Sabah, Kota Kinabalu

[Pauldcat]

Hi All,

Im going to Sabah and staying near Kota Kinablu for four nights, dont have time to get over to Sipadan so looking for something near well ish.

Can anyone recommend dive operators in the area and sites any info will be welcome.

Thanks for any advise in advance.

PC

[andydivebum]

Can highly recommend Borneo Dream Scuba Diving, Learn to Dive, Lessons, Training and Wildlife in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Went with them last year. 2 British couples running the company with their own boat, running from KK. Had a fantastic time, great diving and they can help suggest/organise anything else you want to do. Recommend a trip to the Orangutan Sanctuary at the Rasa Ria Resort. We used a guy called Paul for transport who we arranged through Borneo Dream. He picked us up in the morning and also took us to Mount Kinabalu, had a lovely day out. They can organise your accommodation. Can highly recommend Jesselton Hotel, The Jesselton Hotel in Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia. Really reasonable price and lovely hotel situated within walking distance/short taxi journey of the town and places to eat.

[Pauldcat]

Cheers Andy, that was the company i was looking at so thats a great help to give a thumbs up with them. Only got 4 nights but hope to get some great dives in. Any that stand out to you? Did you do any of the wrecks around that part of the coast?

[davebarber]

The usukan bay japanese wrecks are excellant. Giant grouper.
If you dive the upside down wreck there is a loose porthole laying 5m inside the break in the hull. But how would you ship it home? Better to find a UK one I think.

We did them on a private yacht, I think it will be too far off piste for BD.

[NotDeadYet]

I dived with Borneo Divers when I was there. They were good and very cheap (though it was only a couple of weeks after a load of tourists were abducted from Sipadan so they were desperate for the business). There are some islands just offshore from KK where a lot of dive trips run to but the diving is a bit dull and the vis is crap, nice place to stay though.

Organising transport, tours, etc., is dead easy. Wait until you get there, you save a lot. I think the name of the company I used was Wildlife Adventures, they had an office in KK. Even sorting out your own local transport is easy, there's a square in KK where the minibus operators run from/to. Destination on the front of the van, pay the driver, wait until the minibus is full then go. It's a great way of travelling round. Internal flights are very cheap to the other side of the state as well.

Definitely spend a couple of days in Kinabalu Park and Poring hot springs. The shack opposite the gate to Poring does the best curry I've ever had.

Can highly recommend Jesselton Hotel, The Jesselton Hotel in Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia.

The Jesselton is great, makes you feel like a Graham Greene character that's stepped back to the colonial days. I've had many a happy evening drinking Singapore Slings in the piano bar... Louis Mountbatten's favourite drinking den, don't you know... The more you drink, the more free food they bring out. It starts with peanuts, ends with a towering plate of satay chicken about midnight! The rooms are very nice and not mega expensive and right in the heart of KK, a lot of the big holiday hotels are a good way out of town. There are tons of cheap hotels in the town centre that are adequate though and about 1/2 the price of the Jesselton.

The Chinese cafe under Ang's Hotel does brilliant food. Curry pasties from the hundreds of bakers are great as well.