Perhentian Islands

Perhentian Islands: overview

The Perhentian Islands are located in the Malaysian state of Terengganu and are part of an archipelago that includes Redang, Kapas and Tenggol as well. Perhentian actually consists of two islands, Kecil (Malay for small) and Besar (Big), both of which it is possible to stay on and each having a different vibe. Kecil, the smaller of the two islands attracts a younger crowd and has a bit more of a backpacker feel to it, however some of the nicest accommodation can be found here whereas Besar is more resort or chalet based and offers a quieter, more secluded experience with less noise.

Personally, I have always stayed at Kecil, although I’m not as young as I used to be, I like the atmosphere and being able to wonder up and down the beach to find somewhere new to eat or chill out with a drink. My favourite place to stay is at long beach and although each year it seems to get busier and busier with more and more hotels and accommodation being built it still has a great atmosphere. I especially like to stay at BuBu resort, located not too far from the pier at Long Beach it offers nice, clean accommodation with fantastic food - breakfast is very good and in the evening after you have enjoyed your complementary cocktail you can head to the restaurant there for the beach BBQ. What better than freshly caught and cooked seafood when you are staying by the sea?! The only downside is that it is a bit pricier than other places on the islands, but in my opinion it is well worth the money. If you can’t afford it, you can always stay somewhere else and then go for the BBQ in the evening as they do welcome walk-ins if space is available.

BuBu isn’t the only place to stay, on long beach itself there are a range of places to suit all budgets, you can often book in advance or just walk along the beach trying to find somewhere with space. Other options apart from Long Beach include Coral Bay on the opposite side of the island with a range of accommodation, including camping, and D’Lagoon.

Diving at Perhentian is chilled out and relaxed with no shortage of Dive shops offering boat dives and PADI courses. As with all places best to do a bit of research before going, there are some great operators there but do be picky. I generally tend to Dive with a fantastic outfit called Turtle Bay Divers, located on long beach, great staff, really friendly, equipment is in good condition and they always remember me when I return! When diving you’ll generally find that the water is warm (30 degrees plus) with reasonable visibility (up to 20m). The coral is good, but not amazing but the dives are generally easy with the usual array of marine life found in Southeast Asia.

I really love the Perhentians, although not as spectacular as other places in Asia such as Sipadan and Raja Ampat it is easy to get to, cheap (relatively speaking) with a great atmosphere and laid back dives. I keep on returning year after year as its a great place to learn new skills, fine tune your skills or practise after a bit of a break.

Diving at perhentian

As mentioned above, diving at Perhentians isn’t spectacular compared to somewhere like Sipadan, you’re not going to be seeing huge schools of Barracuda or dozens of reef sharks playing around in the current, but it does offer easy diving suitable for all levels that is cheap. It’s a perfect place to train and complete your Open Water or advanced certifications. Below is a summary of the major Dive sites:

The Pinnacle/Tokong Laut (Temple of the Sea)

Probably the most famous of all the sites at Perhentian and my favourite here, a pinnacle rising to the top of the ocean which attracts a huge amount of marine life from parrotfish, fusiliers, batfish, nudibranchs to Turtles, Bamboo Sharks, Blacktip reef sharks and even a turtle or sea snake. Usually you will circle the pinnace, shallowing up as you go, but occasionally the current can be quite strong and your dive master will keep you on one side so you don’t get exhausted. If you are seriously lucky you may even see a Whale Shark here, I was in the dive shop starting ny rescue diver course when a group came back from this site having just seen one, needles to say i was green with envy! Always good value and guaranteed to see lots of life here, visibility is normally good, but if it is choppy on the surface then it can drop off. A bit further out from the main Perhentian Islands than most of the other dive sites but well worth the journey.

Depth: 18-25m

Normal Day: Blues Spotted Stingrays, Parrotfish Morray Eels, Pufferfish, Porcupine Fish, Angelfish, Wrasse, Triggerfish, Scorpionfish, Lionfish

Lucky Day: Blacktip Reef Shark, Turtles, Bamboo Sharks, Banded Sea Krait, Whale Shark

Terembu Tiga (T3)

Known as the Three Brothers, or T3, this is another of the more interesting dive sites at Perhentian. Located just off the larger of the two islands is features a number of large rocks, corals and a few swim throughs as well which make for an interesting dive. Whilst there isn’t as much life at this site as at The Pinnacle, it does offer opportunity to see some macro life with quite a few Nudibranchs about if you look hard enough. Normally there isn’t too much current and it makes for another relaxed dive. As with most dive sites at Perhentian, you always see the feared Titan Triggerfish so best to give them a wide berth, enjoy the scenery and swim throughs.

Depth 18-25m

Normal Day: Triggerfish, Blue Spotted Stingray, Bannerfish, Moorish Idol, Angelfish, Nudibranchs, Scorpionfish, Lionfish

Lucky Day: Turtles, Jenkins Ray, Banded Pipefish, Indian Ocean Walkman

Batu Layer

Sugar Wreck

Sugar wreck is one of the more famous dive sites at Perhentian, its an old ship that sed to transport - you guessed it….sugar - that was sunk number of years back. I have dived the wreck several times over the past few years and it has started to break up a little recently due to a few storms. Originally when I dived it you could penetrate the wreck, but since it started to collapse this isn’t allowed anymore. That said, as with all wrecks you get quite a bit of life around here and it makes for an interesting dive. Visibility can be a challenge at times, but that should not deter you from going. One of the highlights of diving Perhentian.

