Our Recent Publication "Muck & Magic Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort" - Sport Diving Magazine

Company directors Richard and Joanne Swann's latest article - Muck & Magic, is featured in this months Australian Sport Diving Magazine.

Posing the question " Without Sipadan can Kapalai Dive Resort still compete for the divers dollar?"

Although divers are still permitted at Sipadan - permit numbers are low and no resort can with confidence guarantee their divers a place.

However Kapalai Dive Resort have a good quota and can still hold their own as a divers destination.

The resort has much to offer divers and non divers at very reasonable rates.

Our images within the piece show some stunning shots of the resort and marine life that can be found in the surrounding waters.

Kapalai Dive Resort is under Downbelows Price Promise, we guarantee that you won't be able to find better rates elsewhere, if proven wrong we'll give you an additional 2% discount.

Please peruse our dedicated CELEBES ISLAND ACCOMMODATION website section for information and booking Kapalai Dive Resort or CONTACT US for a quotation.

Sport Diving Magazine is in stores now throughout Australasia. You can subscribe to the magazine online and/or read the low res pdf of the article at http://www.divetheblue.net.

We have an island based full service PADI 5 Star Dive Centre within the state National Park of TARP. PLUS a well stocked Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Mimic Octopus - Tunku Abdul Rahman Park TARP. Kota Kinabalu

Just one of our recent critter discoveries was this beautiful little Mimic Octopus, found on the sandy bottom in at 15m on one of our out lying dive sites close to our PADI 5 Star Dive Centre.

Richard was leading a couple of divers who had joined us for a multiple day dive package within TARP when they came across this master of disguise and camouflage.

Unlike many other Octopodidae the Mimic is active during the day foraging for crustaceans, often using the same resting burrow for days at a time the Mimic Octopus can sometimes be revisited.

This octopus gets its name from its ability to impersonate the appearance and behavior of other animals, particularly poisonous ones such as lionfish and banded seasnake.

For more information on Octopus and Squid please visit our field guide.

Our guests are often surprised to see such rare and fascinating marine life on dive sites within the national park. Please join us next time you are passing Kota Kinabalu, visit our paradise island based Dive and Adventure Centre on Gaya Island and Dive or Snorkel Downbelow to catch a glimse of some of our wonderful mairne life.

Our international staff team provide premier 5 Star service which it to be expected from a 5 Star Centre.

We pride ourselves on very small group tuition providing a very personal service.

We have extremely high safety standards and procedures and follow British HSE Guidelines. 

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Scuba Diving with Enriched Air Nitrox - Kota Kinabalu Sabah

Congratulations to Steve Farlow who has recently completed his PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Course with Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures in Sabah.



This scuba diving course is one of PADI's most popular specialties.

Diving with enriched air nitrox lets you safely extend your no stop time beyond the no decompression limits for air. Diving with enriched air means more time underwater - but you need to be certified as an Enriched Air Diver to get enriched air fills.

Whether you' re into underwater photography or macro diving, at home or on holiday the PADI Enriched Air Diver course helps you get more out of diving by giving you more time underwater. Certification counts toward the Master Scuba Diver rating

To enrol on the course you must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization).

For information on just some of the other PADI Courses we offer please peruse our dedicated web pages.

Qualified Nitrox divers can rent Nitrox Tanks from us during their Daily Dive Packages in TARP and West Coast Sabah !

Our international staff team provide premier 5 Star service which it to be expected from a 5 Star Centre.

We pride ourselves on very small group tuition providing a very personal service.

We have extremely high safety standards and procedures and follow British HSE Guidelines. 

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Reef, Wreck and Critter - 3 Day Scuba Diving Package - Kota Kinabalu & West Coast Sabah.

With calmer sea's just around the corner we are getting very excited about this years scuba diving opportunities and are very happy to announce our 3 day "Reef, Wreck and Critter" package.

Inspired by our very good friends Jeff and Dawn Mullins - Underwater Photojournalist, Underwater Model and Authors with over 30 years of diving, photography and writing experience.

We have named our package after their recently published book and website.

Jeff and Dawn are fellow ex-pats living in Bali, their specialty is personally guiding small groups of photographers or divers interested in critters and rare marine life around Tulamben and surrounding areas.

