Tioman Beach Dive

A Diving Sensation: Tioman Island
Off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, lies some of Malaysia’s best diving islands. Redang, Perhentian, Lang Tengah, Tenggol and, of course, Tioman, are underwater playgrounds; teeming with life and bursting with colour.Diving in Tioman caters to every level of diver from tranquil calm dive sites that are suitable for beginners through to drifts and surge sites which appeal to more experienced divers. Tioman Island might be small but it shouldn’t be underestimated. Located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, it is home to over 500 species of reef building corals and 52% of all Indo-Pacific reef fishes.

You’d be impressed by Tioman’s plethora of critters which includes countless species of nudibranch, scorpionfish, pipefish, octopus, cuttlefish, frogfish, eels and an array of shrimps and crustaceans which are experienced camouflage ninjas on Tioman’s healthy reefs.

Dive Sites of Tioman
Tioman is indeed blessed with some world class dive sites. There’s really only one way to get a real impression of them – come and dive them yourself!

Some notable dive sites are:
Tiger Reef
This submerged pinnacle located between Labas and Sepoi is one of Tioman’s most famous dive sites. This site has an average depth of just 15 metres/50 feet and it offers an explosion of colour. The kaleidoscopic soft coral coverage on the pinnacle is what really steals the limelight as bright oranges, hot pinks and vibrant purples compete for attention.

Due to the stronger currents that can be present here, you can expect to encounter large schools of jacks, mackerels, yellow fin barracuda, fusiliers and rainbow runners on almost every dive. The large boulders and canyons provide useful shelter if you want to take a break from the action. Look out for angelfish, moray eels, stingrays, pufferfish, nudibranchs and white tip reef sharks resting under ledges.

Soyak
Soyak dive site is located just off a small island from which it takes its name. This shallow dive site deserves a mention as it is a beautiful site that’s packed with diversity for all levels. Soyak’s stunning reef is a mix of bommies and boulders which are adorned with brightly coloured soft corals, anemones, fire corals, sponges and hard branching corals and plates.

Some of the frequently spotted highlights here include hawksbill turtles, blue-ring angelfish, batfish, emperors, titan triggerfish, numerous types of butterflyfish, blue spotted stingrays on the sand, yellow striped snappers, moray eels in the crevices, schooling fusiliers, yellowtail barracudas, zebra lionfish and quite literally, a multitude of nudibranchs.

KM Sipadan & Sawadee Wrecks
KM Sipadan is a former Royal Navy warship that was put into service in 1964 and later decommissioned in 2005. The Malaysian Maritime Office sunk the KM Sipadan at the Sawadee dive site in 2012 for the purposes of creating an artificial reef. This 31 meters/102 feet long wreck is connected by underwater lines to the two Thai fishing boat wrecks which lay nearby, at a maximum depth of 30 meters/100 feet, and are known as Sawadee (see Soyak dive site description above).

Coral growth on these wrecks is patchy but they attract a generous amount of fish life. Depending on the time of year when you visit you may see schools of juvenile fish that have made the wrecks their nurseries, including; yellow-tail barracuda, snappers and fusiliers. Other highlights to look out for are nudibranch and peculiar bottom dwellers such as stonefish, flatheads (crocodile fish), several different species of lionfish, moray eels and grumpy-looking frogfish!

Tumok
Tumok, also known as Tanjung Gemuk, is a small half island in front of Paya Bay. Though a small reef, it still comes with surprises such as its resident turtles and barracudas. Currents at Tomuk vary according to the phase of the moon and this site ranges from a leisurely swim to an exciting drift.

North Point
This is a beautiful drift dive along the side of Tioman Island. This is definitely a site to go with the flow, let the current do the hard work and simply enjoy the show along the way.

North Point is a sloping fringing reef site which bottoms out at around 18 meters/60 feet. On the slope you’ll find plenty of coral bommies which attract reef fish like metal to a magnet. On the bottom of the site there’s an interesting garden of sea whips and large, coral-adorned boulders. Highlights here include different species of lionfish, moray eels, titan triggerfish, small schools of bumphead parrotfish, sweetlips, Moorish idols and look out for the long antennae of spiny lobsters protruding out from nooks and crannies in the reef!

So, what says you?
Are you getting bored of life on land? Then maybe it’s time to start diving in for better things in life, in this case, it’s Tioman Beach Dive.

Best time to Travel & Dive:

• The diving season for Tioman Island starts on 1st February and ends by early November. Tioman is pretty much closed during the monsoon season (November – January)
• February – March: Mating season of the Pharaoh Reef Cuttlefish
• March – May & September – November: Best visibility, averaging between 15 meters and 30 meters
• June – August: Summer season where visibility usually drops to around 8m to 12m, though diving is still great. Currents are fairly mild throughout the season.