Rhu Hentian Island (Pulau Rhu Hentian)

Still a newcomer in the tourism industry, Rhu Hentian Island may not be well known as the famous Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian. Yet its still has all the charms of the islands in Terengganu, complete with the white powdery beach and crystal clear waters.

Located only 15 nautical miles away from offshore Kuala Besut, a boat trip from Kuala Besut terminal will take only 20-30 minutes only. Visitors here will be able swim, go snorkelling,  diving, kayaking or simply relax and enjoy the magnificent view of the sea. It is reported that the island is gaining popularity among fishing enthusiasts as there are plenty of fishes here.

Being small in size (only 1.4 hectares), tourist will be able to explore the whole island within 2 hours and discover the lush tropical jungle fringed by captivating view of the white sandy beaches and  blue sea.

At present there is only one resort here, The Rhu Hentian Resort which is managed by Fisheries Association of Kuala Besut, as a first step to develop this charming little Island. 

Tenggol Island (Pulau Tenggol)

Pulau Tenggol - divers paradise

Cited  as "The best diving in peninsular Malaysia" by the Asian Diver Magazine 2002 annual edition, Pulau Tenggol lies 14 nautical miles (26km) off  the coast of  Kuala Dungun. This rocky islands is about 50 hectares in size, although small in size, Pulau Tenggol  is one of the most beautiful island in the peninsular Malaysia that offers excellent dive sites.

Pulau Tenggol has been gazetted as part of the Terengganu marine park as such much of the reef remains intact as fishing, spearfishing and harvesting marine life for decorative purpose or as food are strictly prohibited.

 As such, the pristine coral formations and the rich marine life here ranging from turtles, stingrays, whalesharks, sea anemones and  barracudas makes Tenggol island a divers haven. The diversity in the structure of seabed aswell as the strong currents offers divers a great diving experience ranging from deep diving, drift diving  and wreck dive for the more advanced and experienced divers. Watch this video and be amazed by the fascinating and spectacular sight that lies beneath Tenggol Island.

Pulau Tenggol dive sites
Tenggol island dive sites as described by the Tenggol Aqua Resort :
Tokong Talang
• Depth : 90 - 110 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• On Tokong Talang you will find quite strong surface current. If you like drift dives - this is your dive spot. As for the the fish life we find here black stingrays, big schools of jacks, cave dwellers and nudibranchs.
Tokong Burung
• Depth : 80 - 100 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• It is possible to do a drift-dive at 80 feet from Tokong Kamudi to Tokong Burong. The condition is generally calm, with surface and deep water currents. The surface can get choppy after bad weather. Schools of barracudas, jacks, fusiliers, snappers and tunas have been sighted here. This site is also a nudibranch haven. Slope rocky corals will be found at 85 feet. Excellent dive site for the months April to November.
Tokong Kamudi
• Depth : 50 - 100 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• A wall extends down to 100 feet. There is a good covering of soft, encrusting and stony corals, sponges and christmas tree worms. In deeper waters, you will find soft tree corals, sea anemones and nudibranchs. Fish here include angelfish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, wrasses, snappers etc. Most of the fish sighted are mainly small corals fish but it happened to be a feeding area for sharks too. This appears to be a nudibranch haven. On the south side you can dive into several caves.
The Highway, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 70 - 100 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• A favourite site of many repeat divers, it's also known as "The Highway" as schools of pelagic fish are ply along this "highway". Divers may experience strong currents in this area. The terrain is generally rocky with huge boulders forming walls, tunnels and swim throughs. A photographers haven as there are interesting coral formations to be found on the walls of these boulders and there are also a few interesting variety of the smaller creatures too.
Fishbowl, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 120 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• You will find at this dive site beautiful corals covering a nice pinnacle. Nudibranchs in different colors and various shapes will be a highlight for divers who enjoy the smaller fish life.
Amazing Graze, Pulau Nyireh
• Depth : 90 - 120 feet 
• Level : This dive site offers a excellent visibility. Divers as well as snorkelers will enjoy the variety of fish life here. At 2 m depth the snorkelers will see baby sharks, where as the divers will find nice coral formations at 15 - 17 m intercepted by sandy areas. Literally "tons" of gubies and blue spotted stingrays have made their home here.
Gua Rajawali, Pulau Tengool
• Depth : 20 - 60 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• The best time in the year to dive here is in March and April. Lots of small colorful fish can be found here cruising between soft corals.
Rajawali Reef, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 90 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• This dive site offers a "easy Sunday afternoon dive". With no current at all novices will easily pass their check-out dive. 3 pinnacles, 2 holes to dive in and lots and lots of fish, what more can a diver expect?.
Coral Garden, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 20 - 60 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above
• The gradients of the bays are gentle with sandy bottoms, rock outcrops and many coral heads. A favourite spot for coral lovers. At an average dept of 40 feet, the area has soft and hard corals, Christmas tree worms, sponges, sea anemones etc. A one-foot length Christmas tree worm can be found in this site.
Teluk Air Tawar
• Depth : 20 - 90 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• This is a well sheltered bay and the waters is generally calm. Considered the house reef of the resorts which is about 200 meters from shore, its slopes from 10 to 40 feet with sand bottom covers with hard and soft corals. Other marine life includes garden eels, our resident turtle, moray eel, box fist and even lion fish. There are three wrecks located in this bay. Two at 60 feet and the other is at 90 feet. Doing a dawn dive here is like visiting Raffles Place MRT station during the morning peak hours. Jump into our house reef right in front of your chalet and enjoy a close encounter with one of the resident turtles and a chance upon a herd of grazing hump head parrot fish as shallow as a few feet of the bay water. Night dive here are gratifying with exquisite black and white spotted baby barramundi cod and our favorite little resident baby torpedo ray, a mere 15 cm long.
Tanjung Gemok
• Depth : 148 ft. Highest point Bridge Wing at 120 Ft.
• 
  
