Our stay at Seaventures, an oil rig that has been converted to a dive resort, was very pleasant. When I first looked into diving and accommodation at Sipadan , Seaventures was recommended by some who had stayed there before. The rate for staying and diving at Seaventures is cheaper than other resorts around Sipadan (except those in Semporna, but the downside is the hour long boat ride from to Sipadan). Ultimately, it is the novelty of staying and diving from an oil rig is that what drove me to select Seaventures. And that was a decision I didn't regret.
When we first arrived at Seaventures after a 45 minute boat ride from Semporna, we were greeted by a big elevator which was lowered from the upper main deck to pick the passengers from the boat. The whole platform is raised about 15m above sea level. The main deck houses the dinning area, diving station, a part of the staff quarter, and offices. The area where the drill tower normally resides has been converted to a dinning area where guests come not only have their meals but to socialize and relax. Dinning tables dot the most of the area with a few sunbathing chairs and sofas on the edge. Three meals are served at the dinning area everyday. Similar to a typical live aboard, water, coffee, tea, and other hot beverages along with light snacks like bread and biscuit are available for free every time. Beer and soft drinks cost extra. The dishes served for lunch and dinner are mostly Malaysian and very delicious. Adjacent to the dinning area is the diving station where the real action takes place. It is here the divers get geared up for their dives. While the rental equipment there aren't in tip top condition, they are functional -- but then again, I have yet to find a dive operator that offers immaculate rental equipment. One thing that I appreciate from Seaventures ground staff is the quality of their filled air. The resort director Joe had indicated to me that the center change the air filter in the air compressor regularly to ensure that the filled air in their tanks is clean, making it more pleasant for divers to breathe underwater. The rooms at Seaventures are like, well, living quarters of an oil rig. Each room has an air conditioner and bathroom. Nothing extravagant but functionally comfortable.
At Seaventures, you can dive as many times as you want -- limited by your surface intervals -- in the waters immediately below the oil rig between the hours of 6am to 8pm daily. But house dives can be boring as the area around the rig is quite devoid of interesting marine life. Much better dives are found in nearby Mabul, which arguably has the best muck diving in the area, and slightly further Sipadan. Nonetheless, you can't beat the convenience of diving right from the oil rig -- just don the scuba gear and jump right in. In the day, Seaventures organizes day trips to these islands. Divers are ferried on speed boats. Boat ride to Sipadan and Mabul take about twenty minutes and one minute respectively. A typical diving schedule in the day is as follows: two dives at Sipadan in the morning, then back to Seaventures for lunch, followed by an optional house dive on your own accord, and finally a dive in Mabul in late afternoon. Because there are no organized boat trips in the evening, you do house dives. Alternatively, you can charter a boat for 250 MYR (Malaysian Ringgit), which can be split among interested divers, to ferry you and fellow divers to dive in nearby Kalapai or Mabul.
Most of the divers I met at Seaventures were experienced divers. In fact, several professional dive masters and dive instructors from other various dive resorts across S. E. Asia were taking vacation at Seaventures while I was there -- that's right, diving professionals taking diving vacation. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean that the dive resort only caters to experienced divers. But being a world renown dive location, Sipadan seems to attract the more hardcore divers. The local staff at Seaventures are cordial and competent. Our dive master is the ever genial Eve (pronounced as duo syllabi E-Vi). Always cheerful, we practically heard her laughter even underwater.
While it wasn't my best dive vacation, I did had a good time at Seaventures. If staying and diving form an oil rig appeals you, then this affordable sea resort with a down-to-earth attitude is definitely the place to stay when you are at Sipadan.
| 8/2/2007 11:48:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) |
 |
|
|
Scuba Diving |
|
|