Saturday, December 28, 2013

Perhentian, Malaysia


Photo from Thomas Lee
Perhentian Islands are located at the north eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia, not far from the Thai border. Perhentian means "stop" like Perhentian Bus means bus stop. The name derived from the place being a fishermen and traders stop between Thailand and Malaysia.

Perhentian Islands consist of 2 main islands, the Perhentian Besar (Big Perhentian) and Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian) and a few other uninhabited islands around like Susu Dara, Susu Dara Kecil, Tokong Kemudi, Serenggeh and Rawa. The only permanent inhabitants live in the village on the small island, others are owners and workers of the local resorts, chalets and marine park. 


Photo from Thomas Lee
The islands are covered with jungles over the hills and slope down to some white sandy beach bay, most of them are dominated by chalets and resorts but there are some that are pristine. To access to these pristine beaches, you can hire a canoe or speedboat or some are accessible by jungle trekking. Beside walking the only other mean of transport is by taxi boat.

The nearest jetty to Perhentians is Kuala Besut, there are numerous speedboat service leaving everyday from 7:30am to 5pm. (Frequency are higher during high season and local Public Holidays) The return schedule will normally be 8am, 12noon and 4pm. A return trip will cost RM70, get your tickets from the numerous agency lining up at the jetty and do book ahead on your return pickup during peak season. All travelers need to pay RM5 Marine Park fee at the jetty. Then all you need to do is to decide where you want to be drop off to look for accommodation if you didn't pre-book in advanced. The journey will takes around 30-45 mins (depending on where you drop off). If you are looking for cheap accommodation, check out Coral Bay or Long Beach. Coral Bay is usually the first stop, from here it a 15mins short walk across the jungle to Long Beach. You can also get drop off at Long Beach, you will need to jump onto a taxi boat that cost you RM2 to transfer you 50m to the beach.



Why is Perhentian so special? It is very laid back, no one is in a rush for anything. Beautiful beaches and vehicle-less, so you can walk barefoot as soon as you step on the island. The islands are surrounded by nature and wild life, like monkeys, squirrel, monitor lizards, flying lemur, geckos, and not to mention it's underwater marine life. People are friendly and welcoming, always smiling and helpful. Activities in Perhentian Islands include scuba diving, snorkeling, sea-kayaking, sunbathing, partying and chilling. In this blog I will to talk about diving in Perhentian as it has been my favorite dive destination since 1997.


Dive Center are abundance on both islands, there is no place on the islands where you can't hook up with a dive center. My favorite and recommendation will be none other than Turtle Bay Divers (http://www.turtlebaydivers.com/Turtle Bay Divers has been established since 1993, in terms of experienced, you know who has it! They are located at Mama's chalet, big island and Long Beach, small island. They have a team of dive professionals that takes care of you from beginner level up to experience diver. Prices in Perhentian is the cheapest you can find in Malaysia. There is no point bargaining for a RM80 dive when you are lead with a professional DM and suited up with quality equipment and service, no cowboy style diving as I have seen from many other dive centers around.

I personally like staying at the big island because I prefer the tranquility and shades. If you are looking for a place to drink and party all night then Long beach will be your choice. Rock Garden and Moonlight are both situated on the 2 ends of the white sandy beach, I recommend you to choose either one of this to have some quiet time away because those that lies in the center of the beach will be blasted by music all night long.

Food are generally locals and western (no pork). Plenty of small restaurant and cafe around. Cost between RM10 to RM30. For an exclusive meals you can check out Bubu Resort @ Long beach, which has a range of restaurant quality meals. You will be looking at spending between RM50-RM100 per person.

Dive Sites
Here are a description of some selected dive sites in Perhentian based on my previous dive experienced and 4 months worked as a DM in Turtle Bay Divers.

* Top dive sites
# My favorite dive sites
Dive Site
Description
Max Depth
Level
Marine life
* # Terumbu Tiga
T3
Tiger Rock
Rocks and boulders formed the dive site that creates lots of swim thru.
Visibility is generally around 10m.
Good for macro photography.
Water temperature can drop to 24c when hit by thermocline.
21m
OWD and above
T3
Nudibranch
Shrimp
Pipefish
Angelfish
Bumphead parrotfish
Turtle
Barracuda
Jenkin ray
Titan Trigger fish
* # Sugar Wreck
90m cargo ship sunk in 2000.
Lies on her port side on a sandy bottom.
Big swim thru into Cargo compartment.
Visibility is generally around 10m.
Good for wide angle.
Penetration for experienced diver only.
18m
OWD and above
Sugar Wreck 

Bamboo shark
Cat shark
Lion fish
Scorpion fish
Razorfish
Yellow tail barracuda
Chevron barracuda
Pickhandle barracuda
Trevally
Mackerel
King fish
Cuttlefish
Razorfish
Snapper
Pufferfish
Porcupine fish
Boxfish
Flathead
Nudibranch
Squid
Titan Trigger fish
Shrimp
Crab
* Tokong Laut
Temple of the sea
Pinnacle
A Pinnacle immerged from seabed.
Colourful and lively.
Varieties of marine life.
Visibility is generally above 10m.
Good for wide angle.
25m
OWD and above
Pinnacle