For more information please contact them at www.reefwreckandcritter.com

Reef, Wreck & Critter - 3 Day Dive Package

MYR 1,620.00 per person based on 4 pax booking.

Day 1. The Reef - Dive some of the beautiful reefs around Pulau Tiga (3 Dives)
Day 2. The Wrecks - Dive World War 2 - Usakan Bay Wrecks (2 x Wreck Dives, 1 x Reef Dive = 3 Dives)
Day 3. The Critters - Dive TAR Park to search for the beautifully ugly and wonderfully weird marine life on our doorstep. (3 Dives)
TOTAL: 9 Dives.

All Inclusive Package - No Hidden Extras !

FREE NITROX for the Wreck Dives, for Nitrox Qualified Divers !!

This 3 day package is designed for experienced divers with PADI Advanced Diver qualifications or equivalent.

Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures have by far fastest dive boat in KK - this means more time diving less time on the boat !!

Our international staff team provide premier 5 Star service which it to be expected from a 5 Star Centre.

We pride ourselves on very small group tuition providing a very personal service.

We have extremely high safety standards and procedures and follow British HSE Guidelines. 

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Learn to Scuba Dive - Downbelow working with Sabah's Local Community.

Congratulations on completing the PADI Open Water Course - TARP Kota Kinabalu, KK. Sabah !!

Sabahs Government statutory conservation department - Sabah Parks part of which is located within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park have an ongoing commitment to protect and ensure the well-being of the states national parks.

As part of their role many of the staff learn to scuba dive and embark in the PADI System of education.

Pictured left, standing infront Downbelows Beach House are Sabah Parks latest newly qualified divers having recently completed their Scuba Diving Course with PADI 5 Star Dive Centre Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures.


The PADI Open Water Course is not only our most popular course but the most popular Scuba Course in the world.

This Scuba Diving Course is the first level of PADI Certification and as a certified PADI Open Water Diver you have the freedom to dive with a buddy independent of a professional to a maximum depth of 18 meters.

The Beach House on Gaya Island, Downbelow Dive Centres Island Paradise location in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah provides an ideal venue for this course, with a confined shallow, sandy area lagoon - ideal for skill practice and open water coral reef dive sites just minutes from the centre - ideal for open water dives.

Small group learning, no crowds, personal, thorough training and high standards of safely is what draws people to Downbelow !

Throughout the course, students learn fundamentals of scuba diving, including dive equipment and techniques.

Completing five confined sessions, knowledge development sessions and four open water dives. Participants don't have to be super fit to learn, virtually anyone who is in good health, reasonably fit, and comfortable in the water can earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification.

For more information please peruse our PADI Open Water Course website page or CONTACT US for more information.

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Trekking & Snorkeling Gaya Island - Tunku Abdul Rahman Park Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Trekking trails through primary rain-forest, snorkel unspooilt lagoons, scuba dive pristine coral reef !!

From our Beach House Dive Centre on Gaya Island based within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park there are some great walking trials through tropical rain-forest.

Join us for guided Trekking along coastal jungle trails, visit the "Spirit Forest", search for bats, orchids and flying lizards, rare birds and reptiles !

Historically, Pulau Gaya was the site of the British North Borneo Company's harbour, razed by the rebel Mat Salleh in 1881.

Nowadays the 1,465 hectare island is mainly uninhabited except on the eastern shore which is home to a community of people living in stilt houses.

Together with our resident Wildlife Expert, explore the the virgin tropical rain-forest of the island.

Learn of natural herbal remedies and medical plants that have been used for generations of native people.

Trek along jungle trails in search of flora and fauna, examine tropical hardwood trees and mangrove forests in the knowledge that this protected jungle has been in existence for thousands of years, unaffected by mans destructive farming and agricultural practices.

Before or after lunch go "Downbelow" and snorkel the warm waters of the South China Sea within the marine park from Gaya Island.

Swim alongside colourful marine-life, butterfly fish, parrot fish, cardinals, snappers and if you're very fortunate the occasional turtle may swim by to see what's going on.

For more information on our fabulous paradise island please Contact Us.

