Recycling an Oil Platform Into a Dive Resort, the Seaventures Dive Rig
A decommissioned Petronas oil rig, towed 800km to Mabul Island and converted into the only working dive resort of its kind in the world.
In the heart of Malaysia's Coral Triangle, just off the coast of Mabul Island, sits what used to be an oil rig, now painted in shades of sapphire blue and turquoise, and nearly blending into the Celebes Sea just ten metres below. Divers know it as the Seaventures Dive Rig, a working dive resort and the only one of its kind on the planet.
The project was the brainchild of Suzette Harris's family. Today, Suzette still owns and operates the resort. After the rig, built in Panama and originally used by Petronas, was decommissioned and put up for sale in Singapore, Suzette's family bought it to use as a fishing platform and hotel in Labuan, a popular sport-fishing destination.
When an opportunity opened up to establish a resort on Mabul Island instead, the family had the rig towed there, a journey of over 800 kilometres.
The first challenge was converting the industrial platform into a comfortable hotel, with air-conditioned rooms, private bathrooms with hot showers, and a central lounge open to the sea breeze, spacious enough for the occasional live performance. The next step was building a team: divemasters, hosts, and kitchen staff turning out meals that mix local cuisine with Western fare.
If You Build It, They Might Not Come
Perhaps the biggest challenge Suzette and her family faced was convincing guests that a converted oil platform could be an enjoyable place to stay, and a serious base for divers wanting to make the most of a dive trip. A hydraulic lift carries guests straight down to sea level, ten metres below, where they can board a boat for the islands, or step directly off the platform into one of the area's more unusual house reefs, built by Seaventures' own divemasters.
The rig also sits close to all three islands, Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai, with a chance at a Sipadan permit available to guests staying a minimum of four days and three nights. All dive packages include unlimited house reef dives, including night dives, followed by drinks and dive stories back in the lounge.
The open sides of the platform give a 360-degree view of the islands and the Celebes Sea, plus a sun deck for anyone who wants a tan alongside their dive log entries. Occasional live music, barbecues, satellite television and a DVD lounge round out the evenings beyond diving.
The advantages of staying at Seaventures include a serious dive operation a lift-ride from your room, freedom from petty theft thanks to the rig's isolation and height above the water, and simply the novelty of staying on an actual oil platform. Probably the best feature, though, is the atmosphere: serious divers and newcomers mixing freely, away from the usual non-diving tourist crowd.
The staterooms are small, but the diving and the service more than make up for it. For a dive-focused holiday, there's little else quite like the Seaventures Dive Rig for the price and the convenience.
