Malaysia Info Guide
for Locals & Visitors

Pulau Tioman measuring about 38km long and 19km wide, is the largest of a volcanic group of 64 islands off the coast of Pahang. The island is famous for its corals and rich marine life and offers challenging dive sites with visibility up to about 33m.

At Salang Beach, you can virtually snorkel to the coral gardens of sea fans and sea anemones surrounded by damsel and cardinal fish. Shallow reefs at the nearby islands of Pulau Tulai and Pulau Renggis are also good for scuba diving and snorkeling.

There are underwater caves at Pulau Chebeh and beautiful reefs at the uninhabited Pulau Sepoi and Pulau Labas which are about an hour's boat ride from Tioman.

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Dotting the South China Sea about 45 kilometres off the long Terengganu coastline, Pulau Redang and its neighbouring islands were officially declared a marine park in 1991.

The marine park consists of nine islands:
Pulau Redang, Pulau Pinang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Susu Dara and Pulau Kapas.

Located in the north of the Straits of Melaka, off Kuala Kedah and about 19 nautical miles south of Langkawi and 40 nautical miles north of Penang, this marine park encompasses the islands of Pulau Payar, Pulau Segantang, Pulau Lembu and Pulau Kaca.

The first marine park to be established off the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it is a sanctuary to many endangered species of marine life.

At Pulau Payar you will find sloping beach with mostly hard corals to a depth of 30 to 45 ft and rock shores and bays with lots of soft corals and anemones. In general the max. depth is 45 to 60 feet at its fringe. Also you will find rocky outcrops and rock cliffs. Some are steep to a depth of 130 ft.

At the north of Brunei Bay off Sabah and facing the South China Sea is the island of Labuan an international offshore financial centre and Malaysia's only deepwater anchorage. An important maritime city and port, it is also a commercial and recreational centre for the off-shore oil rigs located nearby. It is a Federal Territory administered directly from Kuala Lumpur.

Labuan's main attractions are its tax free status and duty free shopping It also has major petroleum gas installations which form an important part of the economy. Bandar Labuan is the main town and the place where the airport and ferries are.

 Pulau Mabul

 Located off Sabah's south-west coast in the Celebes Sea and accessible through Semporna, the island of Mabul is a continuation of the Borneo land mass unlike the Sipadan atoll, its world reknowned neighbour. The palm tree covered island is noted for its microfauna and some rarely sighted marine species like octopus, turtles and scorpion fish.

The shallow waters around the island ensure the absence of large predators and makes the area an easy dive. 

Located 165 nautical miles north-west of Kota Kinabalu in the South China Sea, the oceanic atoll of Layang-Layang rises almost 200 metres from the sea bed.

Situated 48 km southwest of Kota Kinabalu, the Pulau Tiga Park comprises of the three islands; Tiga, Kalampunan Besar & Kalampunan Damit.

Pulau Tiga is the largest of the three islands and has three mud volcanoes. Sea erosion has reduced Pulau Kalampunian Besar to a small sand cay built up from unconsolidated coral fragments.

Whilst Pulau Kalampunian Damit is composed of sandstone, limestone and shale with thick vegetation where hundreds of poisonous sea snakes can be found resting under rocks, in crevices or on tree stumps. All three islands have brackish inland lagoons.

The Turtle Islands Park, lying some 40 kilometers north of Sandakan and close to the Philippines border, comprises of 3 islands - Selingan, Bakkungan Kecil and Gulisan. It covers an area of 1,749 hectares which includes the surrounding coral reefs and sea.

The Park is famous for its green and hawksbill turtles which lay their eggs on the beaches of the islands. Visitors to the Turtle Island Park depart by boat from the Sandakan harbour and the trip takes between 45 minutes and 3 hours, depending on the speed of the boats. Accommodation is on Selingan with fully furnished chalets for up to 20 persons per night.

This park covers five islands off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and an area of about 4929sq km. The main attractions are coral reefs and beaches. There are reefs around all the islands of the park and some are exposed at low tide.

Park headquarters is on Pulau Manukan, the second largest island which has chalets for accommodation.