Tioman · Malaysia · Reef · Wall · Drift
Berlabuh
Towering rock formations and walls to 30 metres, often drifted
Area photo: TMbux · CC BY-SA 3.0
A sloping coral reef with rocky formations between 10 and 18 metres, ten minutes south of Juara Bay, running out into towering rock formations and walls that reach around 30 metres. Current can run strong along it, and when it does the site is dived as a one-way drift along the rock rather than as an out-and-back.
Where it is and how deep
2.7688° N, 104.2235° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Ten minutes south of Juara Bay the reef starts as a coral slope broken by rocky formations, running between ten and eighteen metres. That band is where most of the dive happens, following the slope with rock on one side and open water on the other, and the structure grows taller the further along you go.
Deeper and further on, the rock stands up into towering formations and walls that reach around thirty metres, and when the current runs the dive goes in one direction past them: the group drops in up-current and lets the flow carry them along the wall. Ascend off the shallower end of the slope with a marker deployed, since the boat picks up wherever the drift finishes.
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 | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Tioman: Northeast monsoon brings rough seas and closed resorts November-January; calmest conditions and best visibility run May-September.
Know before you go
- Current can be strong enough to turn this into a drift; agree the direction before you drop and stay with the group so the boat has one set of bubbles to follow.
Sources
- Berlabuh - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tioman
Reef
Sloping reef and island-side pinnacles, dived off a mooring
Pinnacle
Twin rock islets over boulder coral, overhangs and small walls
Reef
Volcanic boulders stacked into tunnels, with a cave at 21 m
Reef
Boulders and overhangs sloping to a 30-metre sand bottom
Pinnacle
Coral-covered pinnacle with walls falling to 40 metres
Pinnacle
Untouched hard and soft coral on a rock topping out at 8 m
Easy shallow reef with blacktip sharks and green turtles
Reef
Sand shallows, coral garden and a sheer wall to 18 metres
Similar dives elsewhere
Giant manta rays over an offshore bank, 16 m at its deepest
Two-metre cobia that come over to inspect divers
Stingrays in numbers at Sting Ray Alley, the deepest site here
An easy reef slope and mini wall, also dived from Krabi