SINGAPORE - Do not go diving if you are feeling unwell.

That is the advice given by veteran actor Hugo Ng after he suffered a scare in Malaysia recently.

The Hong Kong-based Singapore actor was in Sabah recently with a Hong Kong celebrity team for a friendly football match. He remained in the Malaysian state after the match for a vacation with his wife, actress Lily Chung, and his good friend, actor Gilbert Lam.

The 59-year-old actor went diving on Sunday even though he had a blocked nose from flu.

"I felt something was not right after diving to a deep depth and immediately signalled to my instructor Jack that I was unwell," he told Hong Kong's Oriental Daily News.

He proceeded to ascend quickly, but got a severe headache after reaching a depth of about 6m.

"The instructor stopped me instantly and we went up slowly. I felt l like my head was exploding and had difficulty breathing during the process," he recalled.

Ng vomited three to four times after he returned to the hotel and his friend Lam decided to send him to the hospital, where he was put on a drip.

His wife was not present then and he informed her only after his condition had stabilised in hospital.

Ng said he would remain in Sabah for a few more days before returning to Hong Kong, where he would go for a health check.

The actor is famous in Singapore for roles in then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation television serials such as Pursuit (1984), Takeover (1985) and Men Of Valour (1986). He went to Hong Kong in 1987 to further his acting career.