Island Dreaming: Diving the Perhentian Islands of Malaysia – Reefs, Wrecks & Easy Adventure

PT Hirschfield samples the calm waters and laid-back, critter-and coral-rich reefs while diving the Perhentian Islands in remote Malaysia.

Photography by YBD Dive Centre

Getting to Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands

The Perhentian Islands are located on the east coast of Malaysia. Kecil (aka Perhentian’s Small Island) is a lush tropical island fringed by white sand beaches. Perhentian has long been a popular dive destination among European tourists. A land without winter, year round air temperatures range from 25-32 degrees C. Meanwhile, water temperature averages between 28 and 31 degrees C.

To get there, you’ll fly from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur (KL) to Kota Bharu (KBR) – about an hour’s flight. Next, it’s around 70 minutes car ride to Kuala Besut Jetty. Then depending on who you choose to dive with, you’ll either take a zippy 25-30 minute small taxi boat ride, or an exclusive catamaran cruise across to Coral Bay.

What Makes Diving The Perhentian Islands So Special?

Perhentian’s waters are famed for being remarkably calm (unless you make the mistake of visiting during monsoon season!). From the surface, they’re an enticing blue. Diving in Perhentian could be described as ‘easy’, with plenty to look at. Depth rarely exceeds 25m and currents are rarely strong. As such, this destination is well suited to novice, intermediate and advanced divers.

Dives feature coral reefs, swim-throughs, wrecks and muck substrates. Visibility can exceed 25 metres, but the water can at times be heavy with particulate. This can present challenges for underwater photographers.

Sites such as Serrenggeh, Romantic Beach and Temple showcase an abundance of hard corals, including branching, plate and boulder corals. Though as in many parts of the world, many have suffered bleaching. Anemones housing seven species of clownfish provide the most-vibrant pops of colour. There’s a wide diversity of fish life among the wrecks and reefs. Parrotfish, boxfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish, Indian walkerfish, pipefish, crocodilefish, groper, needlefish and a range of wrasse species are also likely to be encountered. Schools of bumphead wrasse and batfish are a special treat. It must be said though that much of the fish life around Perhentian is quite skittish. Even titan triggerfish here sometimes prefer to scurry away, rather than make eye contact!

Blue spotted rays are relatively common during reef dives and swim-throughs. Blacktip reef sharks can often be spotted at Shark Point, and turtles can usually be seen at Turtle Point. Macro lovers will enjoy looking for nudibranchs, seastars and small crustaceans. Other cool critters encountered on night dives may include tiny marble octopus, cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, squid, frogfish and coral carpet sharks.

Marine Life: From Clownfish to Whale Sharks

Any day diving Perhentian could be your lucky day. Don’t forget to look up for an occasional chance of whale sharks. Rare sightings of guitar sharks, mimic octopus, spiny tiger shrimp and seahorses are also possible. Dolphins can sometimes be seen from the surface. Sugar Wreck, Vietnamese Wreck and San Choi Wreck offer exhilarating diving due to the presence of large fish schools, sometimes hunted by giant trevally through a vibrant tapestry of soft corals. Diving a wreck at night is enjoyable, though tends to yield less fish life and marine life action than during the day.

Transit to the dive sites from the resorts is typically between five and 20 minutes. Dives rarely exceed 16-24m depth, and dive sites are rarely if ever crowded. You’ll have lots of dive centre options on Perhentian, but here are two options we dived with, representing both standard and luxury options.

“The chauffeured buggies that transfer Marriott guests around the resort also transport dive gear from the dive shop to Marriott’s private jetty”

Ombak Dive Resort: Easy, Friendly and Fun

You’ll arrive by taxi boat to Ombak Dive Resort. Ombak (which is Malaysian for ‘wave’) was established in 2011. It’s the passion project of married divers Zulkifli and Nursalinda (two of their daughters, including nine-year-old Zuhayra, are also trained divers).

Ombak is one of the only dive centres in Coral Bay offering flexible dive packages including accommodation, full board and your choice of Fun Dive packages.

They aim to have four to six dives available each day during high season, with dive times limited to 45 minutes. Each of three ten-metre dive boats can carry around 12 divers. The boats are covered, which is great for half-hour surface intervals in the Perhentian heat.

Boarding the dive boats requires carrying your dive gear less than a minute’s walk from the dive centre into thighto-waist deep water. The climb up the ladder onto the boat may be challenging for some older divers, or for those with physical or fitness limitations. Entry is via back roll.

