquaint ourselves

with Tioman Island, and with the serenity of the seas

DIVE IN

With a diving licence, a world of

Scuba possibilities opens up. Here

are five Southeast Asian diving

spots to discover

LAYANG LAYANG, MALAYSIA

Part of the disputed Spratly

Islands, schools of hammerhead

sharks converge here during

mating season (April to May).

POM POM, MALAYSIA Every

day is turtle day on this tiny island

off the coast of Semporna. Plant

coral with TRACC (Tropical

Research and Conservation

Centre), and then watch turtles

graze on it.

RAJA AMPAT, INDONESIA

Set off the northwest coast

of Indonesian Papua, this

biodiversity hotspot is the

region’s holy grail of dive sites

and a bucket list must-do.

SIMILAN ISLANDS,

THAILAND Swim amongst

gentle giants from February

through May when manta

rays and whale sharks glide

through the waters of the

Andaman Sea.

PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES

A combo of WW2 shipwrecks

and endangered dugongs

makes diving off Philippines’

“last frontier” unique.