I finally got round to getting my open water diving license (PSS) and here’s how I did it!
We signed up with Fishermen Scuba Studio who offers frequent trips over the weekend to Tioman for open water and advanced diver certifications and also leisure dives.
💰 Price: ~$700 (for a triple share room)
⏰ Trip Duration: Friday evening (meet at 6pm at Fishermen Scuba) to Sunday evening
Rating /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (We trust our instructors so much that we are going back for our Advanced certification this year!)
1️⃣ Course materials are available online after signing up. There are 12 topics that you should try to read up before going on your trip, to familiarise yourself with your gear and new underwater environment. Don’t worry if you don’t manage to get through all the materials, the dive instructors will go through everything over the next two days.
2️⃣ About 1-2 weeks before departure, you will have to go down to the studio to pick out your gear (for sizing!) and registration.
3️⃣ After clearing customs, the trip from JB to Mersing takes ~3h. Do try to catch some shut eye en route, as you will only reach Mersing late at night where the boat to Tioman will depart from the day after.
4️⃣ After departing Mersing, we go straight into the dives! The first few sessions will focus on getting acquainted with your diving gear, and repeating safety drills (e.g., how to clear water from your mask, what to do in an emergency, how to equalise, how to remove your weights underwater etc). On the first day, dive depths do not exceed 10-12m.
5️⃣ As soon as we make landfall in Tioman, we check in to our accommodation and head for dinner! After dinner, the dive instructors will run through course materials again to prepare you for your bigger (and longer) dives the next day. You’d probably be exhausted at this stage, so get a good rest before the big day tomorrow!
6️⃣ Breakfast is served on Tioman before heading out. After 2 more dives (hitting maximum depths of 18m), we officially completed our minimum number of dives!!
7️⃣ You will need to pass your theory test after the practical session is over. This is done in Tioman after lunch. Don’t fret, after completing your dives, content which previously felt alien probably comes more naturally to you 😁
AND THAT’S IT! After completing your theory test and the necessary registration, you’re officially a certified OPEN WATER DIVER! 😁
🚙 We make our journey back to Singapore thereafter, reaching back at ~10-11pm (depending on traffic and immigration queues). #ThingsToDo #thingstodoinsingapore #malaysia #travel #travelguide #diving #tiomanisland #singaporelifestyle #Singapore
