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Download the Full Article As Pdf ⬇︎ Malaysia’s Tioman Island Text and photos by Jennifer Idol — Jewel in the South China Sea 52 X-RAY MAG : 79 : 2017 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel View of ABC Bay, Tioman Island (above); Malaysian cuisine (right) Hollywood is attributed Malaysia is an independ- with recognizing the ent country comprised of 13 states, represented as natural beauty of Tioman the stripes in the current Island in the 1950s as an flag, and three territories. Locals its origins. Influence from exotic tropical paradise. refer to the states as individual the multitude of occu- Having seen one of the countries and think of Malaysia pants pervades the more like the United Kingdom. culture making Malaysia films as a child, it created The crescent on the flag repre- both familiar and unique. an impression of a place sents Islam, the official religion, Diving in Malaysia is I would like to visit some- though Malaysia is home to famously known for the day. I never imagined it many religions. Sipadan area on Borneo Their flag has changed over near Tawau in Sabah on the would set the stage for time as has the country’s ruling. lower left side of the coral my first experience div- Portugal, the Dutch, and the triangle. However, Tioman ing in Malaysia. Tioman British Empire all established a Island is a quiet secret just delivered an enchanting presence, followed by the British north of the state Johor East India Company, Japan and in Pahang. Tioman is a Common mormon butterflies, Papilio polytes romulus, find dream. Chinese influence. Singapore unique ecozone with dif- nectar on local flora (above); Macaque monkey (left). has been a significant port from ferent species from those PREVIOUS PAGE: Eastern skunk Tropical flowers decorate the walkways anemonefish on anemone 53 X-RAY MAG : 79 : 2017 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel Tioman View of resort area on Tioman Island (above); Nasi lemak is a local favorite for breakfast (left); Tioman Dive Resort rooms were clean, comfortable, and beau- tiful with standard seated toilets and a huge shower (below); Divemaster and diver prepare to descend to the KM Sipadan (bottom right) Diving for all levels quiet reprise from urban living. Since, no major road is on this part I bring my dive equipment to of the island, all vehicular traffic every destination, but always rent occurs through scooters and bicy- cylinders and weights. Malaysia cles on what looks like a large side- works on the metric system, so walk. It makes the small village a rented gauges are in bar, depths are measured in meters, and temperatures are written in Celsius. No wetsuit is necessary for east of the Wallace most divers, though a full skin Line, an imaginary is recommended. I found the line created by British 26°C (80°F) water cold during naturalist Alfred Russel monsoon season, but I also Wallace. think the Caribbean is cold, I enjoyed learning so I wore a 5mm suit. The about the culture, temperature is usually a bit food, and history of warmer. Both shore and boat the island. Tioman diving is available around Island was first popu- Tioman. lar with backpackers in Salang. I stayed in the newer accommodations at Tioman Dive Resort in Air Batang (ABC bay) at the foot of the jun- gle. The villages are home to few buildings along the shoreline before the steep mountains rise with a lush rainforest. Fortunately, travelers have not yet discovered the affordability of diving on the island. The biggest expenses for a dive trip here are airfare and time. Its seclusion has kept it a quiet island devoid of crowds, tourism, and the ecologi- cal pressures caused by develop- ment for these demands. 54 X-RAY MAG : 79 : 2017 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Tioman The reefs around Tiioman Island are diverse, with corals densely bound together Diving on Tioman is part of the September to late October for the South China Sea with maximum best visibility with smaller numbers depth of 70m (230ft). Most dive sites of visitors. The clear water brought are shallow, but deeper diving is to Tioman comes from the Gulf of available. The coral reefs cover gran- Thailand during their monsoon sea- ite boulders that support a diverse son when the winds are from the ecosystem and create swim-throughs north. Plankton-rich waters bring such as on Labas Island. nutrients necessary for reef life and Tioman Island is situated in a poor visibility outside these times from north south position with attractive Singapore. Europeans mostly travel dive sites