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Let me start by saying – Whatever you do, DO NOT dive with Sangalaki Dive Lodge (SDL).
Here is my experience with the:
Back at the end of July/early August (2005), I decided I wanted to do the Manta dives and Jelly Fish lake, and decided on Sangalaki as my destination. After doing some research on the web, I made the decision to go with Sangalaki Dive Lodge (even after reading a couple of negative posts on the place). I know a dive operator in Malaysia that put me in touch with Sangalaki Dive Lodge ( and I know she felt really bad about this entire incident after).
I contacted the rep from SDL in Malaysia, Sonia, and after several changes to my itinerary (due to Ramadan and the ferry not running on certain days between Tawau, Malaysia and Tarakan, Indonesia), we finally confirmed my stay at SDL for Nov 12 – Nov 16. I was to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau Malaysia on Air Asia flight on Nov 10, and stay a night in Tawau before catching the ferry from Tawau to Tarakan, Indonesia, and then overnight in Tarakan; before flying to Berau and then catching the speedboat to Sangalaki. I was told the larger speedboat would cost $300 US and a smaller boat can be had for $165 US. It was agreed that we would wait to see if there are other divers going to determine if I have to pay for an entire boat or if I get to split the cost with the other divers.
It was also agreed that I would pay for everything once I get to Sangalaki (thank goodness!)
Right from the start, things weren’t going smoothly. I had to change my itinerary several times due to the ferry schedule as well as Ramadan. Then, it took quite a while for Sonia to fax me the invitation letter to get my Indonesian visa. Sonia told me I would be met at every stop of the way (Tawau, Tarakan and Berau) by SDL’s driver (who I later found out were just local drivers hired by SDL for the day/hour); but I did not get the name of the contact person for Tarakan until 2 weeks prior to my departure.
I left Canada on November 8, 2005, and on my departure date, I received an e-mail from Sonia, reassuring me I would be met along the way and advising me the other group of divers did not materialize and that I would have to take the entire small boat for myself at $165 US. So, with great anticipation, I flew from Toronto to Hong Kong with a stopover in Alaska, then on to Kuala Lumpur and Tawau. All in all, I spent about 36 hours in planes, airports and taxis. When I arrived in Tawau, the taxi driver was there to meet me at the airport. He called Sonia to tell her that I had arrived, and I spoke briefly on the phone with Sonia. Sonia told me I would have to pay for all the transportation and accommodation along the way, contrary to our agreement that I would pay for everything at once when I arrive at SDL. The red flag should have been raised by then, but I thought, “Most resorts would make you pay in advanced anyway, so they are really doing me a favour – what’s the big deal about paying for the taxis, ferry, airfare from Tarakan to Berau and the hotels?” So, I agreed.
On the way from the airport, I was trying to figure out the ferry departure time and the taxi driver was not sure if there was an early ferry. My research showed that there were two ferries per day going from Tawau to Tarakan; but you just never know if these are always accurate; and taxi driver phoned someone and said there’s no early ferry. So, we agreed I would take the late ferry instead.
I spent a restful night in Tawau. The next day, taxi driver called (good thing I had my cell phone with me) and said there is an early ferry and that he was waiting for me downstairs. As I was talking to the taxi driver, the hotel phone rang and it was Sonia on the phone. So I hung up with the driver and spoke to Sonia. Here comes the kicker, Sonia said, “Sorry. But you can’t go to Sangalaki.” The first thing that crossed my mind was – ok, pirates, civil unrest or what? So, I asked her why? She said, “the sea is too rough, and it’s the monsoon. Can you come back next month?” I couldn’t believe it – come back next month? I just spent 36 hours getting here. Through the over 3 months of communication and booking, there was never a word mentioned about monsoon or rough sea – not even a hint. I mean monsoon doesn’t just happen – it’s pretty much the same time every year…Sonia could have told me there’s a chance, however remote, that the monsoon would cause rough sea and I may not be able to go; I would be able to make an informed decision then. That’s exactly what I told her, and you should have heard her response…..She said, “Well, they didn’t want me to tell you until you get to Tarakan.” Well, what was I to do then if I were already in Tarakan? I guess I should thank Sonia for wasting my time and effort to get to only Tawau instead of all the way to Tarakan. I could not believe what was happening. I was literally ready to get on the cab enroute to the ferry terminal and she is telling me I can’t go. I had gone halfway around the world (Look at the globe – Toronto is almost exactly halfway around the world from Sangalaki) and she tells me now that I can’t go. I did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Somehow, I made my way down to the taxi and I can’t even remember where he was driving me, but I remember sitting in the taxi and he called Sonia. He spoke to her in Malay for a bit and then told me that the sea was to rough. After a few minutes, he dropped me off at the hotel and I paid him for the fare (not like Sangalaki Dive Lodge is going to pay him now.) I got on the phone with Sonia and asked her if it was because I am taking the small speedboat that prevents me from going, and she said yes. Next question, What if I took the large boat, can I go then – YES. OK. I’ll pay $300 US for the big boat. Sonia’s response? “Oh, the big boat is now $450 US!” You have got to be kidding….I must say I am quite proud of my self control….not a word of profanity escaped my mouth and I negotiated with Sonia. According to her, the price is now $450 because that’s how much they have to pay the boatmen. I suggested we split the difference, or that she gives me a discount on the rest of the package (accommodation/diving); her response? NO. I tried to explain to her that she never pointed out the possibility of rough seas or any such thing during the 3+ months I had been corresponding with her (she even e-mailed me on the day I left Toronto). But she just would not budge. I had had enough by that time and I told her thanks for nothing, but we can just forget about the trip.
I then picked up the phone and booked a trip with Borneo Diver, with whom I have dived numerous times before, and by that afternoon, I was diving Sipadan/Mabul.
There’s more: During the second part of my trip, I was diving in Southern Leyte in the Philippines and met up with a group of divers from Singapore. They related their experience with SDL (I think it was last year or the year before) where they nearly missed their flight due to the disorganized SDL. They said the resort is a dump and the Deco chamber doesn’t work. The boats don’t carry first aid kits and the operators do not know what they’re doing. One of the girls told me that when she told Nadia (Owner Ron Holland’s daughter) that she had missed her safety stop, Nadia asked her how deep she went, and when she told Nadia that she was as deep as 30 meter (if I remember correctly), Nadia told her to go back to 30 meters. My gosh – if this girl had followed Nadia’s advice, she could have been killed or injured. This Singaporean group seems to think that the owner Ron Holland is ill and has left the operations of the resort to his wife and his daughter Nadia, and it appears that these two just don’t know how to properly run a dive operation. This group also thinks that I was turned away because they (wife and daughter) just did not want to be bothered by a single customer.
I have been diving for about 10 years, and beyond diving, I have seen good and bad customer service before (believe me, I have seen bad customer service before, including being sworn at by street vendors and shopkeepers in Hong Kong and Malaysia), but never in my 36 years have I seen such disregard for customers and arrogance.
Would I want to go to Sangalaki in the future? Yes. According to the group of Singaporeans, the diving there is just amazing. One of them actually said she would go back even if she had to endure SDL again. But for me; I would look at the other 2 dive resorts in the area.
I strongly believe everyone should stay way clear of Sangalaki Dive Lodge! The dive community does not need operators like this. May be they will sell the resort to someone who can actually manage and operate it properly, because from what I heard, it has the best location in the area.
My conclusion: DO NOT DIVE WITH SANGALAKI DIVE LODGE.
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