A Tropical Paradise in the South China Sea
About 36 nautical miles off Malaysia's east coast lies Pulau Tioman or Tioman Island, one of the region's most enchanting holiday spots. Scenic and tranquil, Tioman Island boasts miles and miles of white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, charming villages and friendly people. Its crystal clear waters teem with spectacular marine life and colourful coral gardens. The twin peaks of Gunung Nenek Semukut provide a prominent landmark to this island, reputed to be one of the most beautiful and idyllic in the world.

The Resting Place of a Beautiful Dragon Princess
According to legend, Tioman Island is the resting place of a beautiful dragon princess, Whilst flying from China to visit her prince in Singapore, this beautiful maiden stopped to seek solace in the crystal-clear waters of the South China Sea. Enraptured by the charms of the place, she decided to discontinue her journey. By taking the form of an island, she pledged to offer shelter and comfort to passing travellers.

Tropical Playground for Water Sports Enthusiasts
Tioman Island is an excellent spot for fun-filled water sports activities. You can go scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, snorkelling, boating, water skiing, windsurfing, or enjoy the beauty of undersea gardens by ridding around the island in a glass-bottomed boat.

A Marine Treasure Trove
Tioman Island is a treasure trove of breathtaking marine attractions. Corals, seashells and limpets, thorny sea urchins, colourful seaweeds and anemones, starfish and a myriad of other aquatic wonders are abundant here. The crystal clear waters make scuba diving and snorkelling in Tioman an experience unlike any other. Other neighbouring islands recommended for scuba diving and snorkelling are Chebeh, Tulai, Renggis, Sembilang, Seri Buat and Gut.

Exciting Adventures Amidst The Splendour Of Nature
Tioman Island is the ideal spot for nature lovers, Whether at sea or on land, the wonders of nature that greet you are truly astounding and fascinating. Trek across the verdant hill from Tekek to Juara and enjoy the cool waterfalls cascading over moss-coverad rock formations at Mukut, or take a dip in the warm waters dotted with pastel-coloured reefs. Or head to the Marine Park Centre located between Tekek and Air Batang and swim amidst the various species of fishes.

Anglers' Bountiful Paradise
Fishing enthusiasts can enjoy a bountiful catch at Tioman Island, Just hire a boat for a day, anchor outside the Marine Park limits where fishing is permitted. By dusk, you will have a catch large enough for a sumptuous barbecue on the beach. If you want to try something different and challenging, try your hand at deep-sea fishing. Among the species if fishes and crustaceans found here are groupers, morays, tunas, parrotfish, sea-bass, red snappers, stingrays, plaices, soles, cora trouts, blue marlins, squids, cuttlefish, shrimps, crabs, prawns and lobsters.

A Delightful Respite from the Hustle and Bustle of City Life
When the stress of life's hectic pace gets to you, rejuvenate your mind and body at Tioman Island. Immerse yourself in the quiet and tranquil setting. Relax to the cool, refreshing breeze and soothing waves. Bask in the tropical sun or walk along the shores during sunset to experience the beauty of the island. Popular beaches are found around the villages of Tekek, Genting, Salang, Air Batang and Juara. For golf-lovers, tee off at the 18-hole international-standard golf course set amidst lush tropical greenery. Enjoy the picturesque sight of rustic villages scattered around the island, where the people are charming, friendly and gracious.

