Tenggol Island · Malaysia · Reef
Tokong Timur
One of the island's likelier whale shark points; reef at 10 to 15 m under the lighthouse
Tokong Timur is an offshore rock off Tenggol Island with a lighthouse on top. The reef beside the lighthouse sits in about 10 to 15 m and is thick with bottom-dwelling life, but the site is best known as one of the likelier places around the island to meet a whale shark from May to June onwards. The current can run a little strong, so it is dived from the boat with a guide who reads the water on the day.
Where it is and how deep
4.7840° N, 103.6875° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat drops you close to the rock and you descend onto the reef beside the lighthouse, where the seabed lies at about 10 to 15 m. This shelf is the documented part of the site: the published description calls the bottom life here abundant, so the first half of the dive is spent working slowly across it, keeping the rock on one side as a reference and holding a depth the whole group is comfortable with.
The current at Tokong Timur is described as a little strong, so expect the guide to choose the entry point and direction on the day rather than follow a fixed route, and keep the rock in sight as a reference. Spend part of the dive looking out into the blue rather than at the reef: the published description names this as one of the most likely points around Tenggol to see a whale shark after May to June. The dive ends with an ascent up the rock and a safety stop over the lighthouse shelf before the boat picks the group up.
Marine life and season
- Whale sharks
| 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.
Know before you go
- The current can run a little strong on the rock; stay close to the reef, keep the group together and let the guide set the direction.
Questions divers ask
When can you see whale sharks at Tokong Timur?+
The published description names Tokong Timur as one of the most likely points around Tenggol to see whale sharks from May to June onwards. Sightings are never guaranteed, so treat it as a chance rather than a promise.
Sources
- Tokong Timur - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tenggol Island
Reef
Flat reef in a bay at the northwest tip, 10 to 18 m, also snorkelled
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
Pinnacle
Soft corals and sea fans on the boulders, barracuda and jacks overhead
Pinnacle
Two submerged hillsides from 35 m up to 12 m, dived only at slack tide
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Whale sharks reported in December and again in May
Two sides chosen by the tide, with whale sharks occasional
Calm reef in the lee of Koh Nang Yuan, 2 to 16 m
Stacked boulders and swim-throughs on Besar's east face