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Dive Downbelow

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Asia

Location

Kota Kinabalu, SB

Malaysia

6° 0' 45.4248" N, 116° 1' 13.8612" E

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Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures

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Bio

Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures is a PADI 5 Star IDC Diver Training Centre in Sabah, Borneo with a dive shop, classroom & travel centre in Kota Kinabalu and a beach-side dive centre on the nearby Gaya Island, just 10 minutes away by boat.

The dive centre, surrounded by tropical jungle and vibrant reefs, is where you can learn to dive in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Downbelow uses the latest training methods and regularly serviced, quality diving equipment to conduct all levels of diver training, from Discover SCUBA through to IDC Staff Instructor.

For the aspiring professional SCUBA diver, diving internships are on offer and ranges in length from 1 to 6 months, enabling even non-divers to quickly progress from zero to fully qualified open water diving instructors, ready for employment anywhere in the world. Under the leadership of resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann, Downbelow’s Go Pro Instructor Development team team-teaches, giving candidates the full advantage of their collective decades worth of experience. For a one-stop shop that provides the best PADI SCUBA diving facilities and the widest range of PADI courses in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; when you dive Sabah, DiveDownbelow.

My Blog Entries

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Apr. 17/12

2nd Group of Glamorgan University Students in Beach Cleanup

The second batch of Glamorgan University students, who joined us for environmental research for their university course, got involved in some Project AWARE action recently.

Successfully incorporating envivonmental awareness into our group activities has made a difference not only to our participating groups, but also to our environment.

When the University of Glamorgan's second group set out to do a beach cleanup, it was obvious that our recent groups and their cleanup activities had made a difference.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 29/12

Glamorgan Students in Mangrove Swamps Clean-up

This year we are hosting 2 waves of the next group of University of Glamorgan students at our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya island.

This week we saw the departure of the 1st wave, who spent 8 days with us on the island, collecting research data on the corals and sea grass near our dive centre.

As all our group programs contain an ecological awareness element, our groups often pitch in to give something back to the environment, usually by taking something, rubbish, away.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 21/12

Shark Petition Gains 40 More Signatures

Downbelow is hosting a group of 40 environmentally aware students form the University of Glamorgan for the next few weeks.

In line with our Marine Conservation committment, there is an environmental component in all our group programs and this group is no different.

Resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann wasted no time in bringing the group up to speed with the latest on sharks.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 21/12

18 Adventures are Coral Reef Aware

Downbelow recently hosted a group of 18 adventurers from Denmark for a variety of open water, advanced open water and underwater photography courses.

As part of our committment to the environment, all our group activities include a environmental awareness program.

For the Danish adventurers, seeing as they were learning to explore the underwater world, Project AWARE Coral Reef Conservation were chosen for them.

The course introduced them to corals and reef systems and their importance.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 15/12

Finley Surfaces in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Finley and Finn surfaced at the recent PADI Course Director Training Course in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah where #1 Shark Fan and Downbelow's resident PADI Course Director, Richard Swann, was on hand to welcome them to Borneo.

Who is this Finley, I heard you ask.

FInley, and the slightly more animated friend, Finn, are Project AWARE shark ambassadors who have been traveling the world together since they met in the UK on World Oceans Day on 8 June last year.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 04/12

Discarded Net Removed from the TAR Park, Kota Kinabalu

It was an action-packed weekend for the divers at our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya island, who assembled to remove another discarded net from our beloved TAR Park in Kota Kinabalu.

After reporting the net and obtaining the relevant permissions, resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann assembled members from our staff team and Go Pro interns to attack the net.

The net removal procedure was explained to the team in a thorough, tailored dive briefing, after which they set off to the site to do the needful.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Mar. 02/12

CD Richard Donates Time for Sharks

Awareness leads to action and it was action that our resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann was after this week.

Our professional instructor interns, Lynnette and Sam, were wrapping up their internships with Downbelow in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah when Richard gave them a farewell gift.

A marine biologist and shark lover himself, Richard donated his time, for free, to make AWARE Shark Conservation Speciality Instructors out of the 2 interns.

"Go out", said Richard, "and teach!"

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Feb. 27/12

Intern Victor Spreads Shark Awareness

Environmental awareness is a priority for Downbelow, especially when it comes to groups.

So when 18 Danish adventurers joined us for a week of snorkeling and learning how to dive, it was no surprise that where others may see only students, we saw champions for the fight against shark extinction.

One of our local divemaster inerns, Victor, took it upon himself to spread shark awareness and make the Danes aware of what peril our shark populations are in.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Feb. 01/12

Feb 2012 Removal of Illegal Net in Kota Kinabalu's TAR Park

Whilst leading Downbelow's group of pro interns on a dive, resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann spotted a large net entangled on a reef in Kota Kinabalu's TAR Park in Sabah.

The net, discovered on 1 February, entangled Ribbon Reef, one of Richard's favourite sites in the park. The net stretched from 16m down to 30m, making for a tricky and challenging removal.

Submitted by Dive Downbelow on Jan. 09/12

First Net Removal of the New Year

It's a new year with a fresh start, but fishermen will fish and their nets will get caught on the reefs.

Downbelow's Instructor Paul spotted the net a couple of days ago already, but with our January Instructor Development Course in full swing, plus a surge of diving clientelle, we didn't have any manpower to spare.

Yesterday however, Richard spotted a lull and instructed Paul to round up a crew and extract the net, which he duly did.