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More detailed information on Pulau Tioman Island scuba diving sites:

Sawadee Wreck The deepest dive site close to the main island, Sawadee is often used for deep dive training as part of the Advanced Open Water course, as well as for leisure dives. The two wrecks have many soft and hard corals, and large shoals of fusiliers and kingfish are also found here. Small boxfish hover around the lines of the wrecks, and one wreck is home to a stone fish and a small (shy!) octopus.	Renggis Island Reef A truly wonderful dive site surrounding Renggis island, and always with a surprise. This beautiful reef has many coral varieties - hard and soft - and teems with marine life - puffer fish, angelfish, butterfly fish, sting rays, moray eels, trigger fish, giant grouper and more. Renggis is one of the best sites for seeing turtles, and harmless black tip reef sharks are often spotted. This site is often used for training dives and night dives because of the depth of the site (only ranging from 5 metres to 18 metres).
Soyak A small island surrounded by large underwater rocks, with many soft corals. In addition to many tropical reef fish, common sightings include a giant grouper, lion fish, large bump head parrot fish, nudibranchs, a large napoleon fish and turtles.	Soyak Wreck These two wrecks are covered with a wide variety of soft corals. A giant grouper is often sighted at the wreck (or nearby Soyak island), as are schools of fusiliers, yellow tail kingfish and trevally. Lyre tailed wrasse follow you around and a black tip reef shark is sometimes seen. Usually combined with a dive to Soyak island.
Marine Park This site, located off the beach at the Marine Park headquarters, has 8 wrecks at varying depths- from 12 metres to 30 metres. Inquisitive batfish follow divers on their exploration - starting just below the surface as you descend. The wrecks are all connected, so finding your way around is not difficult. Soft corals abound and shoals of fusiliers and trevallys can often be seen at the wrecks.	Genting Bay Genting Bay slopes away from Tulai island to depths greater than 30 metres. The site is characterised by large rocks, covered by a variety of corals, including many gorgonian fans, other sea fans, soft corals, whip corals and some black coral. Common marine life include a giant grouper, bump head parrot fish and lion fish.
Kador Bay On the north side of the island, this sheltered bay has a variety of hard corals. Many common reef fish are found here in addition to turtles and blue spotted sting rays.	Malang Rocks Sheltered on one side by Tulai Island and with deeper water on the other, Malang Rock provides two contrasting environments. On the sheltered side is a coral reef with extensive potato corals and pavona cactus. A school of small barracuda is often found here. On the other side, there are large rocks (an underwater continuation of the above-water island) with a variety of soft and hard corals. Sharks are sometimes seen in the deeper water channel. Other marine life includes turtles, trigger fish, lion fish and nudibranchs.
Golden Reef Large rocks covered with a wide variety of soft corals. Numerous reef fish inhabit the site, including angel fish, butterfly fish and coral groupers.	Tiger Reef In the channel between Sepoi and Labas islands lies Tiger Reef. A deep, open area with spectacular huge rocks, there are both soft and hard corals including sponges, gorgonian fans, fire corals and plate and table corals. The site has a variety of fish, including trevally, tuna and shoals of yellow tail snapper. Often a strong current makes for a challenging dive!
Labas Island Similar to Malang Rock, Labas is essentially a group of large rocks. Tunnels running through the rocks create tunnels to swim through, popular with many divers. Turtles, puffer fish and blue spotted sting rays can be seen here in addition to many common reef fish.	Chebeh Island Surrounded by enormous volcanic rocks and boulders, Chebeh Island can be dived at different places, depending on conditions. The site is famous for its occasional sightings of whale shark and manta rays during the annual migration (around April and October). Schools of large trevallys and snappers can be found. The rocks create tunnels and passages, making this a challenging site to explore. The site is also known for its trigger fish.
Jahat The name of this dive site means Naughty Island. Large boulders surround this rocky island, creating swim through, tunnels, corridors and caves. If you are keen to see sharks or barracuda, the appropriately named Naughty Island is where you'll see them.	Bahara Rock Features an underwater garden of spectacular colour and formation. Huge barrel sponges, plus a wide range of fish species. A must for photography enthusiasts.
Batu Sepoy A plateau reef providing an excellent drift dive site, with its huge boulder coral and giant bommies	Lanting A great wall dive with a shallow coral shelf for entry and exit.
Magicienne Rock An underwater coral plateau rising to 14 m below the surface, manta rays, marlins and whale sharks frequent this site as it is simply in the middle of no where.