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

Underwater Camera Rental with Day Trip Scuba Diving, Snorkeling & Trekking - Gaya Island Kota Kinabalu

Combine a Scuba Diving Package with Underwater Camera Rental and enjoy Underwater Photography in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park TARP - Kota Kinabalu.

Having climbed Mount Kinabalu at the weekend Tim Bolton (image left and below) joined Downbelow Marine & Wildlife for a 3 Dive Package in TARP and rented one of our Cannon A640 10 megapixel cameras with Cannon U/W housing - all functions are fully controllable and included within the cost is image download to CDROM.

Tim dived with Richard for the day. Richard is a professional underwater photographer and took his camera along just incase the already present Whalesharks passed by.

Richard was happy to share some tips with Tim, they didn't see any Whalesharks but saw Turtles Hawksbill and Green Turtles, Cat Shark, Cuttlefish, Lionfish, Nudibranchs, Moray Eel, Seahorses, Barracuda and numerous schooling fishes.

Tims Mum Doris also came along for the day trip and spent the day snorkeling and trekking from our Paradise Island Beach House.

Duncan was her snorkel guide for morning and took Doris to some pristine coral reef which they had all to themselves, they saw numerous clownfish, tropical reef fish and a flying gurnard.

In the afternoon JC, our resident wildlife expert took Doris trekking through the primary rain-forest that surrounds our Dive and Adventure Centre on Gaya Island.

They took the Padas Point route, fondly known as the Spirit Forest Trail which follows the coastal path along the southern side side of the Gaya Island providing stunning views across the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.

Downbelow's eagle eye guide spotted an endemic Bornean Angle-headed Lizard, Orchids, Horseshoe Bats and many more insects and reptiles.

The Beach House at Gaya Island offers so much for marine and wildlife lover.

Should you wish to join us at our tropical island paradise - just 10 minutes from Kota Kinabalu please EMAIL US, for a quick response.

Or call our Telephone Hotline: +6 012 866 1935

We have a Dive Shop and Classroom located on the KK mainland, please feel free to drop in, we offer free wireless internet, tea,coffee and biscuits !!!

TEL: +6 012 866 1935
www.divedownbelow.com

PADI Open Water Course - Scuba Diving Lessons, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Congratulations to our recent divers who have just completed their PADI Open Water Course and Discover Scuba Diving Program - Scuba Diving lessons with Downbelow PADI 5 Star Dive Centre - Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Also, thank you for joining us to the rest of our clients who have been diving with us for 1 - 4 day dive packages over the past week. (Pictured Below)

The PADI Open Water Course is the first certification within the PADI system of education.

The PADI Open Water Course takes 3 to 4 days to complete (8.00 am till 4.00 pm daily) and courses offered by Downbelow are all inclusive with no hidden charges !

At Downbelow your safety is paramount, we have a large staff team to accommodate different client requirements.

We adhere to PADI Standards and Procedures and follow British HSE guidelines.

Our ratio is no more than four people on a course with 2 PADI professionals, your PADI instructor and a Divemaster.

Most of the time we have 2 people on a course with 1 PADI Instructor.

Adam, (first left above) chose to save a day on this course and completed the academic portion online in his own time through the PADI eLearning system of education.

Our PADI 5 Star Dive Centre known as the Beach House is located within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park on Gaya Island where "Rainforest meets the Reef" located just 10 mins boat ride from the City of Kota Kinabalu (KK), we have a stunning island paradise which is very unique and not crowded.

We have a very quiet lagoon for our confined water training, we have a very special house reef with lots of marine life and all dive sites are within 5 minutes boat ride from our centre.

We have many non divers joining us for the day who wish to snorkel or go trekking so if your friends or family wish to join it would be a great way for you all to still be together during your course or daily diving, we have some excellent walking trails from our dive station all set in primary rain-forest and guides can be arranged for all activities.

So please join our recent clients and become a PADI Open Water Diver in Kota Kinabalu, join our Daily Scuba Diving program for qualified divers or try diving for the first time with our PADI Discover Scuba Diving program.

Please email us now for a quick response.

Telephone: +6 012 866 1935

www.divedownbelow.com