  
  Level : Open Water and above
  • The Cement Wreck (Name: Unknown)
  • Nationality: Indonesian
  • Type: Cargo (Cement)
  • The ship lies on its starboard with its bow facing NE (Note: UK hydrographic survey states that it is lying on the port side). The wrech is known locally as the "Indonesian Cement Wreck". It is about 235 ft. in length and was built in 1955 by the Japanese. The exact date of its sinking is unknown. But it was suspected before 1965 (most likely between 1963 and 1965). The Malaysian flag taken from the wreck showed 14 strips. It was the flag used when Singapore was still part of the Federation.
• Article from The Decom Stop by Paul Tan .
Tanjung Sarong Lang, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 90 - 125 feet 
• Level : Advance Open Water and above 
• This dive site consists actually of two dive spots. The "wall" and the "edge" or "rock". Both places can be dived in one go. In the morning you will find sharks feeding here. On the rest of the day you will see barracudas, yellow tale fish and schools of fish.
Ratu Chachang, Pulau Tenggol
• Depth : 60 - 100 feet 
• Level : Open Water and above 
• A high concentration of fish life - jacks, trevilies, fusiliers, barracudas, tunas, hump heads and eagle rays. The bottom of this area houses an interesting collection of rock outcrops covered with soft and hard corals, sea anemonies and sponges. 

How to get there :

Ferry services have to be arranged from Kuala Dungun as Pulau Tenggol is not serviced by public or regular transport. Tenggol Aqua Resort provides ferry services between the island and Kuala Dungun.

The nearest airport are the Kerteh (30mins. From Kuala Dungun), Kuala Terengganu (1hr) and Kuantan (2hr 30mins). Visitors can fly in and hire a taxi to Kuala Dungun.

Air-conditioned coaches from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu also stop at Kuala Dungun. Or you can drive to Kuala Dungun, park at the office of Tenggol Aqua Resort, and take the resort ferry to Pulau Tenggol. From Kuala Lumpur, it is a leisurely and scenic 7hr 30mins drive to Kuala Dungun.

Tune in to more exciting  travel facts about Terengganu on the next issue of  Terengganu Travel Guide

Gemia Island (Pulau Gemia)

Crystal clear waters of  Pulau  Gemia

Located on 800 metres of Pulau Kapas, Gemia Island is another perfect holiday island in Terengganu. Although small in size (only 9 acres in size), Gemia Island is a haven for both tourist and wildlife due to its peaceful, quiet and serene atmosphere here. Sea eagles, reef herons and giant leatherback turtles come to this island to nest every year. The Hawksbill turtle and Olive Ridley turtles are regular visitors to this island too. In fact there is a turtle hatchery on this island where turtle hatchlings are cared for in a safe place and fed with jellyfish and  released to the sea once they are mature enough to make it on their own.

