Dive Review of Mv Celebes Explorer in
Malaysia/Borneo, Sipidan Island

Other Malaysia reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Mv Celebes Explorer, Aug, 2007, by David McDougall, CA, USA ( Reviewer 6 reports). Report 3909.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The MV Celebes Explorer accommodations were somewhat dated and in need of renovation. We had the "honeymoon" cabin which was accessed from the side of the ship so that when it rained, which it did quite often, the trip to and from the cabin was wet and treacherous on the slick metal deck. The cabin itself always had a damp smell to it and the mattress and bedding left a lot to be desired. The crew were helpful and friendly but few spoke any English. Food was reasonable and they made a great effort to accommodate my wife and I as we are both vegetarian. Since we took our own equipment I can't comment on the dive gear on board. The diving in and around Sipidan Island was spectacular with large schools of fish, dozens of turtles, sharks (leopard, white tip, hammerhead), many types of anemone fish, and lots of small critters in the Mabul Island sites. Sipidan island is a fantastic area to dive but I'm not sure we would do the liveaboard again unless the MV Celebes Explorer (currently the only liveaboard diving that area) gets a refit or another company starts diving there.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Seychelles, Hawaii, Kenya, Tahiti, Costa Rica, many Caribbean destinations.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	79-83°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No real restrictions other than the standard minimum air remaining of 500psi
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The boat had a small area set aside for setup and storing UWP equipment. Had there been a large group on board this area would have been inadequate. There were some outlets for charging points but overall the facilities were limited.

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 85 dive reviews of Malaysia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

All Malaysia Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Malaysia
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Malaysia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.15 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Mv Celebes Explorer in Malaysia/Borneo, Sipidan Island

Mv Celebes Explorer, Aug, 2007,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Mv Celebes Explorer in
Malaysia/Borneo, Sipidan Island