Downbelow Dive Centre will facilitate a free Project AWARE beach and reef clean-up on 20 September, co-sponsored by Sabah Parks.
Downbelow Dive Centre will provide the speedboat transfers to their dive station on Gaya island, also the location of the Sabah Park Headquarters for the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
The clean-up operation will be based here and will entail rubbish collection from the beach and river mouth, as well as from the reefs in the immediate vicinity. An open-water dive qualification is required for the latter activity.
Downbelow Dive Centre has made their diving infrastructure available for this event, and Sabah Parks has agreed to waive the park entry and jetty fees, which means this Project AWARE sponsored event is completely free for participants.
As a result divers cleaning the reefs will have equipment available at no cost to them and for everybody, the boat transfers, lunch, park fees and jetty fees will also be free of charge.
In summary:
Date: Saturday, 20 September 2008
Time: 10:30am – 4:00pm
Location: Depart from Sabah Parks Jetty in front of Hyatt Regency Kinabalu
Event Location: Gaya Island, Tunku Adbul Rahman Marine Park
Cost: As many bags of rubbish as you can collect.
Included: Return transfers, lunch, equipment rental, party entry fees, jetty fees
Remember, you’ll be out in the sun all day, so bring along at least sunscreen and a hat.
We only had space for 30 participants at this particular event, and we’ve already filled the quota. In future more such events are planned, so join the KK Dive Club and make sure you’re in the loop next time.
Downbelow is an efficient dive operation, uniquely perched on the shores of a sheltered cove on Gaya Island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP) about 10 minutes from Kota Kinabalu city.
Run by master dive instructors and veteran divers Richard and Joanne, Downbelow pride themselves on professional, friendly and knowledgeable service, traits they instil in all their staff.
A PADI Certified Dive Centre, Downbelow is also licensed under the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Arts & Tourism. Their equipment, from speedboat to regulators, are maintained to stringent standards for excellent dives both around Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Sabah.
As marine biologists, Richard and Joanne’s passion for the underwater world burns bright and is evident in the enthusiasm with which they conduct their dive operations and dives.
Also teachers of underwater photography, Richard and Joanne has documented the TARP in detail themselves, and the accuracy with which they can find small, wondrous critters hidden in the nooks and crannies of the park’s coral reefs, is truly astounding.
Taking clients slightly off the usual tourist track to expose them to a world below the water and above, less trodden by the everyday tourist, is a veritable trademark of Downbelow. That said, a near obsessive standard of safety is always paramount though, whether it be diving, trekking in the jungle or taking on Mt. Kinabalu.
If you’re interested in diving in Kota Kinabalu, Downbelow offers the following:
| Program | Duration | Malaysian (RM) |
Non Malaysian (RM) |
| Non-Diving | |||
| Snorkel & Lunch | 1 Day | 95 | 100 |
| Discover Snorkelling | 1 Day | 190 | 220 |
| Skin Diver | 1 Day | 370 | 400 |
| Diving | |||
| Daily Dives | 1 Day/3 Dives | 310 | 340 |
| Scuba Review | Half Day/2 Dives | 310 | 340 |
| Night Dive | Dept. 5pm | 200 | 230 |
| Discover Scuba | Half Day | 230 | 260 |
| Open Water Course | 4 Days/9 Dives | 1,270 | 1,300 |
| Referral Course | 2 Days/4 Dives | 800 | 830 |
| Advance Open Water | 2 Days/5 Dives | 950 | 980 |
| Rescue Diver | 3 Days/5 Dives | 1,120 | 1,150 |
| Underwater Photography | 1 Day/2 Dives | 760 | 790 |
| Peak Performance Buoyancy | 1 Day/2 Dives | 520 | 550 |
| Fish Identification | 1 Day/2 Dives | 520 | 550 |
| Dive Master | 14 Days | TBC | TBC |
| Instructor | 15 Days | TBC | TBC |
If you would like to book any of the above or just want more information about what the courses entail, send us an email at info@sabahbah.com, or contact Downbelow directly on info@divedownbelow.com.
