Big John Scuba — Hotel in Sabah

WORST EXPERIENCE IN 3 WEEKS MALAYSIA!!! We did a day trip to the Tun Sakaran Marine Park with Big John Scuba, and it was honestly the worst thing we experienced during our whole vacation. 4 different islands, one hike to the top of one, two snorkeling sessions.

There are so many things I didn't like, that I don't even know where to start...

Maybee with the littering. After 5 min on the boat, I saw the first crew member throwing the plastic wrap of a lollipop over board. During the whole day I saw two other crew members doing the same thing, and that's just what I saw...

Another thing was the constant smell of gasoline and exhaust in the air. The result was headaches of several tourists on the board, so bad, they couldn't even go snorkling...

Oh and the snorkling... Don't expect an actuall snorkling trip worth the money. The crew of more than 6 people usually just pulls chinese tourists with life jackets through the water, as they cannot swim. (sadly this is NO joke...) I guess it doesn't matter anyway, as they drop you off at the most dead part of the coral reef. Around 80% are dead. I guess the gasoline and littering will finish the job in the next 10 years...

Oh and there was lunch. Mediocre food in the boat, mixed with exhaust and cigarette fumes, loud electronic music, and about 200 chinese tourists surrounding you. Who wouldn't love that in a national park...

But at least the crew had fun. They were roaring the boat engine all the time, having races with other boats, obviously driving like maniacs, splashing guests by jumping in the water and so on...

Overall exactly how you would wish a day trip to a national park to be.

The 1 star I have to give is for a girl called "Mina" or "Lina". I don't recall her name exactly, but she was very polite...

Firstly the communication with mark while organising the trip was fast, clear and easy. Transfers from airport were arranged by them. I did my AOW with mark and everything was smooth and explained. Very comfortable. There was plenty of food while staying on mabul. After a few days it felt variety was lacking. Free room upgrade which was really appreciated. The rooms are good. No wifi on mabul but there is some at scuba junkie 10 min walk away. No bar but can take beers and put them in the fridge. My girlfriend opted for the snorkelling option instead of diving. The snorkelling instructors were really nice and ensured she has a great experience. However on occasion especially driving to the first stop in the morning the boat driving was crazy with guests clinging on for dear life. This resulted in some of the day tripping guests being nervous to get in the water when the boat...

I did a 2 day 1 night snorkeling package here. Their accommodation on mabul is a very comfy and well taken care of longhouse. Every meal is a buffet of chicken and fish, several vegetables, watermelon, rice, and porridge. They will also cook any seafood that you buy from the local seafood vendors who stop by multiple times a day. At night, the local kids come by and they are hilarious! The instructors also drink and sing songs with guests on the rooftop deck. The snorkeling was great and I was lucky enough to basically have a private guide who took me out farther and helped me practice swimming down so I could observe the smaller fish. Shout out to Uriel/Ariel. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience. As a word of caution, bring in your clothes before you go to sleep or they might blow away and end up on shore. Oh and you can also watch sea turtles at night and in...