Let's go Diving in Tioman

Life in Tioman can be as relaxed or as busy as you want to make it!

Our first day on the Island Rafa decided to walk to the other side!!

From ABC you can easily walk around the point to Telek along the new walkway. 

The old route took you through the jungle and up quite a few steps but the new path that curls around the point is a joy to walk.

Cool breezes race around the rocks, waves gently lap below your feet, lizards bask on the rocks and apart from the odd motor bike that splutters past the walk way is quiet.

At the far end of the walkway, a set of bollards stops all the motor bikes going any further than the small sheltered parking area off to one side, but for those who are clever, a second bike is usually parked on the far side of the bollards, ready for the second part of the journey into town!

Rafa had no motor bike, so he walked around the point, walked into town and then finding the old trail (there is a road that crosses the island now) he walked through the jungle to Juara beach!!!

I, on the other hand, did not!!

Having been woken at 6am by the arrival of the dawn stampede as a large troupe of monkeys race across the roof tops while wearing hob nail boots from one end of ABC beach to the other.....

...... I walked the deserted beach, did a little Tai Chi .......

.... and then went back to rest on the balcony!

It was mid morning when I eventually roused myself to begin my own explorations of ABC beach. 

As I walked past the Rays Divers, a happy smiling voice called out to me.

“You find room? You want to dive now?”

The evening before, as Rafa and myself had waked past the dive shop with our backpacks upon our backs, the same happy smile had asked us if we wanted to go diving. My response had been “First we find rooms!”

As we now had rooms I smiled back and stepped into the shade of the trees. Chloie and Ray had been working out of Telek for ten years but three years ago had decided to make the move to ABC.

Their dive centre was clean and well organised, they had their own compressor, class room and big boat plus across the path way on the sea ward side they had a bar!!!!

A quick discussion followed about dive sites, training available and costs before with a big smile, I walked on. 

Diving in Tioman is good plus it is cheap! 

For 95 ringget (divide by 5 for sterling) you could dive into the clear warm waters with everything you needed.

While living in Moorea I had written an article about diving for the local paper called the Tahiti Press. To write the article, research had needed to be done, research that involved diving with each of the five companies on the island so I could compare their standards and services.

I had 10 days on Tioman before I returned to Singapore, how many dive centres now occupied sites on ABC beach I mused as I walked.

Eco divers used to occupy a site right next to the jetty but have now moved to the other side of the pathway. 

Again they have their own compressor and a huge amount of equipment that is stored in a huge metal lockup. 

I talked to one of the guys for a few minutes as I walked past and although he was factually helpful, there was no flowing enthusiasm and happy smiles like there had been with Chloie. Prices were the same so I walked on.

Past the jetty and nestled between concrete and wooden aircon huts and chalets, B&J Divers is where Kris had worked when he had first come to Asia as a Dive Instructor. Its great reputation is known through out the island but with that reputation comes trade!

On the ferry over, a group of about twelve Americans had been escorted by a member of B&J's to Tioman for a five day package trip. 

With three dives going out every day plus the occasional night dive I decided that this place, even though it has a good training pool, enough equipment to take a bus of people diving plus a pretty cool bar, it was just too busy for my style of diving. 

Their prices were 105 ringetts per dive.

Beyond B&J's there are two tiny dive centres, basically just one room operations, both of which were closed the morning of my explorations. Later in the week I discovered that both mainly did beach dives.

I walked to the end of the beach to make sure there was no one I had missed out and then walked all the way to the Telek end of ABC to check out the diving at the resort located there. 

As I arrived I spotted three instructors sitting around a table with what looked like their lunch plus a lone tall girl with a student to one side.

Not wishing to disturb the girl with the student I wandered over to the table, apologised for interrupting their lunch but asked if anyone could talk to me about diving. 

When all three simply smiled and continued eating without saying anything, the girl with the student interrupted her teaching to ask if she could help me.

She then led me to the main office where the owner and his wife were rocking a small child to sleep to see if they could help me. Prices were again comparable with Rays Divers, the equipment looked good but after the response from the staff, I wasn't sure I wanted them to take me underwater.

I returned to my room to mull over my choices.

Of all the dive centres I had visited that morning, apart from the tall girl with the student at the end resort, Chloie and the team around her had been the most forthcoming, enthusiastic and happy. 

I didn't need to write a report, I didn't need to try them all out, I just wanted to dive so I returned to Ray's Divers to make a plan!!

As I sat in the shade, having been invited by Chloe to sit down and relax, I was introduced to people as they passed by.

Daniel was their dive master, Jaya was the compressor man and of course there was Ray, who owned the place along with his wife Chloe.

Their friend Camille and other people wandered in and out as there was a party being planned for the evening and, prompted by various questions, I began to tell stories about how I came to be at Tioman. 

Some where along the thread I went through the bits about Kris working at Bjs, reciting the Kris's Mouse story in verse, how that led to my first trip to Tioman as part of a round my world trip, then life in Moorea, before I got to Lisa moving to Singapore and having a baby! 

Three hours past and I suddenly realised I was still talking!!!

Apologising profusely I sat back silent as they all laughed and said it was all so interesting they could listen to me all day!! 

I relaxed as the tall girl who had tried to help me earlier walked in with a very damp student in tow?

Emma smiled broadly as she was introduced to me as their Dive Instructor while the biggest grin imaginable spread across my face. 

“This is amazing!!” I cried out as I proceeded to tell them all about my morning checking out the other dive centres and finding that Em had been the only other person who had 'made' time for me!

By now the sun was beginning to set and the bar was getting ready for opening!

I bought the first 'post work' round as everyone had now officially finished work and was invited to stay for the evenings party!!!

With the party promising to be a late night, I decided I would begin my dives in two days, giving me time to recover. 

One day of diving plus partying followed by one day of recovery and rest seemed like a good plan for the ten days!!

...... By the end of my first night hanging out with this amazing bunch of people, I knew I had definitely chosen the right Dive Centre!!