Scuba Diving in the Perhentian Islands - a Rare Piece of Paradise in Malaysia

The crystal clear waters and brilliant white sandystandard, and a wide range of dive sites has meant
beaches of the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia havethat the islands have become a popular destination
for many years captured the hearts and imaginationsfor people looking to take a scuba diving course.
of the backpackers and travellers who passedThere are approximately ten major dive sites which
through. Recent years however have seen aare regularly visited by the dive centres in the
different type of traveller coming to the PerhentianPerhentian Islands. Of these, Tokong Laut (Temple
Islands, as their reputation as a premier divingof the Sea) is widely acknowledged as being the
destination has slowly increased amongst the scubabest dive site on the islands. A large rocky outcrop
diving community.of boulders just off the northwest coast of
In fact it would be fair to say that a large amount ofPerhentian Kecil offers some of the best examples
the success of the Perhentian Islands as a scubaof soft coral formations in the region. This carpet of
diving location should be attributed to thestunning soft corals provides a home to a wide
neighbouring Thailand, and the dive resorts of Kohvariety of marine life including kingfish, barracuda,
Tao, Phuket and Koh Samui. Large numbers ofnurse sharks and black tip sharks.
travellers who have learned to scuba dive in theFor fans of wreck diving, there are two excellent
larger Thai resorts often find themselves gravitatingdive sites in the Perhentian Islands. The Sugar Wreck,
to the natural beauty of the Perhentian Islands.a 90 metre cargo ship which sank in 2000, and the
Looking for one last dive before the hustle and bustleVietnamese Wreck were it is still possible to dive
of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore!inside the wreck itself.
The Perhentian Islands comprise of Pulau PerhentianIf you are planning to go scuba diving in the
Kecil and Pulau Perhentian Besar, and are locatedPerhentian Islands, the best time to visit is between
approximately 20 kilometres off the coast ofApril to October, when both the visibility and weather
Malaysia. Offering what can only be described as aare at their most favourable. November to March
slice of paradise, the palm fringed beaches encirclesees the monsoon season, when the weather
these tropical islands, whilst the clear blue waters hidebecomes poor and access to and from the islands
a wealth of marine and coral life below.becomes limited due to the rough seas.
The scuba diving in the Perhentian Islands is of a high