Perhentian, Malaysia: The Scuba Diving Journey Began Here

A long time dream comes true unexpectedly. To all the underwater dwellers, I am ready to see you.

View from the dive shop

I am 32 year old this year. There are many times I feel behind in life. Not necessarily the buy a home and get a wife type of thing, but things that I want to learn and experience. The last 3 years were really the year when I started to tell myself that: it is never too late to start, but let's not wait anymore. And scuba diving is one of them.

Scuba diving is an rather expensive hobby. It costs $400-$500 to get certified, and you have to travel to scuba dive. If you want to get serious about it, it would want to get your own gears because it is important to have familiarity with the gears you use and feel safe. It was not hard to convince myself to get my own gears after my second dive trip to Cozume. My gears in total cost me around $1,200 (they better last forever!). I got an Aqua Lung package and wetsuit from Diver Direct, Akona Globetrotter travel backpack and regulator pack, and other accessories from around the internet. Trust me, I think I have gotten the best value for the money I spent.

I love my gears

I only got my scuba certification 2 years ago in Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia. It was a rather haphazard last-minute trip. I vaguely remember that when I was in Malaysia visiting the family, some plan fell apart, and I just decided to do my scuba certification. Within two days, I was in a Southeast Asian island for 4 days to begin my scuba diving journey.

The global headquarter of Sea Voice Divers

It was pleasant experience. I chose a dive shop named SeaVoice that had a no-frill operation but had an intimate and family-like atmosphere. The lady-boss Sharifah is well-spoken in English, and genuine in her hospitality and friendliness (not the fake Mid-western nice if you know what I mean). And that attitude was shared among all her staff.

This crew made me feel home

We dove all day during the day, watched sunset and walked along the beach in the evening. At night, we hung out on the hammock and played guitar at night while busy clapping mosquitos circling us. The staffs took turn cooking for everyone. During the day, while the whole shop was buzzing with activities (pre-dive briefing, classes, suiting up, etc.), Sharifah's baby girl would be crawling around on floor. I definitely felt welcomed and belong for those 4 days with them.

I have not dived since then. Prior to my first Cozumel trip, my dive log only has a meager 9 dives. After that first Cozumel trip (which was unfortunately cut short), I decided to commit to it. And the second Cozumel trip quickly followed.

My scuba diving journey has begun. It has opened up a different world to me and added a whole new element to my future travel. To all the underwater dwellers, I am ready to see you.