Malaysia is fast becoming one of the leading dive destinations of the world with one of the richest marine environments in the Indo-Pacific Basin. The incredible bio-diversity of marine life, coupled with beautiful islands, white sandy beaches and clear warm waters, keeps divers coming back for more.

From schooling Hammerhead Sharks, to huge schools of barracudas and various species of turtles to the bizarre Frogfish and Ghost Pipefish, there is always something to fascinate the diver.

In Malaysia, the coral reef eco-system supports more that 50 generas of coral and more that 200 species of fish. It is not an exaggeration to say that almost every time a marine bio-diversity survey is conducted in Malaysia’s tropical seas, the species list increases!

Dive centers in Malaysia are well equipped and are certified by all the internationally recognized dive agencies like PADI, SSI and SSAC for maintaining their standards of safety and professionalism. Naturally, all scuba diving courses in Malaysian waters are also endorsed by these certifying agencies.

Some of the courses available include the ‘Open Water Course’ for beginners, all the way through to ‘Diving Instructor Course’ and ‘Re-breather Course’. After completing your scuba course, get outfitted with the latest scuba equipment as all international brands are available from dive centers in Malaysia.

Almost all the islands in Malaysia cater to divers of all levels of experience - be it easy, shallow drift-diving, to advanced wreck-diving or technical diving. Operators that offer technical diving are well equipped with portable emergency oxygen kits, special tank refilling equipment and other necessary facilities.

Top dive sites around Malaysia include diverse underwater geography such as sloping reefs, coral blocks, wall dives, deep dives, drift dives and wreck dives.

Dive operators, like any others around the world, will insist on seeing your certification for the type of diving you wish to do and to undergo a checkout dive. To advance your skills in scuba diving, dive centers offer further scuba courses at competitive and affordable rates.

The Still Unexplored Sea
Malaysia’s tropical forests and seas are the ancient homes to a staggering diversity of animal and plant life that has evolved over countless millions of years. A dip below the warm sea’s surface guarantees you an astounding experience with a concentration of vibrant and exotic marine life rarely rivalled anywhere else.

Malaysia’s spectacular tropical reefs boast an additional attraction – it is one of the few places on earth where macro organisms and large pelagics overlap so broadly in the same waters. Only a handful of diving sites in the world can offer both these sights in one diving holiday.

Comprising Peninsular Malaysia in the west and the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, Malaysia rests on the continental shelf of South-east Asia, the two halves separated by the South China Sea.

The west coast of Peninsula Malaysia is separated from Indonesia’s island of Sumatra by the Straits of Malacca. Along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the diversity of marine life around the waters of Pulau Pangkor and Pulau Payar are quite different from those off the eastern coast of the Peninsular Malaysia, in the South China Sea. Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Redang, Pulau Kapas, Pulau Tenggol and Pulau Tioman all lie a short boat ride off the Peninsula’s coast in the South China Sea and feature good coral growth and abundant fish life.

Surrounded by the nutrient-rich South China Sea and the Sulawesi Sea, the state of Sabah plums to true oceanic depths of 600m–1000m, different from the shallower waters of Peninsular Malaysia’s islands.

Located some 300km from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital, Layang-Layang Island is blessed with the best water visibility, from 20m–50m.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park Islands, just off Sabah’s capital of Kota Kinabalu, are popular for training and easy dives. On the other end of the spectrum, you should be an advanced diver to fully savor Sipadan Island. Lankayan, Mabul and Kapalai are famous for their ‘muck dives’ (diving in the coral rubble and sandy patches looking for macro animals).

Pulau Talang and Turtle Rock off Sarawak feature reef diving, and further away from the mainland, divers can do some very good wreck diving on the Katori Maru (a World War II Japanese troop carrier).

Malaysia is located in the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, which is the heart of the worlds’ richest marine biodiversity area, where scientists believe the marine life of the Pacific Ocean evolved.