Tenggol Island · Malaysia · Pinnacle
Clerk's Pinnacle
Two submerged hillsides from 35 m up to 12 m, dived only at slack tide
Clerk's Pinnacle is a submerged site off Tenggol Island with nothing showing at the surface: two hillsides rise from the seabed, the shallowest point at 12 m and the deepest at 35 m. It is dived only at slack tide, which ties the schedule to the tide tables, and the depth and the tidal window together make it one of the island's more demanding dives, aimed at divers with deep experience.
Where it is and how deep
4.7903° N, 103.6819° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Because nothing breaks the surface, the boat finds the site by position and drops the group over the top of the rock; the shallowest point is at 12 m, so the descent is a short blue-water drop before the pinnacle appears below. The site is two hillsides protruding from the seabed, and a sensible plan is to go deep first, following the flank of one hillside down towards the 35 m bottom while the slack-tide window is freshest.
From the deep end you work back up the rock in stages, working the flanks of the hillsides at mid-depth, then finishing over the top at 12 m. The site is only accessible at slack tide, so the guide keeps a close eye on the time and the water and will call the dive as soon as the current starts to build; the ascent is made on the top of the rock with a safety stop in open water. Marine life, current strength and visibility are not published for this site.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Tenggol Island: The island is closed for the northeast monsoon from November to the end of February; whale sharks are logged mostly from August to October, with a few in May.
Know before you go
- Only diveable at slack tide; the dive is timed to the tables and ends when the current starts to build, so stay with the guide and do not extend bottom time.
Questions divers ask
Why is Clerk's Pinnacle only dived at slack tide?+
The published description says the site is only accessible during a slack tide. It is a pair of submerged hillsides in open water between 12 and 35 m with nothing showing at the surface, so the dive is timed to the tide tables and ends when the current starts to build.
Sources
- Clerk's Pinnacle - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tenggol Island
Coral garden
Coral-covered slopes to about 18 m, one of the island's most popular sites
Wreck
A 20 m fishing boat sitting upright in 18 m, sized for a first wreck
Cave & cavern
Cavern and swim-throughs between 8 and 25 m on the island's northeast side
Reef
Flat reef in a bay at the northwest tip, 10 to 18 m, also snorkelled
Reef
Gentle 9 to 25 m slope with a pinnacle further out
Wall
A stone wall from 5 m to beyond 30 m, with nudibranchs and sea slugs for macro lenses
Wall
Drift past a rock at about 17 m to where the seabed falls away into the blue
Pinnacle
Pinnacle and boulder terrain to about 35 m on the middle of the three Tokongs
Similar dives elsewhere
Large schools of barracuda on an exposed pinnacle in strong current
Granite arches at the exposed north end of the chain
Granite tunnels and arches between islands 6 and 7
Purple soft-coral wall dropping past recreational limits