Langkawi
The beach at Pantai Cenang
The west coast of Malaysia isn’t the first place you would think about for scuba diving but the island of Langkawi, famous for its pristine beaches and duty free status does offer some surprisingly good diving opportunities for those willing to make the effort. A great place to combine a short getaway with a little bit of diving.
langkawi: overview
Langkawi is an archipelago made up of around 99 islands located on the west coast of Malaysia and a perennial favourite holiday destination of locals and foreign visitors alike. Known for being a duty free haven with cheap alcohol and cigarettes, Langkawi actually offers so much more than a cheap boozy holiday. The interior of the island is filled with luscious rainforest and mangrove forests thrive near to the shoreline there is something for everyone here in this little tropical paradise. Though not known for its scuba diving, mainly due to the murky waters on the west coast of Malaysia there is actually a surprising abundance of marine life below the surface.
The island takes its name names from the reddish brown eagles that are found on the island, with he Malay word for eagle being helang (shortened to lang) and kawi being a reddish brown stone, hence Langkawi. Located in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah it is also known as the Jewel of Kedah and is not far from the Malaysian - Thai border. Indeed, it is also a great place to access the small Thai island of Koh Lipe, just a 40 minute ferry from Langkawi ferry terminal.
A scoprionfilsh at Cepu, Langkawi
Diving at langkawi
As mentioned earlier, Langkawi isn’t the first diving destination that springs to mind when talking about Malaysia, but beneath he waves lies a surprising abundance of marine life. From soft corals, schools of barracuda to macro life such as nudibranchs, seahorses and frogfish it really is worth checking out, especially for those craving getting a few dives in whilst the east coast of Malaysia is battered by the monsoon. Whilst the waters are notoriously murky on the west coast of Malaysia, visibility here can be around 2-4m at best it means it a great place to take courses such as the PADI Limited Visibility Diver specialty. The other option is to dive at the nearby marine park of Pulau Payer, some 40 - 60 minutes away from he main island.
A frogfish at Cepu Island
Langkawi
Cepu Island
A gentle little dive site, located about 15 minutes boat ride from Pantai Cenang beach when the visibility is good it holds a surprising variety of macro life as well as some larger pelagic species too.
Normal Day: Morray eel, crabs, wrasse, parrotfish, clownfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, pufferfish, porcupine fish, yellow boxfish, trevally, yellow snapper, nudibranchs
Lucky Day: Seahorses, frogfish, schooling barracuda, cobia
Depth: 12m
Pulau Payer
Pulau Segantang #1
Located in Pulau Payer, its around a 60 minute boat ride from the main island of Langkawi.
Life: Nudibranchs, soft corals, titan triggerfish, pipefish, wrasse, parrotfish, clownfish, angelfish, pufferfish, porcupine fish
Depth: 18m
Pulau Segantang #2
A crab defending its territory in Pulau Langkawi
Life: Clownfish, nudibranchs, wrasse, parrotfish, angelfish, yellow boxfish, titan triggerfish, soft corals
Depth: 15m
Getting There
The best way to get to Langkawi is to fly from Kuala Lumpur and there are regular flights from either KLIA 2 or Subang with a number of different airlines flying there such as Malaysia Airways, Air Asia & Malindo. Flights are cheap and only about 1 hour as well so it makes it an ideal holiday location or weekend getaway, just be careful watching those no fly times after diving.
where to stay
There is a huge amount of choice in terms of accommodation in Langkawi and you can spend as little or as much as you want! If you are going to be diving then the best area ti stay around is Pantai Cenang. Although not Langkawi’s most scenic area it has lots of hotel/resort options and is only 10 minutes from the airport as well. If you’re looking for a resort with a bit of a difference why not try Bon Ton, antique wooden villa from around Malaysia loving re-assembled in Langkawi. The resort has a great restaurant as well and is the perfect place to relax post dive with a few cold drinks too around the pool. Although a little pricier than many options on the island it is really worth it if you want to stay somewhere a little bit different.
who to dive with
There are two main dive operators on the island that we here at southeast Asia diving are aware of, the first is Langkawi Scuba who dive in and around the smaller islands just off of Pantai Cenang. Its run by a husband and wife couple who are passionate about diving in Langkawi and offer PADI courses and specialities such as the Limited Visibility course. The other operator is Scuba Club Langkawi who dive in the Pulau Payer marine park which is about an hours boat ride away. You can find Scuba Club Langkawi via their page on Facebook.
time to visit
Best time to visit is October to May which coincides with the dry season in Langkawi, although it may be possible to dive June to September it isn’t guaranteed and the sea may be too rough to go out.
costs
Low to mid range depending on accommodation. Kapas Turtle Valley and Gem Island Resort are the most expensive options, but also offer the most in terms of comfort and the best food. For those on a budget there are plenty of options where you can stay very cheaply such as Quite and KBC.