This year, MAR Hosted Trips turned five.
And we found the perfect way to celebrate – by bringing 45 of our friends on a dive trip!
We just got back from Malaysia where we chartered the iconic Seaventures Dive Rig for a full week of diving, connection, and celebration. It was equal parts milestone, adventure, and reminder of how far this community has come.
While all our trips are extraordinary in their own way, the one was extra! Let us tell you about it.
5 Years of MHT
Maira brought her first group of divers to Cozumel back in 2018, but it wasn’t until 2021 that she incorporated Mar Hosted Trips LLC and made it official.
It was also in February 2021 that the Scuba MAR Maids Facebook group started! So that’s where we start the count.
Since then, this community has grown into something truly special. As of this trip, we have:
- Brought divers to 15 different countries
- Travelled with 1,871 divers
- Hosted 133 group trips
What started as a small group of divers looking for connection has become a global community of people who travel, dive, and grow together.
This trip was about celebrating that journey. We put up a timeline in the common area, and everyone added where they joined the MHT story!
Diving on The Rig
The Rig is a converted offshore oil rig platform that was turned into a dive resort in the late 80s.
Located right next to Mabul Island, Seaventures is perfectly situated for diving – and a huge variety of it! We did 3 boat dives a day, plus any Rig diving we wanted.
We had 5 dive teams on this trip. Each team had:
- Boat Leader (Seaventures Dive Staff)
- MHT Ambassador
- 8 MHT travellers
- 2 additional dive guides.
That meant we had a ratio of just 3 divers per dive guide! We felt like royalty.
Having so many dive teams meant that we could vary our schedule and not crowd the dive sites. We took turns sleeping in and leaving early. Here is the diving we got to do!
Mabul & Kapalai Islands
In just 5-10 minutes by boat, you can be diving on Mabul or Kapalai islands. Each island has reef, muck diving, and artificial reef structures to explore.
These sites are very different from reef diving. The sandy bottoms and artificial reef structures are home to some of the ocean’s smallest and most fascinating creatures.
Every dive felt like a search. Frogfish, nudibranchs, and even blue-ringed octopus made appearances throughout the week. It is the kind of diving that slows you down and rewards patience and curiosity.
As an added bonus, a couple groups saw a whale shark passing overhead!
Sipadan Island
This is why we come to Malaysia, to dive Sipadan Island!
Sipadan is a protected marine park with incredibly healthy and vibrant coral reefs. The dive sites are located right of shore, and feature a steep wall that goes more than 1,800m in places!
Here we dove with reef sharks, schools of jacks, schools of barracudas, and the beautiful reefs.
Seaventures House Reef
You can dive right underneath the rig for incredible macro, schools of fish, turtles, and some fun artificial reef pieces they have placed down there.
All you need to do is grab your buddy, put on your gear, and ride the lift done! Can you find a more accessible dive site?
As an added bonus, by the end of the week many of us proudly considered ourselves “Rig Divers.” We took the official PADI distinctive specialty, learned to navigate the Rig, and now have the card to prove it!
Mataking & Pom Pom Day Trip
As if all this diving wasn’t enough, we added a day trip out to the islands of Mataking and Pom Pom!
On Mataking we dove more stunning reefs. Fields of soft corals wafted in the currents, turtles drifted by, and more walls and fish that we could count.
But the real purpose of this trip was to visit TRACC – Tropical Research And Coral Conservation.
Based on Pom Pom island, TRACC has been working to restore the coral that has been destroyed by dynamite fishing. We got to tour their facilities, see the coral they are building, and learn about their volunteer program.
We work to incorporate conservation into all our trips, but we have an extra special opportunity with TRACC!
MHT has decided to sponsor one of their artificial reefs and are fundraising in our community. Stay tuned for more info, and how you can get involved!
Capturing the Moments
To celebrate this milestone, we brought along our friend and photographer, Gustavo.
Many of our travelers already know his work from Roatan trips, where he has been capturing both underwater and on-land moments since 2022.
Having him with us in Malaysia allowed us to document the energy of the trip in a really special way. From dive days to sunset gatherings on the rig, he captured the moments that make these trips unforgettable!
More Than Just a Dive Trip
This week in Malaysia was about more than diving.
It was about celebrating five years of building a community. It was about bringing together 45 people from different places who all share a love for the ocean. It was about connection, growth, and shared experiences.
Looking back at where MAR Hosted Trips started, it is incredible to see how far we have come.
Looking forward, it feels like we are just getting started.
Dive the Rig with MHT
Did you get some FOMO hearing about this trip? If this trip inspired you, you are not alone.
As you can tell, MHT is a big fan of Seaventures, so we will be back! We already have two more trips planned to Malaysia.
April 2027 – SOLD OUT
June 2028 – COMING SOON
We are going to charter The Rig again in 2028, this time as a women’s trip. Details will be released soon, so make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to get the details.
How to Prepare for our Malaysia Trip
This trip is rated as Medium Difficulty and requires divers to have their Advanced Open Water certification.
The reason is that you must be certified to deep dive for Sipadan island, and there are a lot of currents in the Celebes Sea! You need some extra skill and experience to get the most out of your diving here.
Ways to Prepare for Malaysia
Get Your AOW – join one of our upcoming Scuba Retreats to get your cert!
Get some practice – increase your time underwater. Cozumel, Roatan, or Cabo Pulmo are great locations to practice deep dives or diving in currents.