Due to its size, there is only one resort on Gemia Island. There is a rocky rock face here which provides an excellent view of the island aswell as an ideal spot for birdwatching. There are  excellent diving and snorkelling spots here as  Pulau Gemia is sorrounded by beautiful corals and rich marine life. You can also explore the island by kayaking here, go deep sea fishing and try your hand at squid fishing (mencandat sotong) here.

 How to Get Here :
There is a daily bus service from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu. From here, transfer to Marang by bus or taxi. Gemia Island is about 30 minutes from Marang by boat.


So tune in to the next issue of Terangganu travels for more fascinating information about Terengganu

Bidong Island ( Pulau Bidong ) - Mini Saigon

Pulau Bidong

Located about 5 miles south of  Redang Island, a 15-20 minutes speedboat ride away, Pulau Bidong  is one of the few an undeveloped island in Terengganu. Pulau Bidong serves as a transit point for Vietnamese refugees during the Vietnam war. Refugees that were stranded in Malaysia were sent to Pulau Bidong until they were selected to go to a third country in the west under UNCHR.

Old picture of the refugee camp in Pulau Bidong

About a quater of a million refugees (boat people) spent time in Bidong Island from late 1970s  to 1991. Today all the refugees have resettled in other parts of the world. The restriction to visit the island was thus lifted in 1999.

Now all that remains of the refugee camp are collapsed wooden jetty, wooden shacks overgrown with bushes and other remnants of the refugee camp. There are no resorts here, but there are plans to preserve the Mini Saigon, memorials and other historical relics here. Studies on turtles conservation, hatchery sites and sea ecosystems are also undertaken by the University of Science & Technology Malaysia here.

Tourists are allowed to come to Bidong Island on daytrips to visit the remnants of the refugee camp and for snorkelling and diving expeditions. Special arrangement need to be made to dive here as not many operators bring divers here. However a trip here is well worth it, as the coral and marine life here are just spectacular.

Bidong Island Dive Sites.

Batu Tengkorak (skull rock)
An excellent dive site close to Redang that has  large fish such as barracudas and mackerels. The  corals are very nice (large Porites corals mostly) too. 


Pulau Yu Besar and Kechil
You can find larger fish such as barracudas, mackerels, bumphead parrotfish, sharks and do some deeper diving for a change. 


Blue Garden
This dive site is full of blue anemones. Go there, when it is starting to be dusk, because then the anemones close their tentacles. Their bodies seem to give off a blue light. You'll also some porcelain crabs and cleaner shrimps living on the anemones.

Lang Tengah Island (Pulau Lang Tengah)

Lang Tengah island is another beautiful island in Terengganu that you should visit. Located between Perhentian island and Redang island, it has one of the best diving spots in Malaysia. There are 15 dive sites around Lang Tengah island all within 10 minutes boat ride from each other.

Lang Tengah island gets its name from "Lang" derived from the word "Helang" which means eagle in Malay and Tengah which means middle. Therefore Lang Tengah means eagles resting on the middle island, perhaps due to the abundance of fish found here.

As with all the beautiful islands in Terengganu, Lang Tengah is a picture perfect gateway, complete with the emerald blue waters, lush tropical jungle, white sandy beaches and colorful corals. Be enchanted by the rich marine life. Swim with the fishes and turtles. Discover the mysteries of the beautiful coral reefs.

Or go for a thrilling night dive and watch  live sea creatures in action up close. Explore the island by a kayak and go jungle trekking for a change of scenary.

Interested ? To get here, you need to catch a boat from Merang jetty. The jetty in Merang is about 30 minutes away from Kuala Terengganu.

Tune in to the next issue of Terengganu travels for more interesting facts about Terengganu.

Kapas Island (Pulau Kapas)

Pulau Kapas which means Cotton Island is located about  6km off  the shore of Marang, Terengganu. If you wanted to enjoy island life, but dread the boat trip, then Pulau Kapas is a good choice as it only takes about 10 minutes by speed boat to get there.

