In Peninsula Malaysia, there are no less than a hundred dive sites

scattered around its Marine Parks, most of which are found in the

east coast, like the Perhentian group of islands.

The Perhentian group of Islands here refers to the Islands of

Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Redang,

Pulau Bidong, Pulau Kapas, Pulau Lang Tengah and Pulau Tenggol.
 

Marine Park

The Marine Park is made up of the area around a group of islands namely

Pulau Redang, Pulau Pinang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu,

Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Susu Dara,

Pulau Lang Tengah and Pulau Kapas

Diving

Dive sites are very varied, from current swept rocks close to Perhentians and Bidong, to the gentle slopes covered with sea anemones around Redang and

to underwater mounds in Lang Tengah.

All these places also have excellent house reefs that are good

for night dives or snorkeling. Reefs around most dive sites rise from the sandy bottom at around 60ft to top off at about 20ft.
 

Although shore based diving is the norm here, there are also live-aboard options which cover many of these popular dive sites and which offer a

different sort of dive experience.

Dives are selected according to one's experience and requests.
 

For those who are not divers but are eager to find out what it feels like,

sign up for a discovery dive available at most dive centres where qualified

instructors will bring you on a escorted dive in shallow waters. 

The whole experience lasts about an hour. 

If you like it, you can get certified as a NAUI, PADI or SSI diver as we offer dive courses (you'll need to stay about 3-4 nights for basic open-water certification).

March and April is especially good for diving where visibility can hit 40m

Some months may present greater opportunities to catch glimpses of certain marine life. For example, green turtles nest in their greatest numbers in August while September is probably the best month to spot migratory whale sharks.

Click on the highlights for more info

Diving in Redang

With diving depth rarely exceeding 20 meters and being favorable to divers of

all level, Redang is one of the most popular diving destination in Peninsular Malaysia. Sites here include Pulau Lima which is in a class of its own and the

reefs to the west of Batu Chipor which has some of the largest aggregations

of anemones found anywhere.
 

Diving in Kapas

Includes the islands of Kapas and Gemia, the key attraction is the World War II shipwreck located 5 nautical miles offshore.

Northwards, about an hour from Pulau Kapas, this 50-year-old Japanese landing craft wreck sits upright. Her anti-aircraft guns lie at the bow, carpeted with growth of soft corals and sponges. Frequent encounters with whale sharks at this site.

Diving in Tenggol

Tenggol features a dramatic drop-off on the eastern side of the island to 48ft

and offers more than 20 stunning dive sites. Most sites bottoms out at 30 metres with large rocky outcrops and boulder-like terrain dominating the seascape.

Divers will be able to choose their type of diving, ranging from the relaxing

to the more demanding sites.

Diving in Lang Tengah & Pulau Bidong

There is a good deep dives here dropping down to 30 meters with big shoals of snappers, fusiliers and rabbit fish. A thermo cline often drops the visibility

which can be up to 30 meters.

Trawler wrecks are also aplenty off Pulau Bidong, scuttled by the marine department for illegal fishing within Malaysian waters. These wrecks are homes to lionfish and large groupers. Sometimes, black tip sharks swim by to check out divers.

Diving at Pulau Perhentians

There are about 20 dive sites at Perhentian, spread across the two islands
Night divers exploring the sandy bed of the shallow channel between the
two islands may encounter nocturnal sea shells.

On the northernmost island of Pulau Perhentian is a pinnacle, Susu Dara.

Here, steep sloping sides are carpeted with colourful soft corals,

table corals, sponges and whip corals.
 

You can observe anything from nudibranchs, molluscs, anemone clownfish and pelagics in the open water. Whale sharks are also frequently sighted

feeding around this pinnacle.