HELP Pls: Diving in Malaysia in August

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

scoufr

Contributor
Messages
85
Reaction score
0
Location
London
# of dives
100 - 199
Hello all!

Me and my wife will come to Malaysia end of August for a few week's of holiday. First we'll stay a few days i KL, and then we'd like to go somewhere for a nice relax and diving... but we're struggling with finding out what place to go!?

We have realised that Langkawi has some great hotels and beaches... but not much to offer to divers. And also that e.g. Tioman / Sipadan is great for divers... but doesn't seem to have many nice hotels, and that getting there is a little tricky from KL (I saw that Berjaya flies from KL to Tioman, but there seems to be no availability 23-29 Aug and the idea of a long-distance bus ride is a no-no).

So if anyone would be willing to share some ideas on a good location for diving, relaxing with nice hotels etc - we'd be VERY grateful :)

Thank you very much in advance,
R&L
 
If you want to stay in Malaysia, keep in mind that Sipadan is off eastern Borneo and Tioman is of the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. They are worlds apart in many ways. Sipadan is world class diving. Tioman is "nice" diving from KL / Singapore. I dive there a couple of times every month and love it but it is not in the same class as Sipadan. I'm guessing that neither has hotels that would blow you away but you might want to try a boutique place like Japamala Resort and Spa | Luxury Boutique Resort | Tioman Malaysia. They could also help you with flights as I am surprised that flights are full. The National Day is on 31 August which may be a factor but it's worth checking. Sipadan currently has many people from outside the area worried about travelling there. Google for those reasons.
 
Redang, Perhentian or Tengol on east coast of Peninsula Malaysia
 
you can choose to fly from KL to Redang too with Berjaya. Redang is an island along the east coast of the peninsular. Tioman and Redang dive quality is pretty similar.... nothing to shout about.

Don't bother diving at Langkawi!!

Best place to dive in Malaysia is still at Sabah.... east Malaysia. This is where Layang Layang and Sipadan is located. But we are having some security issues around Sipadan region though.....
 
Langkawi isn't well known for its diving.

Tioman has deteriorated from what I remember of it 20 years ago. You can dive there, and many people still do, but it's really nothing much.
Sipadan is still amazing, but it's not safe at the moment with the recent repeated kidnappings and killings of police by Filipino terrorists.

Perhentian has nice diving, and the beach has white powdery sand. Nice place for a holiday, but it's really hot and diving is kinda hardship.
Most DCs have no access to a jetty and you have to lug your gear walking on the soft sand to the boat, take it off, climb up the boat, do your dive, take off your gear, pass it up, climb up the boat, and head back to the DC. Repeat 3-4x a day and it gets tiring.

I would definitely recommend Perhentian for the diving, but pick a DC that has access to a jetty. Bring mosquito repellant.

Redang is also ok diving. Redang Kalong is a nice DC that I've used. Everything's taken care of for you there, meals are all included. It's not 5 star, but it's good enough for me. People there are friendly and helpful, and the dive shop is well run and organized.

Like the other poster mentioned, there is also Layang Layang (expensive to get to) and Tenggol. I have not been to these 2 so can't comment. Layang Layang is known for their pelagics especially hammerhead sharks.
Hello all!

Me and my wife will come to Malaysia end of August for a few week's of holiday. First we'll stay a few days i KL, and then we'd like to go somewhere for a nice relax and diving... but we're struggling with finding out what place to go!?

We have realised that Langkawi has some great hotels and beaches... but not much to offer to divers. And also that e.g. Tioman / Sipadan is great for divers... but doesn't seem to have many nice hotels, and that getting there is a little tricky from KL (I saw that Berjaya flies from KL to Tioman, but there seems to be no availability 23-29 Aug and the idea of a long-distance bus ride is a no-no).

So if anyone would be willing to share some ideas on a good location for diving, relaxing with nice hotels etc - we'd be VERY grateful :)

Thank you very much in advance,
R&L
 
All,

Thank you so much for insights! Will write a travel report wherever we end up :)
 
Perhentian. Best web site, complete information about Perhentian Island (Pulau Perhentian) place to start looking, not as good a web site as it was. There was/is another web site very simillar with more options.
Bubbles is nice but slightly cut off from the main beaches it is worth while to get a beach fron chalet.
Long beach is the party area, so if you are looking for a quiet time avoid it.
Tuna bay had good rooms when we stayed there, Abdul's just down the beach had fabulous crab dishes.
Opposite long beach on Perhentian Kechil there are a couple of decent resorts and a couple of good dive shops. No need to use the dive shop in the resort, from experience any dive shop will pick you up from any resort.
Trip advisor has some good advice, as does a search here.
How to get there How to go to Perhentian Island (Pulau Perhentian), Malaysia..
Either catch the early morning flight and get a taxi to the pier (beware this takes longer than you might expect (1 hour?)) but not so expensive going for the midday speed boats. Get the resort to organise the taxi for you.
Or fly up the night before and get a hotel or guest house in Kuala Besut and catch the early boats.
PM me if you have any specific questions.
All the best and have a fantastic time.
 
