Downbelow PADI 5 Star Dive Centre on Gaya island
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The Beach House - Downbelow Dive Centre
PADI Scuba Instructor Asia courses take place at Downbelow's beach house on Gaya Island - where rainforest meets reef.
The PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre is the perfect destination for divers, yes, but also for nature, bird and wildlife lovers.
A resident Green Crested Lizard
The dive centre is just 8 minutes by speedboat from the Kota Kinabalu mainland, making it ideal for a visitors to the city and residents alike, to come and spend a day with us.
Surrounded by primary rainforest and the warm, tropical ocean, visitors can enjoy daily scuba diving, discover scuba dives for first timers, snorkelling, skin diving/free diving, trekking & hiking, sunbathing, wildlife watching or just reading a book to the sound of the jungle.
Gaya island - or Pulau Gaya as it is known locally - has an area of 15km², making it the largest of the 5 beautiful islands found within the TAR Park, itself a 49km² marine reservation.
Guest Registration at our Beach House
From the PADI Instructor Course dive centre, there are excellent hiking trails criss-crossing the tropica, virgin rainforest.
Guests can walk to:
- Police Beach: 3.25 km time approx 80mins
- Padang Point: 1.95 km time approx 45 mins
- Highest Point: 3 km time approx 75 mins
Wildlife such as hornbills, apes, snakes and butterflies are just some of the wildlife frequently spotted around the site of the PADI Scuba Instructor Asia.
Many species of lizard and a variety of tropical birds are regularly spotted.
Wild boars and proboscis monkeys also inhabit the island, but they are quite shy, and although often heard, not regularly spotted.
One of our Adventure Training Groups who camped on our grassy field area
Next to Downbelow's PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre is a large, well-kept, grassy area, which is ideal for camping, football and volleyball.
Downbelow's facilities have basic toilets and showers for the use of their guests.
They can - and often do - accommodate very large groups for team building events and adventure training. Have a peak at Downbelow's Event and Adventure Training photo album page.
Many adventurous independent travelers also choose to camp in the very safe and a unique location. Weatherproof tents and a small camping fee are available, and they can supply an evening meal and breakfast for a small extra charge, or you can take your own food.
Downbelow PADI 5 Star Dive Centre located at The Beach House Gaya Island Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
In front of Downbelow's dive centre is a stunning shallow lagoon where they conduct confined water PADI Scuba Instructor Asia training.
Just a giant stride from the jetty is the house reef, affectionally known as Home Corner.
Divers looking back at the house reef called Home Corner, just a short walk from our Beach House. Sutera Harbour Resort can be seen in the background
Sloping to a max 20m, among the usual tropical marine life you can expect to encounter there are also hidden treasures.
Downbelow's PADI Scuba Instructor Course Asia dive cnetre is strategically positioned for the passing whalesharks and manta rays, which are encountered most often during March and April.
Their annual migration path is just minutes away when using Downbelow's powerful speedboats.
All other dive sites within the TAR Park are within a few minutes from the dive centre, comfortably allowing 3 daily boat dives per day.
Surface intervals, feautring freshly cooked, hot lunches, takes place at the beach house.
Harmless Elegant Bronzeback snakes are often seen at our Beach House, some join us for lunch!
Downbelow's 37ft dive boat provides spacious, comfortable transportation to dive sites. 2 Yamaha 200HP engines allows exploring new undiscovered sites off the beaten track.
Their dive guides and instructors are very experienced and will point out the best of the reefs and the creatures that live among them.
All Downbelow's dives are drift/swims, so rest assured that wherever you surface, the boat will pick you up with no need for long swims back to anchor.
Downbelow's PADI Scuba Instructor Asia equipment room stocks a large variety of rental gear of different shapes & sizes, with high standards of safety ensuring its professionally maintained and regularly serviced.
Monkeys inhabit the surrounding rainforest jungle
Downbelow are underwater camera friendly with large freshwater soaking & washing facilites. Managing Director and resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann is a professional underwater photographer, so this was a necessity!
At the beach house dive centre they have books and posters to help identify your latest underwater discoveries and helpful friendly staff to assist and inform you of the activities, courses and programs on offer.
Their beach house dive center is the location of PADI Scuba Instructor Asia courses.
Hornbills are regularly seen and herd around the dive centre
How To Get There ?
Simple - just drop Downbelow an email, or visit their Dive Shop and Classroom in the Kota Kinabalu. You can also phone +6 012 866 1935, +6 088 23 23 75 or visit their contact page.
All their programs include a free pick up from hotels in the Kota Kinabalu CBD, or you can take a taxi to Sutera Harbour Marina and meet them there, but pre-booking is required.
If you don't wish to pre-book, then get an island ferry or private water taxi to their Gaya island centre any time of day from the Jesselton Point Jetty or Sutear Harbour Marina. Just ask to be taken to Sabah Parks HQ on Gaya Island, and the beach house is at the end of the Jetty to the left.
Learn more about their activities and PADI courses from the links below.
Stunning shallow lagoon where we conduct our confined water diver training, Our Beach House Dive Centre is in the background to the left of the Jetty