Under the sea The few dives we had with Marisa for our advanced open water were a bit boring as we had to complete a lot of skills, showing our buoyancy control, took some photos using an underwater camera, used our high level knowledge of fish and coral in the fish identification module and the most interesting and fun was a drift dive. When I say boring, we still saw turtles galore, amazing bright coral and millions of tiny fish. It is one of the best areas ...

From the dirty, dusty city of Semporna we got all our gear together and headed to the beautiful island of Mabul to ready ourselves for our advanced open water course. Our instructor Marissa was lovely, if a bit vigilant on the filling in of the log books! Our accommodation was one of the most upmarket places we've stayed in (not including when our parents visit). It was right on the beach, had a spacious bathroom, big bed and the price included buffet breakfas...

From Phillippines we flew to Kota Kinabulu, but didn't stop, straight plane to Tawau ready to adjust our bodies after the flights to take to the water. On arrival to Semporna, only a short drive from the airport, we were a little disappointed with our first view of a town in Sabah. Semporna was a bit of s*** hole and the ATMs didn't work so we really struggled to get any money for extras on the island of Mabul. James was desperate to watch the Lions final test...