Bamboo shark
Snapper
Fusilier
Razorfish
Pufferfish
Porcupine fish
Scorpion fish
Boxfish
Blue spotted stingray
Moray eel
Titan Trigger fish
Snapper
Sweetlips
Trevally
Black tip reef shark
Squid
Shrimp
Angelfish
Nudibranch
Vietnamese Wreck
Landing craft sunk in 1976.
Swim thru under the wreck.
Small dive site, strong current and visibility is generally below 10m.
Simple Penetration.
Good for macro photography.
24m
AOW and above
Stone Fish
Pickhandle barracuda
Snapper
Scorpion fish
Stonefish
Titan Trigger fish
Moray eel
Nudibranch
Pufferfish
Porcupine fish
# Seahorse Drift
Muck Dive.
Drift thru submerge reef patch.
Current can be strong as it is not protected.
Visibility is generally below 10m.
Good for macro photography.
24m
AOW and above
Seahorse
Seahorse
Blue ring octopus
Nudibranch
Crab
Batu Layar
Sail Rock
Submerge reef covers with staghorn corals and table corals.
Visibility is generally around 10m.
Good for wide angle.
18m
OWD and above
Indian Walkman
Snapper
Yellow tail barracuda
Indian Ocean Walkman
Batfish
Titan Trigger fish
Stonefish
Angelfish
Razorfish
Blue spotted stingray
Black tip reef shark
Bamboo shark
Bumphead parrot fish
Turtle
Batu Kapal
Shark Point
Batu Kapal is a few submerge rocks on sandy slope bottom.
Small dive site, normally combined with Shark Point dive.
Current can be strong during tide change.
Visibility is generally around 10m.
Good for macro photography.
20m
OWD and above
Saddle back clown fish
Turtle
Black tip reef shark
Indian Ocean Walkman
White Pipefish
Shrimp
Nudibranch
Blue spotted stingray
Lionfish
Razorfish
Batfish
Titan Trigger fish
Moray eel
Panda Clown fish
Bumphead parrot fish
Tanjung Basi
Rock boulders.
Current can be strong during tide change.
Visibility is generally above 10m.
Big fish use to be a surprise.
20m
OWD and above

Black tip reef shark
Titan Trigger fish
Yellow margin trigger fish
Surgeon fish
Fusilier
Napoleon
Turtle
Bumphead parrot fish
Marble Grouper
Moray eel
Eagle Ray
Nudibranch
Seabell
Lighhouse
A submerge reef covers 50m around the light house.
Healthy and colourful coral.
Current can be strong as it is not protected.
Visibility is generally around 10m.
Good for macro and wide angle photography.
18m
OWD and above

Black tip reef shark
Indian Ocean Walkman
White Pipefish
Blue spotted stingray
Southern ray
Moray eel
Batfish
Angelfish
Titan Trigger fish
Turtle
D-Lagoon
Shallow dive.
Almost no current as it is in a shelted bay.
Colourful reef with lots of giant clam
Good for check-up dive
13m
OWD and above
Jenkin ray

Jenkin ray
Panda Clown fish
Batfish
Pipefish
Angelfish
Razorfish
Angelfish
Flonder
Indian Ocean Walkman
Shrimp
Titan Trigger fish
Yellow tail barracuda
Fusilier
Blue spotted stingray
Bumphead parrot fish
Black tip reef shark
Eagle Ray
Turtle
Warning : Beware of Titan Trigger fish at the following locations - Piping side of Batu Layar, Sandy bottom of Tanjung Basi, Eastern side of Seabell, Top of Vietnamese Wreck.
The Titan Trigger fish is usually wary of divers and snorkelers, but during the reproduction season the female guards its nest, which is placed in a flat sandy area, vigorously against any intruders. Although bites are not venomous, the strong teeth can inflict serious injury that may require medical attention. 

Travel date :  Average twice per year since 1997 till todate
Travel route : Kuala Besut is the nearest port town to take a speedboat to Perhentian
By Bus
From
To
Company
Duration
Cost
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Besut
Mutiara
9 hrs
RM40
Penang
Jertih  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
Mutiara Ekspress
6 hrs
RM46
Butterworth
Jertih  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
Mutiara Ekspress
S.P.Bumi
5 hrs
RM42
Kota Bharu
Kuala Besut
City Liner
1.5 hrs
RM6
Singapore
Jertih  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
11 hrs
RM102
Johor Bharu
Jertih  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
10 hrs
RM77
By Plane
From
To
Company
Duration
Kuala Lumpur
Kota Bharu  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut or take a bus from Kota Bharu to Kuala Besut)
1 hr


By Train
From
To
Company
Duration
Kuala Lumpur
Tanah Merah (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
13 hrs
Singapore
Tanah Merah  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)
10 hrs
By Taxi
From
To
Duration
Cost
Kota Bharu/Kota Bharu Airport
Kuala Besut
45 mins
RM75
Jertih
Kuala Besut
30 mins
RM20-30
Tanah Merah
Kuala Besut
45 mins
RM75


Accommodation and diving : Recommended Mama Chalet, Big Island or Rock Garden and Moonlight, Long Beach, Big Island
Type of diving : Reef, muck, wreck
Water temperature : 28-30°C
Best time to dive : The season starts from March to October, from November to February, the north east monsoon kicks in bringing lots of rain, rough and choppy sea. Only the locals and fishermen stays on the island over the monsoon.

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