I did my DSD few months back, and decided to get myself an Open Water PADI SCUBA diving license in October. After getting some input from Roslan, one of my good friend (senior at high school & the person who is responsible for me going diving), we went to Sabah Divers at Wisma Sabah to get the first 3 basic equipment for SCUBA diving - mask, snorkel and fins.

Of course, I can just hire them every time I go diving, but in the long run, I will save more on the items and it will always be mine. And I can use it for snorkeling around Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, a group of beautiful islands just 15 minutes away from Kota Kinabalu with my kids on weekends.

I know that I diverted my blog post a bit with SCUBA diving, but by staying in Sabah, I could not resist NOT to write about it. I have been to the highest peak of Borneo few times, 4095.2 meters above sea level. So this time I am going down, maybe up to 40 meters below sea level. Sabah is blessed with these two assets, in which people from all around the world spends millions to get to where we are. I just don’t want to miss the opportunity, as world class diving spot is just “at my backyard!!!”.

Anyway, back to the equipments. I bought all the items from Sabah Divers dive shop. As Roslan is a regular customer with them, I got a very good discount on all the items (I love discount!!!). At the end of the shopping session, I was RM600 poorer after spending on those 3 (actually 4, including a tote bag).

You don’t have to buy these equipments to get yourself an Open Water PADI diving license. You can hire them with the dive operators, but you will be more comfortable using your own equipments.

Knowing that spending on LiquidSkin MARES will burn my pocket more, I decided to settle on lower ranked brand, TUSA. Honestly, I decided to buy these items after getting some feedback from Roslan and some homework done from the internet. I bought:

1. TUSA Snorkels SP-130 Platina Hyperdry
Check it out from Amazon: TUSA Platina II Hyperdry Easy Clear Snorkel

• Hyperdry system with three current rectifying plates.
• Pre-angled purge valve to eliminate gurgling of water by breathing and let air bubbles pass by the side of the face. [PAT.P.]
• Ortho-consciously designed mouthpiece for ultimate comfort.
• Detachable two-sectional swivel adapter to minimize the pulling feeling. [PAT.P.]
• Three-dimensional pipe curve for the ideal angle for snorkeling.

The sensation of residual water (gurgling) while snorkeling is eliminated. This revolutionary snorkel uses a new mouthpiece, designed with the aid of ergonomic engineering.

2. TUSA Masks TM7500Q Splendive II
Check it out from Amazon:Tusa Splendive II Light Weight Dive Mask

• 2-window design with wide field of vision and light weight for comfort
• Bi-symmetrical lenses for easy installation of corrective lenses.
• Special low volume design for snug fit and easy clearing.

The Splendive II, TM-7500Q is very light with a total weight of only 6.3 ounces. It fits close to your face providing an extra-wide field of vision and is also quick and easy to clear. Corrective lenses are available for easy installation.

Basically, the correct way of choosing a mask is by putting it on to your face, and make sure it fits nicely on your eyes and nose. Gently inhale with the mask on to make sure that it sealed your face and do some movement (like tilting) of your head or even jump with it. A good mask is a mask that will not fall down while doing some vigorous things with the mask on.

3. TUSA Fins FF-9 X-Pert Zoom
Check it out from Amazon:TUSA Xpert Zoom Full Foot Split Scuba Diving Fins

• Innovative hydrofoil design and hybrid blade produce greater forward motion (lift) both on the surface and under the water.
• Propeller-fin™ technology and super lightweight design achieve the ultimate performance with less effort.
• Open-toe full foot pocket provides superb comfort and support.

TUSA combined Propeller-fin™ technology and the multiflex-blade-system, resulting in the newly developed X-PERT ZOOM full-foot fin. The FF-9 provides more speed and power with less effort and fatigue than traditional paddle blade full-foot fins. The FF-9 is a super thin, lightweight design, yet it generates maximum performance and comfort with minimum strain on the leg muscles when using a small bent-knee kick with a light rhythm.

Yeah, right… I got all those information from TUSA’s official website. As I have not used them yet (at this moment of writing), I could not give my personal views on those equipments.

Oh, as I am going for a SCUBA diving lesson this October (either at Pulau Mamutik, Manukan or Gaya), I would like to invite you to join me. So far, I have 2 other friends (Nazul and Rahman, my previous dive buddy) who will be joining me to get the license.

Just drop me an email if you want to join. The more, the merrier. I may be able to give you a very competitive price for the course as I know some people in this area…

Related Posts:

• My STAROBA Sabah PADI DSD (Discover SCUBA Diving) in Mamutik Island
• Why I choose PADI OW license with Borneo Divers
• Layang-Layang Island Resort Diving Package
• PADI Open Water certification course with Borneo Divers - Part II
• PADI Open Water Diver course - come join me!