Malaysia
Overview
The Federation of Malaysia is made up of two separate geographical regions.
Peninsular Malaysia:which is located south of Thailand and part of the Asian mainland.
Malaysian Borneo:Sarawak and Sabah regions make up part of the island of Borneo, which is also made up of the Sultanate of Brunei and the Indonesian province ofKalamantan.
The Malaysian people are generally very friendly and welcoming. Malaysia is an Islamic state, but other religions are accepted and practiced in this forward-thinking country.
About 55% of the population are Malays, with Chinese, Indian and other ethnic groups forming the remainder. Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the official language, but English is also widely spoken.
The Malaysian climate is hot and humid and therefore classed as equatorial. Rain is possible throughout the year but from the travellers and divers perspective, there are two distinct rainy seasons. The heaviest rains fall from March to May and from September to November. In addition to the rain, monsoon winds also affect the costal areas during these periods.
The air temperature ranges from a low of 21°C during November and December then averages between 26-32°C for the remainder of the year.
The sea temperature averages 26-28°C in summer and drops down to about 23-24°C in winter.
The official currency is the Malaysian ringgit.
Tourism & Malaysia.
Malaysia is one of the most westernised & developed countries in South East Asia. Tourism is one of Malaysia's main industries with a well-developed infrastructure to cater for visitors. The range of services and hotels cater for the discerning visitor wishing to holiday in style, through to the back packer and adventurer wishing to explore this beautiful country.
Travelling around peninsular Malaysia is relatively straight forward. There is a good infrastructure of roads transport and internal flights. Malaysian Borneo is not so well developed in terms of travel infrastructure because Borneo is mostly mountainous and swathed in dense rain forest. Travel in this region is best served by local airlines flying into regional centres. Boats are used to ferry visitors to inner islands. Travel within the interior can be slow by road and a river boat is quite often the most efficient means of travel.
Most travellers from the UK arrive in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, or neighbouring Singapore. From these starting points internal flights can be used to reach regional centres In Borneo, the outlying island of Tioman or the north eastern parts of peninsular Malaysia. Road/rail transport is also a viable option for internal travel in peninsular Malaysia if time permits. Most journeys to dive destinations will also require a boat trip to complete the final stage of the outward journey.
For the non-diver, there are diverse activities available in most locations. The most popular being visits to national parks. However, the range of activities for a specific location should be verified prior to making a booking if you are a non-diver. Many of the outlying islands that provide excellent diving may not reciprocate with plenty to see and do for the non diver.
Further information can be obtained from:
The Malaysian Tourist Development Corporation
57 Trafalgar Square
London
WC2N 5DH
Ph. 020 7930 7932
Website
Health Matters
See Netdoctor Malaysia for the latest information and also consult your own GP well in advance of travelling to Malaysia.
Passports
A valid passport with at least 6 months validity after the intended departure date will
be required.
Time Zone and Electricity
Malaysia is +8hours ahead of GMT. Electricity supplies are 220-240 vac 50Hz
The Diving is diverse in Malaysia and locations can be found to suit all tastes and
abilities. There is an abundance of dive resorts/locations in the South China Sea of the eastern
coast of peninsular Malaysia. Further west, there is a thriving network of dive resorts and locations in Sabah.
In addition, there are liveaboards that service the popular sites of Sabah. Liveaboards also operate from neighbouring Singapore and offer trips to a number of dive sites in the Malaysian waters off peninsular Malaysia. The Singapore-based liveaboards also offer the chance for technical divers to visit some excellent deep wreck sites in the South China Sea.
Worldwise
It is worth remembering that most dive centre business is set up in parts of Malaysia thought to be safe for overseas visitors. But like other parts of the world attractive to divers, there are no promises made for visitor's safety. In the past 5 years, there have been kidnappings of foreign divers
in the Sabah region by terror organisations targeting dive boats when out on trips. Please consult the Foreign Office web site for current advice on travel to Malaysia. FCO Website
The diving industry in Malaysia is marketed in a very focused manner and targeted at overseas visitors. If you are planning a trip to Malaysia and want to stand a good chance of encountering specific marine life, you would be advised to carry out some independent research and/or study objective reports on the area(s) you plan to visit to reduce the possibility of being disappointed.
Some locations, such as Sipadan have been extensively marketed and as a result, there are now restrictions on the number of people allowed to dive this location at present due to the real threat of environmental damage to the local marine life.
|
BSAC TRAVEL CLUB BOOKSHOP SELECTION
in association with amazon.co.uk
|
|
 |
East Marine
Leeway, Singapore
Cabanas Dive Centre
Borneo to be wild - David Dixon
Tioman Island by Crispin Coates
Kapalai Resort, Near Sipadan by Lucy Kublikowski
Lankayan Island by Ben Pemberton
Perhentian Islands by - Stuart Wilson
East Coast Islands and Perhentian Isles by Beau Webber
Sabah, Kapalai and Sipadan by Dave Martin
Eastern Malaysia, Borneo, Sarawak, The Islands
Western Malaysia - The Peninsular
Layang Layang
Layang Layang So good they named it Twice:
Malaysia: Full of Eastern Promise:
Sabah: Its a Small World:
Sipadan-Turtles on the Border:
Sipadan Alarms and Turtle Recall:
Sipadan Trouble in Paradise
Drawn by Repulse
Scuba Diving Guide to Malaysia:
|