such Fan Canyon, Batu to Tioman from April to August and Malang, and Labas Island in the again in October. north. However, those sites are open to wind and surge, so must be visited Renggis Island. I explored Renggis during the best season. I repeatedly Island and KM Sipadan wreck, south- saw requests for Tiger Reef on the ern sites just a few minutes from ABC Dive sites around Tioman Island dive site board at the store. Tiger Bay. Renggis is also a snorkeling des- Reef is an advanced dive named for tination and home to sea turtles, cut- anemones in the wild. They are the shape of the submersed pinna- tlefish, and sharks. Two blacktip sharks very active fish that hide within the cle. It features strong currents that is passed us on our dive and two sea anemone for protection and swim little visited by divers, so it shows little turtles spent ample time hunting for just above the anemone when they human impact. food on the reef around the staghorn feel safe. Observing them made me While I traveled during the mon- coral forest. This is the densest stag- appreciate the photos I have seen soon season, the best season is from horn I have seen. even more since they are fast mov- mid-March to late May and mid- I saw my first anemone fish and ing and always seem to look soft 55 X-RAY MAG : 79 : 2017 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel Engage Smarter With DAN Educational Resources Your Go-To Resource for Dive Safety Information We believe a smarter diver is a safer diver, so we want to arm you with the information needed to stay safe both in and out of the water. Available online and in print, DAN’s Educational Resources address topics relevant to the new and experienced diver. Engage smarter, and join DAN in the goal of making every dive accident-free. n Health & Diving Reference Library n Online Incident Reporting and Case Summaries n Medical FAQs and Information Line n Social Media Channels n Webinars, Safety Quizzes and Online Seminars DAN.org Feb_2017_HalfPg_7.9X5.indd 1 1/31/17 4:07 PM rather than sharply defined. Their Royal Navy warship that served from orange is so vibrant it seems to glow 1964 to 2005. This is the only dive I from within. I understand how their used nitrox to help with my allowable cuteness entrances divers. bottom time, though it is available on any dive to certified divers who prefer nitrox. Two Thai fishing boats are connected to this wreck. I spent my time exploring the KM Sipadan, observing nudibranchs and red lion- fish. I reached the ship down the mooring line at 20m (66ft) and swam through the empty hull at 27m (90ft). ABC House Reef. Most of my dives were spent on the ABC House Reef in front of the resort. Although known as a training destination, much of the natural resources are untouched and healthy. The bay protected the water from currents and waves. To escape rough seas, even the fisher- KM Sipadan. KM Sipadan is a deep men moored in the bay. No fishing artificial reef just north of Renggis is allowed in the water surround- Diver on bow of the KM Sipadan (above); False Island that was sunk in 2012. Under ing Tioman Island and the other clownfish stay close to their anemone (left the name KD Sri Sarawak, this was a eight nearby islands because of inset); Hawskbill sea turtle hunts for food on Red lionfish inhabit the KM Sipadan Renggis Island (top left) 56 X-RAY MAG : 79 : 2017 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO travel CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Shore diving was easy on house reefs; Detail of coral polyps; Reticulated puffer blends with coral; Close-up of hard coral (below); A red-mar- gin shrimpgoby shares its burrow with an alpheid shrimp; A hermit crab inhabits an oversized shell the marine park designation. The world. Some of the number of boats fishing in nearby unusual creatures I like mandarin sh waters is still numerous with many to photograph like flat- focused on specific fishing prod- head, puffers, lizard- ucts such as squid. I was grateful fish, and porcupinefish some protection was in place. seemed to regularly The shore diving was easy with occupy House Reef 1. a sandy path between boulders I was most surprised by in front of the resort leading to the colorful boring giant the major reefs, House Reef 1 clams buried in the granite boul- bottom hosts gobies, crabs, and House Reef 2. Ghost Town is ders. Dozens of them reached for and shrimp. I nicknamed this named after the artificial objects food in the current. A few were the “Goby Desert” and relished laid to attract reef growth.
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