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 | 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.
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
Coral garden
Coral-covered slopes to about 18 m, one of the island's most popular sites
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
One of the island's likelier whale shark points; reef at 10 to 15 m under the lighthouse
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Redang's Long Beach house reef, 3 to 15 m off the sand
Coral slope from 2 to 18 m with wide monoculture coral stands
Stacked boulders and swim-throughs on Besar's east face
The middle of three submerged reefs west of Pulau Hantu