Dive Vietnam!
- Lifestyles
- Travel & Leisure
- Travel Destinations
Author: Graham Lee
Released 14 December 2003
A former ExPat in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Jeremy Stein once taught diving to numerous Aramcons from his base in Al Khobar, operating as Arabian Gulf Divers with colleagues Graham Lee and Sonny Yukl. Maybe you were one of them!
Photograph Contributed by Graham Lee
In the late Nineties, Jeremy took a trip to Vietnam to explore the opportunities for teaching scuba there. He fell in love with the country, the people and the diving and took the opportunity to set up the first PADI dive centre in Vietnam, based in Nha Trang. Jeremy now owns and operates "Jeremy Stein's Rainbow Divers" in partnership with Graham Lee, also a PADI Instructor now based in Jeddah and working for Aramco's Environmental Protection Department.
The business has grown, and Rainbow Divers now operates 3 PADI Dive centres at Nha Trang; Whale Island to the north; and Pho Quoc Island to the south in the Gulf of Thailand, close to the Cambodian border. Nha Trang is now Vietnam's first PADI 5 Star Dive Centre, offering 3 Instructor Development Courses each year, Jeremy being Vietnam's first and only PADI Course Director.
Diving off Vietnam is in the warm waters of the South China Seas. Average water temperature is 26° C, visibility 15 – 25 metres. Marine life may not be as prolific as the Red Sea or the Maldives, but the variety of species and vivid colours have fascinated and thrilled many a diver who has ventured to this area.
Photograph Contributed by Graham Lee
The waters off Vietnam have many undocumented species, such as a proliferation of nudibranchs some the size of a mobile phone. The area immediately around Nha Trang has over 400 species of around 800 species of hard corals known to exist around the globe – one of the richest diversities to be found anywhere on the planet.
An area around Nha Trang was recently designated a Marine Park Authority, something Rainbow Divers have been pushing for the last 5 years. The Park covers acres of walls and coral gardens, home to nudibranchs, weird looking frogfish, leaf fish, devil scorpionfish, dragonettes, ghost pipefish, giant morays and lots of mantis shrimps.
A majority of the dive sites are within a 1 hour boat ride (or 12 minutes by Rainbow's speedboat) from Nha Trang to the nearby islands and offer the best diving in the South China Sea. Some favourite spots are:
- Rainbow Reef - Outstanding colours from the unique biodiversity of hard and soft corals.
- Madonna Rock - A 25 metre dive with exciting swim-throughs and caves.
- Moray Beach - 18 metres deep diving with beautiful corals and home to Giant Morays.
- Goat Rock - Spectacular deep wall dive down to 40 metres diving depth.
- The Electric Nose - dramatic deep dive down to 45 metres.
- The Outer Islands - unexplored group of Islands offering diving from 10 – 50 metres.
Nha Trang is situated on the Vietnamese coast south of the Central Highlands in Khan Hoa Province, about 425 kms from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - about 1 hour by plane, or 14 hours by bus. Be warned, this bus is NOT a greyhound!! Planes fly regularly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh and is by far the most convenient and comfortable method of getting to Nha Trang!
Accommodation varies, and travelers to Nha Trang can choose between basic 'backpacker standard' rooms from US$6 per night to the more luxurious Ana Mandara Resort Hotel, set on its own private beach at US$120 per night. Generally, hotel/room rates are amongst the cheapest in South East Asia, as is the cost of eating in the local restaurants.
Phu Quoc is about the same size as Singapore, 600 sq. kms and is the largest of all Vietnamese islands. There are 99 mountains and hills covered in green primitive forests with majestic waterfalls and babbling streams. The fresh sea breezes and stunning sandy beaches touching crystal clear blue waters make this a true paradise.
The tourist season is similar to Thailand's. The good weather and clear waters start mid November and last until mid May. Then the rainy season starts! This compliments diving in Nha Trang where Rainbow Divers sometimes have to close for the rainy season from mid November till early Jan.
By Air: Vietnam Airlines ATR72 planes leave from Ho Chi Minh City (45 mins) and Rach Gia.
By Sea: Public boats leave the mainland from Rach Gia (7 hrs) and Ha Tien (4 hrs).
Photograph Contributed by Graham Lee
Whale Island was opened by Rainbow Divers at the beginning of 2002. However, the Island has been associated with scuba diving for many years. It was here on Whale Island that Jacques Cousteau first discovered his passion for diving! The resort is located 80 kms North of Nha Trang at the tip of an archipelago. The bamboo bungalows right on the beachfront are complete with shower and w.c., and can accommodate up to 60 guests.
The island offers a wild and natural environment where the marine life, flora and fauna are a nature lover's dream, both above and below the water! The diving here is perfect for beginners and experienced alike. There is safe and simple diving from the beach to a maximum depth of 15 metres. The morning boat dives offer more exciting and adventurous diving; wall dives down to 40 metres, coral gardens at 10-15 metres, racing drift dives and of course less strenuous Nudibranch spotting!
Photograph Contributed by Graham Lee
Rainbow Divers gets you there via minibus to Doc Let Bay and from there 40 minutes by speedboat.
Visiting Vietnam is a total cultural experience – not only the diving, but the beaches, the scenery, the food, the night life and the people. Vietnam is as unspoiled as Thailand was 25 years ago. Getting there requires a visa unless you are Thai or Viet. This can add to the travel time, as visas for Vietnam are not available from within Saudi Arabia. However, unless you have 3 days you want to spend in Bangkok, KL or Singapore while waiting for your visa from the local embassy, I have found it easier to apply in advance for a letter of pre-approval from a regionally-based travel agent. I personally use Royal Exclusive Travel in Bangkok who arrange the necessary paperwork and onward ticketing which they will send to you at BKK airport while you are transiting, or to your hotel if you choose to stay overnight. Once at Ho Chi Minh, you simply hand the paperwork to the immigration desk who will then stamp the visa into your passport.
Rainbow Divers website is at www.divevietnam.com
Graham Lee can be contacted at mailto:gralee@sahara.com or graham.lee@aramco.com.sa