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	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	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	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	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 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	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	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 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 Perdana(http://www.ekspresperdana.com.my) Sani (http://www.saniexpress.com.my/home.html) Mahligai(http://www.mahligai.com.my/)	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)	Transnational (http://www.transnasional.com.my/)	11 hrs	RM102
Johor Bharu	Jertih  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)	Transnational (http://www.transnasional.com.my/)	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)	Malaysia Airline (http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en.html) AirAsia (http://www.airasia.com) Firefly (http://www.fireflyz.com.my/)	1 hr

By Train

From	To	Company	Duration
Kuala Lumpur	Tanah Merah (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)	KTMB (http://www.ktmb.com.my/)	13 hrs
Singapore	Tanah Merah  (From here take a taxi to Kuala Besut)	KTMB (http://www.ktmb.com.my/)	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.