When the boat returns to shore, divers jump over the side of the boat into shallow water. Their tank and gear are passed over the side of the boat onto their backs to be carried back to the shop. It’s not valet diving, but most divers should find it manageable.

Ombak’s dive safety and service standards

While many dive centres have a high number of transient instructors and Divemasters who are often new to the industry, Ombak prides itself in employing core dive staff and crew with a minimum of three years experience. You’ll receive a thorough dive briefing prior to leaving the resort for your dive. Safety is considered top priority at Ombak, with oxygen aboard each dive boat. All 100 full sets of high-quality rental equipment (much of which is Aqualung brand) are meticulously cleaned and maintained. You can also hire an underwater camera.

Because dive conditions are typically easy and without strong currents, many divers come to Ombak to complete or upgrade their Open Water or Advanced certifications. Ombak Dive Centre offers a wide range of SSI courses, catering to children as young as six. Backpackers, solo travellers, couples, dive buddy pairs, dive groups and families abound at Ombak. Diving and snorkelling are just two of many activities on offer at this laid-back resort. There’s also a free nightly outdoor movie, tie-dye workshops and beach clean-ups to get involved with at Ombak Dive Resort.

YBD Dive Centre: Luxury Meets Ocean Conservation

If you’re happy to ‘splash the cash’ for diving Perhentian with a focus on luxury, YBD (aka ‘Your Best Dive’) boasts impressive facilities and exclusive accommodation options. Opening for business in April 2024, YBD is independent from the expansive new Marriott Resort and Spa, but located on the same property. Your high-end dive adventure starts with an exclusive catamaran ride to the island. The chauffeured buggies that transfer Marriott guests around the resort also transport dive gear from the dive shop to Marriott’s private jetty. Minimal tank carrying is easy on the bones and muscles.

At the time of writing, all nitrox-certified divers are provided with itrox (up to 40%) free of charge for all their dives. Yoke tanks are the standard across Perhentian. YBD is the only dive operator on the island with its own pool for confined water training.

YBD dive boat

At the time of writing, YBD has one dive boat. The ‘Oriental Sea’ is an impressive 16.5-metre twin hull catamaran. Doubling as a sunset cruise ship, the spacious lower deck used for donning dive gear also boasts a bar with access onto the bow. Upstairs, there’s a spacious deck with tables and seats (which doubles as a karaoke bar when the party starts).

“Ombak is one of the only dive centres in Coral Bay offering flexible dive packages including accommodation, full board and your choice of Fun Dive packages”

At the back of the boat, there’s wide decking from which divers can giant stride into the water. Remarkably, this deck can also be lowered into the water for divers to climb back onto, making end of dive exits a dream come true. A second (very small) inflatable RIB is used for backrolling into sites too close to the shoreline for the catamaran to drop divers.

YBD Coral Education Centre

Connected to the YBD Dive Centre is a Coral Education Centre. This building contains tanks showcasing coral and tropical fish, emphasising the importance of coral conservation. It’s also the home-base for coral building nursery initiatives that both divers and non-divers can play a hand’s-on part in.

YBD offer a two-hour Coral Workshop and a two-day, certified Coral Propagation Course. All new Open Water, Advanced and Rescue students with YBD are required to sign up to the coral workshop as part of their course enrolment.

Luxury diving

While open to divers staying offsite, YBD is ideally positioned to cater to customers staying at the Marriott Resort and Spa. YBD’s primary clients in these early stages are likely to be those wishing to do PADI DSDs, Open Water or intermediate courses. Anyone with a specific interest in coral propagation and hand’s-on ocean conservation may also be drawn to YBD. Couples, honeymooners, small quiet dive groups and families wanting to incorporate some diving into a luxury vacation might enjoy the romance and refinement of Marriott’s peaceful retreat.

Given the tranquility and upper-class elegance of the resort (plus dining facilities shared with a majority of non-diving visitors), energetic dive groups wishing to dive with YBD followed by socialising might be advised to consider booking less formal, more relaxed accommodation offsite.

When To Go To The Perhentian Islands for Diving

The Perhentian dive season spans from March to October, while peak season is May to August. Monsoon season (from November to February) is to be avoided due to heavy rain and roughness of the sea.

If you’d like to sample diving in Malaysia beyond the globally renowned waters of Sipadan and Mabul, the lush, remote, calm waters of the Perhentian islands might be worth your travel and exploration time.

Frequently Asked Questions