News
First PADI Instructor Exam in Brunei
Known as the green heart of Borneo, Brunei is fast becoming also known for its stunning blue seas and underwater treasures! A truly unspoilt gem, Brunei recently hosted its first PADI Instructor Exam with fantastic results! From the 15-16th of February this year, 11 candidates partook in both written exams and confined water evaluations conducted by PADI Instructor Examiner, Rommy Heung, who flew in specifically from Hong Kong to direct the program.
Beginning with the written exams and confined water evaluations, which were held at the Mentiri Civil Service Centre in Brunei, candidates then travelled by speedboat to Pelong Rock Island to complete the Open Water presentations. Pelong Rock is well known for its great reef diving, offering varied coral formations to explore and various Japanese shipwrecks can be found around the island.
With all 11 candidates successfully certified, the program was a huge success and was followed with a dinner and award ceremony hosted by PADI Dive Centre, Poni Divers and Seamonkey Dive Centre Malaysia – a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Centre. In attendance were Brunei government officials, including Guest of Honour, YB Pehin Yahya, Minister of Industry & Primary Resources, Haji Halidi, Acting Director of the Fisheries Department, Faten Shahrani, Project Officer at Brunei Tourism and Major Rudy Halyarmin, Ministry of Defence.
Among the 11 participants were Afiq Whalid and Suhaimi HJ Taja, who are now officially the first locally-certified Bruneian PADI Instructors. Afiq was overwhelmed by the support of PADI, Poni Divers and Sea Monkey Malaysia for making this dream a reality, “it was an unforgettable experience, and I’m proud to be one of the first Bruneian’s to do an IE here in Brunei.” Maclen Torres will also be the first Philippine national certified as PADI Instructor in Brunei.
Course Directors Arnold Yap and Thien X Do were congratulated by PADI for their efforts and contribution to making the first PADI Instructor Exam in Brunei a triumphant achievement. “I feel honoured being the first PADI Course Director to conduct the first ever IDC in the Sultanate”, said Yap. “The local Bruneian’s certainly made us all very welcome and have shown us excellent hospitality throughout the entire IDC and IE. Having created history by conducting the first IDC in Brunei, we are now planning about 2-3 Instructor Exams in Brunei every year as the diving industry becomes more and more popular amongst locals. The dive sites are great with the main attraction being the ample wrecks in the local waters, and I am looking forward to coming back towards the end of the year to conduct another IDC here.”
With 4500 hectares of coral reef and coastline Brunei is a true oasis for diving. From wreck diving to shark sightings, sheer underwater cliffs, oil rig dives and a vast and varied array of corals, Brunei has something for every diver. The water is warm, the marine life tantalising and the abundant wrecks shrouded with enough mystery to tweak any curious soul. Brunei is one off the beaten track destination to add to your dive list.
Find out more about becoming a PADI Instructor here.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
-
News3 months ago
Hone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News2 months ago
Capturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs2 months ago
Creature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs1 month ago
Murex Resorts: Passport to Paradise!
-
Gear News3 months ago
Bare X-Mission Drysuit: Ideal for Both Technical and Recreational Divers
-
Blogs2 months ago
Diver Discovering Whale Skeletons Beneath Ice Judged World’s Best Underwater Photograph
-
Gear Reviews2 months ago
Gear Review: Oceanic+ Dive Housing for iPhone
-
Blogs3 months ago
The Thrilling Encounter with Tiger Sharks at Beqa Lagoon’s ‘The Colosseum’ with Coral Coast Divers