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.

http://www.mens-health.com.my 61

dive, not diving with a cold (you could

risk a burst eardrum), laying off the

alcohol, and – if you want to get more

out of your air tank – quit smoking.

TIPS

If you’re serious about diving,

buy your own wetsuit. Having to

stay hydrated under the sun and

the additional pressure of being

submerged places on your bladder

means you’ll eventually have to

take a leak – rentals have been

urinated in too many times to count.

Southeast Asia’s tropical weather

and warmer waters mean you can

opt for a thinner 2.5 to 3.5mm

wetsuit. Sleeveless or short-sleeved

and legged versions are popular,

but a full-body suit will reduce the

chance of scrapes or injury from an

unexpected attack by a territorial

eel or a stinging jellyfish.

kayaking and jungle trekking.

(www.berjayahotel.com/tioman)

WHEN TO GO

Malaysia’s east coast destinations

such as Tioman, Redang and the

Perhentian islands are closed

during the monsoon season

between November and February,

but year-round diving is possible in

Sabah and Sarawak and many other

parts of Southeast Asia, though

visibility may be impaired and the

waters a lot choppier.

GETTING DIVE READY

Like many extreme sports,

recreational diving doesn’t come

without risks, which is why there

are exams to pass and certifications

to gain. Some basic rules to follow

include getting enough sleep before a

Watch out

Keeping track of the length

of your dive is crucial to

ensuring your safety. These

Victorinox watches are tough

as nails, water resistant to

200m, and able to withstand

high pressure, vibrations

and extreme variations

in temperature – which is

probably more than we can

say about you.

INOX Professional Diver

Victorinox’s certified diving

watch has blue and green

Super-LumiNova indicators

for readability in dark ocean

depths, and an extendable

rubber strap with gadroons

to stretch over a diving suit. In

black, indigo blue and Victorinox

red and bright yellow. RM2,499

INOX Carbon

Made from the same material

used to protect space shuttles

upon re-entry into Earth’s

atmosphere, Victorinox’s

latest timepiece features red

military time, luminescent

indicators, and a choice

of rubber strap or black

Naimakka multi-strand nylon

paracord, which is used for

parachute suspension lines

and has the ability to support

up to 250kg. RM4,499

http://www.victorinox.com

colourful fish and coral gardens. It

was a taster to the kind of amazing

underwater exploration any

certified diver can embark on if you

choose to suit up and jump in.

WHAT TO DO

Diving isn’t for everyone. It is a

high-commitment activity that

requires a minimum of three days

to sit for the entry-level open water

certification (in Malaysia, the most

popular scuba-diving training and

certification body is PADI). Find out

if it’s really for you by signing up for

a Discover Scuba Diving course.

Once you nab that licence, diving

holidays will require time off for

travel and recovery. There’s no flying

12 to 24 hours either side of your dive

due to decompression requirements

• that’s the designated time required
  for gases like nitrogen to disperse
  from your body safely.

GETTING THERE

Berjaya Air no longer flies to

Tioman, having ceased their service

in 2015. Drive or bus it to Tanjung

Gemuk just north of the Pahang-

Johor border, the jump-off point for

a two-hour ferry across the South

China Sea to the Kampong Tekek

jetty on the west side of Tioman.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Berjaya Tioman

Resort Hotel that sits on three

kilometres of white sand beach, and

provides a comfortable base from

which to explore the area’s multiple

dive sites. If you’re doing it with

buddies, plump for a standard quad

chalet for four or a deluxe triple for

three. The resort also has a gym,

an 18-hole golf course, and offers