Tenggol Island · Malaysia · Reef
Turtle Point
Sheltered fringing reef from 4 to 18 m on the island's west side
Turtle Point is a shallow fringing reef on the western side of Pulau Tenggol, starting at around 4 m and sloping gently down to about 18 m. Its sheltered position and calm conditions make it the island's novice dive: an easy descent, a gentle profile and reef fish to look at on the way down. It is the site to pick for a first dive on the island or an easy afternoon.
Where it is and how deep
4.8063° N, 103.6765° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat sits off the west side of the island and you descend onto the top of the reef at around 4 m, shallow enough that the first minutes are spent settling buoyancy over the reef top. From there the reef slopes gently, and the plan is simply to follow the incline down, keeping the reef on one side, until the guide reaches the depth chosen for the group; the reef bottoms out at about 18 m.
The site is sheltered and the published description calls the conditions calm, so there is no need to hurry: the reef fish are the interest here, and the gentle slope lets you spend the whole dive at a comfortable depth. Turn the dive at the halfway point on air or time, work back up the slope the way you came and finish over the reef top, where the safety stop is just more reef. Turtles are what the name promises, but the published site description does not say how often they are seen here.
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.
Questions divers ask
Is Turtle Point good for beginners?+
Yes. It is a sheltered fringing reef on the west side of the island in calm conditions, starting at around 4 m and sloping gently to about 18 m, and the published description calls it ideal for novice divers.
Sources
- Pulau Tenggol, Turtle Point - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tenggol Island
Pinnacle
Two submerged hillsides from 35 m up to 12 m, dived only at slack tide
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Easy 3-15 m reef with hawksbill turtles seen year-round
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
Scattered boulders on sand, with overhangs holding the fish life
Sloping reef and island-side pinnacles, dived off a mooring