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.