Diving Malaysia's East Coast Islands

Peninsular Malaysia’s East Coast islands are often overlooked by divers by the siren-call of star attractions like the Malaysian Borneo’s Sipadan and Layang-layang. But divers in the know have known for some time that some of Asia’s most exciting diving is found along this swatch of sea.

The nutrient-rich, warm waters here have turned this tropical archipelago into an underwater Garden of Eden. With its wall-to-wall marine life, this not-so-remote corner of Malaysia has become a vortex for visitors with adventure on their minds - particularly underwater ones.

There are five major islands or island clusters along the East Coast, stretching for hundreds of kms: From Tioman in the south, to Tenggol, Lang Tengah, Redang and Perhentian in the far north. With 10-15 dive sites per island, it makes for nearly endless diving possibilities, all within striking distance of KL. And get this: They are all Marine Parks. They’ve been set aside for the marine-life – and you.

The diving around here takes in the whole range – drop-off, drift, swim-throughs, macro, pelagics, tech, shallow and wreck diving. With variable viz, it’s important to have choices. This way, everybody swims away happy.

Topside is no scenic slouch either. With its beautiful, banana-yellow beaches bathed in balmy breezes, it’s important to realize that this is one of the few places on earth where the rainforest and reef coexist harmoniously.

There are no crowds here. Often, it’s just your group gliding through the Big Blue. This way, marine life will more likely come out and ‘perform’ for you.

Like seeing schools of barracudas. To be diving beneath a steadily swirling storm of these sleek predators, with shafts of early morning sunlight shimmering off their silvery backs is enough to make you go slack-jawed with awe.

But these islands are also fast gaining a reputation for good wreck diving. There are dozens of wrecks to choose from, most of them within easy reach of your island (if you’re land-based).

Just offshore from Tioman’s Salang Village lies the beautiful Soyak Wreck. Six years ago, the marine police caught an old wooden Thai junk fishing illegally in Malaysian waters and confiscated it. When the owner refused to pay for its release, the Marine Fisheries Department asked the local dive operators if they wanted some fresh wrecks to dive, and the rest is history. The wreck stands upright at a 12m depth, looking like something out of the Pirates of the Caribbean.