Tenggol Island · Malaysia · Reef
Rajawali Reef
Flat reef in a bay at the northwest tip, 10 to 18 m, also snorkelled
Rajawali Reef, or Teluk Rajawali, sits in a large bay on the northwest tip of Tenggol Island. The bottom is flat and consistent, with depths from 10 to 18 m, which makes it a predictable dive with no topography to navigate, and the same bay is also rated for snorkelling. It is a reef for a calm, unhurried dive rather than for topography.
Also known as Teluk Rajawali.
Where it is and how deep
4.8162° N, 103.6812° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat sits in the bay at the northwest tip of the island and you drop onto the reef at around 10 m. The bottom topography is flat and consistent, so there is no wall or slope to navigate: the guide picks a heading, the group swims out across the reef at a steady depth, and turns back on air or time. The deepest part of the site is 18 m, which keeps the whole dive inside Open Water depth limits.
On a flat reef the interest is in what lives on it rather than in the shape of the ground, so slow down and look closely; the published description does not list species for the site, so treat the marine life as something to find for yourself. The dive ends where it began, with an ascent under the boat, and because the bay is also rated for snorkelling, non-divers on the boat can go in from the surface while the divers are down.
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 | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Tenggol Island: August and September bring calm water and the whale shark run together; the island is closed to visitors through the monsoon.
Sources
- Rajawali Reef - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tenggol Island
Wall
Drift past a rock at about 17 m to where the seabed falls away into the blue
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
Coral garden
Coral-covered slopes to about 18 m, one of the island's most popular sites
Cave & cavern
Cavern and swim-throughs between 8 and 25 m on the island's northeast side
Wreck
A 20 m fishing boat sitting upright in 18 m, sized for a first wreck
Reef
Sheltered fringing reef from 4 to 18 m on the island's west side
Reef
One of the island's likelier whale shark points; reef at 10 to 15 m under the lighthouse
Similar dives elsewhere
Plateau and canyon off the headland, sponges from 8 to 18 m
Blacktip reef sharks over a granite slope on the western side
Table corals and barrel sponges straight off the beach
Gentle coral slope to an 18-metre sand bottom, no current