Last Diving trip for the Year

 It was a last-minute decision to go for a last diving trip, this time to Pulau Tenggol. I last visited this island some 30 plus years ago, there were no resorts nor chalets whatsoever then. We brought all our own gears, tents and everything needed to cook on the island. Bathing was from a well located on the island...........But that was then. The island has changed so much now with 3 resorts built.

Beautiful Sunset in Pulau Tenggol

I drove to Kuala Dungun a day earlier to avoid driving in the wee early hours to catch the 8.00 am boat ride. The drive took about 4.5 hours via the Karak Highway & East Coast Highway. In between, I took a rest at one of the many rest--stops along the Highway. Traffic was light, probably due to weekdays and non-public holiday. The accommodation was arranged by the dive center, a dormitory styled accommodation at Riverbank Dungun Guesthouse, a no frill accommodation. Surprisingly, there is a small swimming pool!!!! 

View from the Guesthouse

The dormitory (left) and the pool

Internal of the dormitory and the simple bed

Thanks to one of our friends, he recommended a simple restaurant to have our dinner. This place is hidden away from the hustling and bustling area, located in a housing estate. Only the locals know this place!!

The dinner was delicious and not too expensive as well. This place is famous for its curry fish head, cooked the Chinese way. Decided to call it for the day and took an early night.

DAY 1 - Arriving at Pulau Tenggol

After a good's night rest, I was all ready to depart. Breakfast was provided at the Guesthouse and one of my fav - Nasi Lemak. It was palatable, although not great. The boat journey took 45 mins and the sea was a bit choppy, considering that it's almost the start of the East Coast Monsoon. Some of us got a bit wet from the splashing waves. 

The resort that I stayed in.

After completing the check in procedures and unloading all our luggage and gear, it was time to check out our rooms. We had a quadruple room for 3 of us, so it was not too crowded. Bed was comfortable, fairly spacious and comes with air-condition. The usual toiletries are provided in the room as well. Only downside is there is no fridge!!!😒😒😒

 

It was lunch time!!! Proceeded to the dining area for my first meal on the island, rice with curry chicken, fried fish, vegetables and soup.

The dining area and my lunch

After a short break, it was time to gear up for my first dive, Turtle point. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any turtles but managed to see some interesting nudibranch. Visibility was average and the sea was quite calm. My dive lasted almost an hour at a 15m depth 

Puffer Fish 

Blue Dragon Nudibranch (Pteraelidia Lanthinia)

Wart Nudibranch (Phyllidiopsis)

I was quite satisfied with my first dive, managed to test out my new camera and housing with the torchlight. After a short break, it was time for the second dive, Tokong Timur. What was supposed to be a simple drift dive, turned out to be a current dive, visibility was poor, and it was difficult to stabilise yourself to catch some shots. 

DAY 2

Started the morning with a hearty breakfast, and off to dive at 3 locations, namely Amazing Grace, The Edge & Tanjung Gemok. Except for 1 dive site where visibility was poor, the others were reasonably good. Managed to last close to an hour of diving at depths between 15m to 20m

Some of the nudibranchs and Christmas Tree worms I saw during my 3 dives, some are quite common in our Malaysian waters. The Christmas Tree worms comes in various colors as well

DAY 3

On day 3, I only took 2 dives, wanted to rest as I needed to drive back the following day. We went to Tanjung Burung and Rajawali Reef sites. One of which was a drift dive, I like drift diving as you don't really need to exert any energy and just flow with the current. The downside is you can't take many photos as you need to stabilise yourself to get some good shots

Managed to get some photos of Lionfish, Barracuda, Lizardfish, 

Overall, it was a good trip despite some light rain and overcast. Managed to get the sun shining through most of the mornings. 

The resort was good and comfortable, the food was amazing with different menu for all meals, Staff and dive masters were friendly and very strict on safety (something I strongly advocate) for divers, 

My Diving Buddies