Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
Written by Andrew Kong
My name is Andrew and I’m an avid diver with AOW (Advanced Open Water) certification and 25 dives under my belt.
I’ve been to so many beautiful locations and witnessed countless awe-inspiring moments, but the story I’m sharing with you today is a little bit different. In fact, it’s quite morbid, but it’s an experience I feel that needs to be shared.
This is the story of how I almost drowned at The One Tenggol Island Resort Malaysia due to negligence and mismanagement.
“Do not eat the seafood” my friend warned.
Last May, I planned a trip to Tenggol Island with my diving kakis Li-Jian and Kelly. This was our first trip together since the pandemic, so we were excited.
We took the first boat and arrived around 10.30 in the morning to be greeted by my friend, a diving instructor.
We chatted for a bit and he gave us a summary of all his amazing dives in the past few days, like spotting a whale shark that morning.
But before he got on the boat to leave, he gave us a warning.
“Do. Not. Eat. The. Seafood,” he said grimly.
Apparently, he had been hearing cases of food poisoning recently.
We took his advice to heart and avoided all things seafood-related, having only chicken, rice and vegetables. We had a lovely dive and Day 1 passed without incident.
On day 2, some divers started falling sick
Day 2 was a packed day with multiple dives from 9.30am to 7.30pm.
As if foreshadowing what was to come, one of the divers in our group fell ill and had to drop out. Another lady friend reported vomiting in the morning, but she still managed to join us on the dives.
It was like a zombie movie where characters around you were starting to drop like flies, but you as the protagonist have no idea that you’re next.
Regardless, we remained cautious about what went onto our plates and avoided all shellfish and seafood. We survived the second day intact.
Day 3 was another packed schedule with 3 dives on the itinerary. I had nasi lemak, hash browns and nuggets for breakfast and was feeling excited.
During the first dive, I felt a little gassy and burped a few times but I didn’t think much of it. It’s not uncommon for air to build up inside because you’re breathing through the regulator.
I was 20 meters underwater when it started
But it was during my second dive when things started to escalate.
My friends and I were feeling adventurous and wanted to do a 30 meter deep dive, so we decided to break off from the group. We started the slow descend, taking in all the wonders of the island’s underwater inhabitants.
30 minutes into the dive, I started to get severe stomach cramps.
Anyone who has ever experienced food poisoning knows how intense and quickly the symptoms hit.
The sharp pain in your bowels, the sudden cold sweat and light-headedness. Just when your mind starts to catch up with what is going on, another wave of nausea hits you, even stronger than the one before.
So there I was, 20 meters underwater. Stomach exploding from the inside, dizzy and trying my hardest to hold back the vomit.
And the only thing I could think of was, ‘Oh my god, am I going to die here?’
I focused all my attention towards my breathing. It was the only thing I could do to not think about the overwhelming sensation of nausea and diarrhea. I was in a desperate fight to survive.
‘I just needed to get back up to the surface’, I told myself.
Luckily, my friends noticed me trying to float myself up to the surface and came to my aid. It took us about 10 minutes to breach the surface, but to me, it felt like 10 hours.
As my friends hailed for the boat to come pick us up, I was already losing the battle and right there, I had no choice but to vomit and relieve myself of my diarrhea in the ocean waters.
We had diarrhoea and vomiting for 2 days
Once I got back to the resort, I rushed to the toilet in my room. The food poisoning was so stressful on my body that I almost passed out bent over the toilet.
At around 3pm, I finally found the strength to drag myself to bed. After downing some charcoal pills and vitamin C drink that one of the hotel staff brought me, I ate a packet of biscuits that I had brought with me.
Later that night, both Kelly and Li-Jian succumbed to the infection. After speaking to a few of the other divers, I found out that 4 other people had been hit by food poisoning.
When I told my diving instructor friend about it, he revealed that previously there was another group of 8 divers who all got sick at the same resort.
That’s 17 victims so far in a span of just one week!
So this was not an isolated incident. Someone in charge of food safety and quality assurance is not doing their job over at the One Tenggol Island Resort.
The next morning, we were packed and couldn’t wait to get on the first boat out off this island. We bumped into some of the island staff on our way out, but none of them offered an explanation or acknowledgement for what happened to us.
I decided that something needed to be done. The management is putting people’s lives at risk with their negligence.
The One Island Tenggol Resort refused to acknowledge fault, instead offering us another 4D3N trip
Facebook post by Andrew Kong.
I sent a complaint to the management and a “Ms Tey” contacted me via Whatsapp to apologise. As compensation, she offered us the same 4D3N package, along with medical expenses and a full lab report of their kitchen and water system.
This was an insult. I’ve just been through a traumatic near-death experience, why would I want to go back to the same place to relive it again?
I told Ms Tey that I would be lodging an official police report, and my lawyer would be sending them a letter demanding RM5,000 for their negligence and mismanagement. She has not responded or come back with a counter-offer since we last spoke.
Image: The police report and lab report.
Aside from being a victim due to their incompetence, this is a disaster waiting to happen. What if it ends up killing someone in the near future?
Malaysia is a country that is one of the most beautiful destinations in Southeast Asia, but tourism will suffer unless hold ourselves to much higher standards.
I don’t think I’m overreacting. I don’t hold any grudges towards the staff members of One Tenggol Resort Malaysia, but the management needs to be held accountable for their gross negligence.
I feel a responsibility to use my experience to educate others and avoid any unnecessary incidents.
1-star online reviews for The One Tenggol Resort Malaysia in the past 2 months.
The majority of these reviews which were posted in the last 2 months since the incident, which occured in late May. The reviews all listed complaints about their food and cleanliness.
IRL has reached out to The One Tenggol Resort Malaysia for comment, but they have yet to respond.
Do you have a personal experience with unsanitary food practices?
Share your story in the comments!
For more stories like this read:
My Friends Abandoned Me On Perhentian Island After I Got Lost While Hiking
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