Day Trips

There are many sites around Tioman that are reached on boat trips from 5mins to 2hrs away, and there is something for everyone.

One of the favourite sites is Chebah Island which is a rocky granite island approx 30mins boat ride away from Tioman. There are several swimthroughs and a cavern at 21m which is a home to glassfish and juvenile barracuda. This island is known for its pelagics which are not found as much around Tioman Island. You can regularly see schools of barracuda, black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, jacks and trevallys. At the beginning of the dive season and you are very very lucky there is even the chance of spotting a whale shark or manta ray feeding in the plankton rich waters.

One of Tioman's top dive pots is Renggis Island which is has a max depth of 20m and weak currents so perfect for all levels and again even snorkelers. There are two Thai fishing boats sitting at 20m, or you can explore the back of the island to search for the green turtles and black tip reef sharks that can be found here. Other resident marine life on the reef are pufferfish, batfish, titan triggerfish, bumphead parrotfish, nurse sharks, blue spotted stingrays, morays and lionfish. This is another site that is a great night dive.

Shore Diving

There are a few shore diving sites that can be reached from the beach and are perfect for snorkelers and beginner divers.

Salang House Reef has a depth range of 5-15m. This is mainly a hard coral reef and a macro heaven with nudibranches, seahorses, pipefish, shrimps, clownfish and moray eels. As well as macro life there are also many large bumphead parrotfish, and hawksbill turtles swimming along the reef. These are shallow enough for snorkelers as well as divers. During February and March it is cuttlefish mating season and you may be lucky enough to witness this unique event. They lay thousands of eggs into the reef of which many are eaten by turtles.

Just two minutes away from the house reef there is a wreck of a Thai fishing boat. It sits upright on the sandy bottom at 20m, covered with soft corals and can be easily accessed from the beach. This is a great photography dive with harlequin ghost pipefish, batfish, large schools of yellowfin snappers, lionfish and nudibranches everywhere. This is also one of the best night dives around the island, at night a different variety of creatures wake up and you can see cleaner shrimps, spider crabs, dragon snails and moray eels.

How to get there

There is an airport on the island at Tekek Village which receives flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The closest international airports are also at Kuala Lumpur and Singapore so from here you can transfer to domestic flight.

You can reach the island by speedboat or ferry from either Mersing or Tanjung Gemuk. From Mersing the ferries take approx 3hrs and leave every 2-3hrs from 7.30am to 6pm. The ferries are less frequent from Tanjung Gemuk but take approx the same time.

Once arrived there are basically no roads on the island with the exception of those around Tekek. You can get around by 4WD and can take jeep taxis across the island which can be an interesting journey.

By far the best way to get around the island is by boat. You can hop on the ferry as it passes through or pay for a speedboat. 

Other activities

Tioman Island offers many activities for the adventurous and the more relaxed holiday maker. These include rock climbing, jungle trekking, kayaking, spas, golfing and of course sun bathing on the gorgeous white sand beaches.

Elephant Trekking & Abuse

On a general note, while in Asia, please do not support Elephant abuse by riding Elephants or supporting Elephant performance.

• The 'training' Elephants go through to become a part of the tourism industry involves cruel physical and mental abuse over long periods of time starting as a calf
• Asian Elephant's spines cannot support the weight of people. Carrying people on their backs all day often leads to permanent spinal injuries.
• That said, there is responsible Elephant tourism to be found in Asia, a good rule to remember is that if a tourist outfit offers anything other than getting to spend time with elephants, it is not friendly to them.
• Remember; any outfit that offers riding, circuses or paintings it basically means the Elephants have undergone horrific abuse in order to get there

You can help these magnificent animals by making your travel companions aware of what lies behind this industry; the main problem is a lack of awareness.

Dive Report is committed to raising awareness to the abuse suffered by Elephants used in the tourist industry. If you want to know more you can find out more here, here, here and here. Also see a PETA documentary video here.

Tips

You need to pay a Conservation fee of RM5 to entry the island. This can be paid at the ferries pier.

Try not to touch the coral; as well as damaging the coral. These can easily turn septic as they are bacteria ridden, so if you do receive one by mistake clean and treat it asap.

Do not feed the monkeys, due to tourists intentionally feeding them they now force open windows and doors to look for food.

There is only one ATM on the island in Tekek, some accommodation and Dive centres accept credit cards, but its best to get enough money out to cover most costs before you leave for the island.