Redang & Perhentian Islands · Malaysia · Pinnacle · Cave & cavern
Tokong Laut
Tunnels through a pinnacle in 20 m-plus visibility
Area photo: Ditch Townsend · CC BY-SA 4.0
A pinnacle rising off the sea bed north-west of the Perhentians, with a sandy bottom at about 19 m and tunnels and small caves cut through the rock. Visibility runs to 20 m and more, and the current is normally none to light, so it dives as a slow circuit of the rock rather than a fight. Turtles, scorpionfish and bamboo sharks are the regulars.
Also known as The Pinnacle, Temple of the Sea.
Where it is and how deep
5.9595° N, 102.6610° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The rock is a pinnacle jutting out from the sea bed, so the dive is a spiral rather than a line: you drop onto the shallow top of it, then work down and around the sides. Visibility runs to 20 m and more, which means you can usually see the shape of the whole structure from the start and pick your route rather than following the rock by touch. Current is normally none to light.
Down at the base the sand sits at about 19 m, and this is where the circuit bottoms out. Bamboo sharks tuck under the ledges and scorpionfish sit still on the rock, so the sand line rewards a slow pass with a light. Turtles are on the list of regulars here too, and they can come through at any point on the rock, so it pays to look off the structure as well as at it.
The reason photographers rate the site is the rock itself — tunnels and small caves run through it, and they are what the site is known for photographically. They are small, and they are still overhead, so take them one diver at a time and keep your fins off the walls. Back up on top, the shallow rock is a comfortable place to run out the last of the dive on nudibranchs, cuttlefish, boxfish, pufferfish and yellow snapper.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Redang & Perhentian Islands: The marine park is officially closed November 1-February 28 for the northeast monsoon; conditions are calmest and clearest April-September.
Know before you go
- The tunnels and small caves are genuine overhead environments — small, and no place to turn around in; go through one diver at a time with a light.
- Visibility drops the moment fins hit the sand at 19 m, and the animals worth seeing there sit still on the bottom; a silted-out base ends that part of the dive for everyone behind you.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Tokong Laut?+
The dive runs from the shallow top of the pinnacle down to a sandy bottom at about 19 m, so the whole rock sits well within recreational depths.
What is the visibility like at Tokong Laut?+
Usually 20 m and more, which is what makes the tunnels and the shape of the pinnacle worth photographing on this site.
Sources
- Tokong Laut dive site — Divezone
- Perhentian Islands — Wikivoyage
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