[Semporna, Malaysian Borneo] Our departure from the island was scheduled for 4pm so we were expecting a boring day on the deck but luckily there was a boat going when we got up. That led to a mad rush to get our gear together, copy photos from Jeroen and say our goodbyes to everyone before speeding off towards the mainland.

Uncle Chang’s was brilliant and high above our expectations (from what we had read online). We have a few notes/observations for anyone going there.
– Take snacks, fruit, cereal and long life milk. There is NOTHING to buy on the island and the food at UC’s, although good, does get boring if you are there for more than 3 days.
– The rooms were basic but good. We had no issues with the exception of the occasional sewerage smell.
– The staff, although not all English speaking, were always helpful and accommodating (reception staff in Semporna were brilliant) but you HAVE to ask for things – nothing just gets done automatically.
– The gear was old but worked fine and any issues were resolved quickly. Maybe take your own wet-suit – they were a bit manky.
– Things do seem a little disorganized (who is diving with who and where and when etc) The key is ask questions. Once on the boats everything was smooth sailing.
– Uncle Chang seems like a decent chap but is a little tough to warm up unless you are an experienced diver spending a lot of cash with them (He seems to have favorites).
– The view from the long-house is stunning and the new units under construction look like they will raise the bar substantially.
– We would recommend Uncle Chang’s but would not mind trying another operator next time we are there (just to compare).

Back in Semporna we checked into the Dragon Inn (AC and HOT showers – yes please !) and headed into town for food. I could not resist a burger at the Scuba Junkie restaurant after two solid weeks of chicken and rice. It tasted great but by evening I was regretting the decision. Tomorrow we start our 36 hour long mission to get to New Zealand !

[Pictures: V strolling down to the Dragon Inn – larney looking]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G