Semporna Diving First Experience

Visited Semporna in August-September, the weather was great with no wind or rain, and the sun wasn’t too harsh. I don’t know how to swim, so I was super nervous during my first dive, and my movements became stiff 😆

👉🏻 Not recommending any specific team, just sharing my personal experience.
💰 Average cost per person: Around 4,500 TWD/person, including round-trip boat rides, mouthpiece equipment, lunch, and photography.

📌 If you want great photos, wear light-colored clothing‼️ Avoid bikini-style outfits‼️ They can easily slip off while swimming. I decided to go last minute, so I didn’t have time to shop online, and the local options weren’t very stylish.

📌 If you have small feet, bring your own fins. From personal experience, my fins slipped off my feet during my first dive and floated away. On the second dive, I had to use extra effort to keep them on, which made swimming difficult.

📌 Most Semporna diving teams offer both Chinese-speaking and English-speaking instructors. If your English isn’t good, you can specifically request a Chinese-speaking instructor. This is important because there are many underwater signals and diving rules to follow, so having a reliable instructor is crucial‼️

📍 Itinerary: I chose a trip that included two islands, Pandanan Island (morning to noon) and Mataking Island (noon to afternoon).
Pandanan Island: Lots of cats on the island! There’s a place to change clothes and have lunch here. The beach is great for photos, with crystal-clear water and soft sand that doesn’t hurt your feet. In the morning, I did a dive here to get used to the underwater feeling. The island has plenty of corals and small fish, and there are fewer tourists compared to Mataking Island.

Mataking Island: In the afternoon, the water here was noticeably deeper. I was lucky enough to encounter a sea turtle! The fish and corals were stunning, but this was when I truly understood what deep-sea fear feels like 😱. The corals in front of me were beautiful, but turning my head to see the endless black abyss was terrifying. Thankfully, having an instructor with me made it less scary.

Post by WMin大頭 | Jun 3, 2025