Tioman Dive Buddy

Tioman Dive Buddy is a friendly PADI Five Star Dive Centre on Tioman Island, Malaysia, set up by a group of passionate divers who celebrated their first decade in business in 2020. As fellow divers, the team knows exactly what makes a trip both fun and safe, taking a thoughtful approach to every request, no matter how small. It is also the first PADI Mermaid Centre on the island.

Courses and diving

With seven PADI Instructors and a PADI 5 Star IDC rating, the centre runs courses from beginner to professional level. You can take the PADI Open Water Diver course (from USD 432, around four days) or the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course (from USD 345, around three days), alongside fun diving and snorkeling packages, gear rental and PADI First Aid - EFR training. Staff speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Chinese.

Local dive sites include Chebeh Island, Labas Island, Pulau Renggis, Soyak Island, Batu Malang, Fan Canyon and the KM Sipadan Wreck. The waterfront base in Genting Village offers an onsite training pool, classroom, house reef, dive boat, accommodation and free Wi-Fi — ideal for new and returning divers alike.