Help me plan 2 weeks on East Coast of West Malaysia

[dumpsterpurrs]

My JOW kiddo has a school break coming up around the last week of March til the first week of April. I'm thinking of taking him to dive in Malaysia.

My initial thought is: Fly into JHB, overland to Mersing, start trip in Tioman, then half way through switch to Tenggol, overland to KL, then finish with a few days in KL, where we'll depart for home.

Near Tioman I can see Pulau Aur/Dayang and Pulau Pemanggil. Are they better than Tioman in anyway?

Priorities are ease of transport & booking, quietness, and quality of diving. We went to Perhentian last August, and while I loved the diving, I didn't like how busy and noisy the islands were. Getting to Perhentian takes some effort too.

Wise SBers, any advice?

 

[Searcaigh]

Will the weather have calmed down enough for decent diving on the east coast.

Tioman is on my list but a PITA to get to. Saying that I've been to Redang several times, the first in 1992 when there was basically only a few huts there.

I have only visited during summer months August and September though pre-east coast monsoon.

Tioman might be your best opportunity for some decent dive ops to choose from.

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

It's true that it's still a bit early for the season. Perhaps it's better to go to Puerto Galera + Mabini this time and save this itinerary for the summer.

 

[Centrals]

It's true that it's still a bit early for the season. Perhaps it's better to go to Puerto Galera + Mabini this time and save this itinerary for the summer.

Didn't you complain the difficulty of getting to PG without a private car in one of your previous post?
Easter is on 07th Apr so demand will be high around that period in Philippines.

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

Didn't you complain the difficulty of getting to PG without a private car in one of your previous post?
Easter is on 07th Apr so demand will be high around that period in Philippines.

Going with my kid so def taking private transfer from MNL to Batangas. At least we'll get to split it between the two of us.
We'll leave right around the beginning of Easter, April 6 or 7.
I'll have to return one more time alone, will have to figure out public transport from MNL to Batangas. Won't be too much fun for me. Between my previous post about the difficulty of public transportation in PH and now, my body has gotten much worse.

 

[Searcaigh]

Why not just grab a flight to Manado and dive Bunaken?

 

[dumpsterpurrs]

Why not just grab a flight to Manado and dive Bunaken?

On my short list for the summer! Trying to get my little hooman a bit more hooked on diving before we go to Bunaken - Bangka - Lembeh. We'll have more time in the summer too.

 

[Saldiac]

Just FYI, the monsoon season started late on the East Coast in Malaysia.

 

[dsvs]

Dive sites are already open on the East Coast. Weather and conditions are always variable but some of the best diving is from April to June with visibility up to 30m. Tioman and Tenggol are good options with easy access back to KL after; Perhentian and Redang are a little further north and smaller so accommodation can be tricky if not booked well in advance. I've dived with B&J who are one of the larger operators on Tioman and have their own (basic) resort. They are generally pretty good if a little crowded sometimes. Blue Heaven is a smaller operator who tends to be less crowded, run by a Japanese couple. They're adjacent to B&J. That stretch of rocky beach (known as ABC) is one of the few places on Tioman you can do shore dives. There are a good variety of dive sites off Tioman so I'm not sure you would need to venture further out unless there is something specific you want to see.

Tenggol has some great diving but some sites are tricky for new divers depending on conditions. There are still lots of calmer and shallow sites suitable for all levels. I've dived with a few operators there but the standout is Viking Scuba who are brilliant. There is very little on Tenggol Island itself so you may prefer to stay in Dungun, where Viking and a few other operators are based. It's about a 40 minute boat ride to Tenggol. If you want luxury accommodation in Dungun Tanjung Jara Resort is worth a look.

 

[Anna1990]

We're going to Redang with Divers Den at the begining of April. We always have a fantastic time with them and I can't recommend them enough. Redang is a good bet if you enjoyed the diving in perhentians but not the islands themselves. The diving is still great but the island is much quieter (at least the resort we stay at is - coral redang island resort).

Redang is not such a pain to get to. If you fly into KL you can get a connecting flight to Terrenganu and from Terrenganu it's a 30 minute drive to the jetty where the speedboat to Redang leaves from (takes 45 minutes).