Depth: 18m

Normal Day: Fusiliers, Trevally, Pufferfish, Porcupinefish, Snapper, Bamboo Shark, Scorpionfish, Lionfish, Batfish, Nudibranchs, Blue Spotted Stingray

Lucky Day: Barracuda, Cuttlefish

Police Wrecks

A short boat ride from Perhentian Kecil Police Wrecks consists of three old police boats that were sunk and are linked together by rope. The dive site isn’t particularly challenging, although visibility, like at a lot of wrecks can be a bit challenging occasionally. Expect to see the usual array of tropical reef fish along with Lion fish, Stonefish, Nudibranchs and maybe even pipefish. I have a soft spot for this dive site as it is where I completed the “Hell Dive” as part of my Rescue Diver training and have fond memories of it.

Depth: 15-18m

Normal Day: Blue Spotted Stingray, Lionfish, Batfish, Porcupine Fish, Pufferfish, Anemone Shrimp

Lucky Day: Stonefish, Banded Pipefish, Nudibranchs

Vietnamese Wreck

D’Lagoon

Located on Perhentian Kecil, this dive site is only a short five minute boat ride away from Long Beach if you happen to be staying there. It takes its name from the resort located there and features a coral reef that stretches into a sandy bottom. The site is very sheltered and doesn’t have much current which makes it ideal for beginners and those wanting to refresh their skills. Having dived it a few times I have been lucky enough to encounter a school of Bumphead Parrotfish munching there way through the coral and we just stay and watch such a mesmerising site.

Depth: 12-15m

Normal Day: Blue Spotted Stingray, Clownfish, Lionfish, Parrotfish, Trevally, Fusiliers

Lucky Day: Bumphead Parrotfish, Jenkins Ray

Batu Nisan

Just off of Long Beach on the small island is Batu Nissan (Batu is Malay for rock), an excellent site for training and refresher dives due to it being fairly shallow and protected due to the pier. This is the site where I got bitten by the Scuba diving bug again after so many years. Its a site that can just as easily be snorkelled and still see just as much. Quite often it can be quite crowed with people taking various courses, mainly their open water and you sometimes need to keep your eyes open so you don’t bump into someone else! Having said that, I have dived here a few times, including some of my rescue diver dives and have throughly enjoyed it. It’s not mind blowing, but the ease of access makes it worth doing as a check in dive at the very least.

Depth: 10-15m

Normal Day: Blue Spotted Stingray, Scorpionfish, Lionfish, Triggerfish, Clownfish, Parrotfish, Wrasse, Pufferfish, Porcupine fish, Angelfish, Butterflyfish, Damselfish.

Shark Point

When a dive site is called shark point you really do go with a certain level of expectation. Having dived here a few times I have been lucky enough to see Blacktip Reef Sharks each time, however on each occasion our guide has been a pains to stress that it isn’t guaranteed as they are very skittish and shy. Located at the larger island (Besar) there is a large amount of coral, although some has died, probably due to the amount of boat traffic and divers. However, it is still worth going, aside from the resident blacktops you may be lucky enough to see turtles, blue spotted stingrays, groupers and the usual reef suspects too.

Depth: 12-18m

Normal Day: Pufferfish, Porcupine fish, Grouper, Batfish, Blue Spotted Stingray, Trevally, Parrotfish, Wrasse, Clownfish, Flutefish

Lucky Day: Blacktip Reef Shark, Green Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle, Squid

Tanjung Basi

Serrenggeh Rock

A site that isn’t dived as often as others most likely due to its location - its a fair way from Kecil island and pretty much on the way to the Pinnacle, so why would you normally go there? Well, when the current is too strong at the pinnacle….. Serrenggeh is a fairly standard dive site and nothing too much to get hyped up about. The coral is better than most places around Perhentian due to the lack of divers there. We were lucky enough to see a solitary Bumphead Parrotfish when we went.

Depth: 15-18m

Normal Day: Yellow Snapper, Fusiliers, Anemonefish, Clownfish, Blue Spotted Rockcod, Porcupinefish, Pufferfish

Lucky Day: Bumphead Parrotfish

Surprise Rock

As the name suggests, this site was a bit of a surprise, our dive guide told us that they had found it after years of diving around the islands. It was nice to dive here as it wasn’t well known at the time, so no other divers around and undisturbed corals too. It even felt a little bit eerie as a result. Lots of macro subjects at this site. Nudis, Pipefish, Crabs etc. Worth going if your guide knows about it!

Depth: 18-21m

Normal Day/Lucky Day: Barracuda, Cowtail Ray, Jenkins Ray, Blue Spotted Fantail Ray, Hermit Crab, Zebra Lionfish, Brown Band Pipefish, Snapper, Fusiliers, Sweetlips, Crown of Thorns, Boxer Banded Shrimp, Flatworm, Nudibranchs.

Getting There

Fly to Kota Bharu or drive from KL

Flight to Kota Baru takes approx 1 hr

Drive from KL takes approx 6 hrs

where to stay

BuBu Resort or Villas

Others

who to dive with

Turtle Bay

Matahari

Panorama Divers

time to visit

Best time to visit March to October

costs

Low to mid range depending on accommodation