Kapas Island is a picturesque little island complete with unspoilt sandy beaches, swaying coconut trees, crystal clear waters and caves with swallows nest. The waters is  rich with marine such as fishes coral and turtles. Its a great place to go if you love swimming, snorkelling, diving. You can also try out wind surfing or  kayaking here to explore the beautiful island. Experience the thrill and adventure of squid fishing or candat sotong during the months of May to August.

As with the other islands in Terengganu, the best time to come to Kapas Island is from June to September. Most resorts are closed from November to February during the monsoon season. 

However if you prefer some peace and tranquility, the best time is to go is during weekdays when most locals are at work. Accomodation here varies from deluxe standard chalets to budget rooms or dorms ranging from RM20 to RM300 per night.

Redang Island

If you love scuba diving and enjoy snorkelling then Redang Island is the place to go.

Comprised of  9 islands namely the Lima Island, Paku Besar Island, Paku Kecil Island, Kerengga Besar Island, Kerengga Kecil Island, Ekor Tebu Island, Ling Island, Pinang Island and the main Redang Island, this area has been gazetted  as a marine park for its brilliant underwater world and reputed to be one of the best in Malaysia.

Like all the other picturesque islands on Terengganu, Redang complete with its pearly white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, swaying coconut tress and rich marine life makes it one of Malaysia's most idyllic islands.

Try snorkelling or scuba diving and you'll discover the marvellous marine fishes of different kinds and colors, sea turtles, coral reef, sea anemones and yes even shipwrecks such as the H.M.S Price of Wales and H.M.S Repulse which sank during the Worlds War II. The popular dive sites in Redang are Tanjung Lang, Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Gua Kawah, Pasir Panjang and Batu Mak Cantek.




If you're lucky you might come face to face with the whale shark with a school of fishes following it like the video below.

Apart from diving, there are lots of other activities one can do here such as kayaking, swimming, fish feeding, jungle trekking, jet skiing,sun bathing, playing frisbee on the beach, building sand castles or simply enjoy the peace and quiet amidst mother nature at its best. So come to Redang Island for a memorable and exciting adventure.

To get to Redang Island, take a  boat from Merang, a small fishing village about 30 minutes away from Kuala Terengganu. It takes about an hour to get there. There is also a ferry service available from Kuala Terengganu which takes about 45 minutes to get to the island.

Be sure to tune in to more useful  information on Terengganu Travel Guide in our next issue. Untill then have a nice day.

Pulau Perhentian

If you're stressed out and just want to get away from it all, then Pulau Perhentian is an ideal place to go. Situated about 21km from the coast of Terengganu, you need to take a boat to get there which might take about half an hour. You can  catch the boat ride from the  jetty in  Kuala Besut which is about 75 minutes away from Kuala Terengganu.

The Perhentian islands is made up of two islands namely Pulau Perhentian Kecil ( Small Perhentian Island) and Pulau Perhentian Besar (Large Perhantian Island). Perhentian in Malay means a place to stop and that is exactly what the islands was in the days gone by. A transit and stopping place for traders between Malaysia and Thailand in the past. And today it serves as a place where one could stop, relax and recuperate, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, from the cares and stress.

Lush green tropical rainforest, white sandy beaches, swing palm trees and crystal clear blue that stretches out as far as the eye can see. Its all here in Pulau Perhentian. Still untouched and unspoilt the only way around is by walking through the jungle or taking a sea taxi. If you tread carefully, you may come across some of the islands’ shy wildlife on the way, such as monitor lizards, fruit bats, squirrels or even the elusive mouse deer. Simple chalets and some moderately luxurious resorts line the picturesque beaches along with restaurants, dive centers and boat operators advertising their services with hand-painted signs.

There are many activities one can do to occupy the  time. You can rest and relax by the beach, Go snorkelling or diving and enjoy the  colorful marine and coral life underwaters or simply have fun feeding  the fishes. Yes there are plenty of fishes in the sea. Here's a video that shows what I mean.

So have fun and enjoy yourself, if you still have any doubts about how beautiful Pulau Perhentian really is, take a peek at this short video clip.