Hi there. Im a Malaysian, still a noob. To answer your questions, I need to know how many weeks do you want to go diving?
Since youre coming in August, try to avoid Sabah East Coast due to serious security issues. Focus on the Peninsular East Coast. Mainly off shore of Terengganu, which is Perhentians, Redang, and Tenggol. We also have amazing islands off Johor East Coast. but they are a bit of a trouble to reach to if U dont like long bus ride. And then theres Tioman, in Pahang East Coast. If U have some extra budget, try considering Layang layang, off the West Coast of Sabah. bear in mind Layang layang is far more superior to the islands off penisular. layang layang is world class. I guess thats about it.

Since u dont like long bus rides, Id say Johor is not on your list. the islands off Johor are beautiful and the viz is always clearer. But the islands are small, no high class resorts, and no airports. The furthest island off Johor is like 4 hours by speedboat. The plus side is that there are much more less tourist, u could have the whole island for yourself. And then theres Layang layang. located on one of the atolls of the much disputed Spratlys, about 300 km northwest of Sabah West Coast. Can be reached via plane from KK Sabah. Plus side is the diving is world class. viz can be 40m. crystal clear all the way. not suitable for noobs coz the bottom is about 2000m down. wall diving and pelagics is the attraction here, namely schools of hammerheads, mantas and sharks. coral life are also much more healthier compared to peninsular east coast islands. security is guaranteed as theres an army base there, with men guarding 24/7. this prevents illegal sea floor bombing by fishermen like some other spratly islands, and this is the reason for healthy fish and coral life and clear viz. only negative side is much more expensive cost if youre from peninsular. flights from KL to KK and from KK to Layang layang. guess quality comes with some price hehe. And then we are left with Tioman to consider. since u hate buses, i guess flying is the only option. U can fly to either Tioman or Redang. then, theres time constraints.

If u have less than 1 week, then I recommend U to go sweep the string of islands off the Peninsular East Coast. Take a flight from KL to Redang Island. Stay for a week and take about 6 dives there. Viz is unpredictable, ranging from clear 18m to a sad 5m, average is about 10m. nothing special regarding the sites in Redang. From Redang U can take a speedboat to nearby Perhentian up north and Tenggol further down. The Perhentian Islands, north of Redang, have some sites that are more superior than Redang. I recommend to go dive Perhentian's Sugar Wreck, Terumbu Tiga, and of course, Temple of the Seas. Viz is between 10 to 20m, ill say better than Redang. Dive sites are also much better. On the remaining days U in Redang, take the day trip to Tenggol and dive the island's 3 or 4 sites. Nothing much to scream at Tenggol either. Of these 3 islands, I'd say Perhentians is the best.

If u have more than 1 week to go diving, u can spend the 1st week as i suggested above. For the following week, which i assume is in early September, u can go to Tioman and spend a few days. Maybe theres available flights in september as u said there are none till 29 august. So from Redang, u fly back to KL. and from KL fly to Tioman. the landing in Tioman is more of an adrenaline rush. aircraft fly straight towards the mountain and turns sharply near the ground to get in line with the runway. small room for error. haha. adds to the adventure. stay for a few days and go diving around the island. viz is unpredictable, from 18m to 5m. average is aroung 10-15m. some sites may have strong currents. some sites are nice some sites are just average. but the island is big and dive sites are many to choose from. that is a positive. the negatives are there will be many tourists and may get crowdy down there.

so there u have it. im writing this at 5am while burnt out from the bong much earlier, if u know what i mean.haha. sorry for my long and boring post. just trying to be helpful..

---------- Post added August 11th, 2014 at 05:44 AM ----------

just to add something, by staying in Redang and go for day trip to Perhentians, eliminates the problem of long tiring walks from DC to jetty. same applies for day trip from Redang to Tenggol. Tenggol is the smallest of the 3. diving sites in Tenggol are also only a few. cheers

---------- Post added August 11th, 2014 at 05:51 AM ----------

oh yeah i forgot to say that ill be on Perhentian Kecil from 28 August. just try to guess which one is me out on the packed beach haha. ill be on Moonlight Chalet, puffiing some smoke right off towards the Jetty at Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil, while watching tanned asses shine from the sun, from the cover of my shades. hahaha. peace out
 
Thank you - that's a very nice and comprehensive post!!
 

Back
Top Bottom