Tioman · Malaysia · Reef · Drift
Jahat
Boulders and overhangs sloping to a 30-metre sand bottom
Area photo: TMbux · CC BY-SA 3.0
A small island half an hour south of Juara Bay, where large boulders and sloping coral reef run down to the sandy bottom of the bay at 30 metres, with overhanging rock formations along the way. A medium current turns up on some days, and when it does the site is dived as a drift along the line of the boulders.
Where it is and how deep
2.6677° N, 104.1718° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Thirty minutes south of Juara Bay the site sits off a small island, and the dive runs down a slope of large boulders and coral reef towards the sandy bottom of the bay at thirty metres. The boulders are the interest: they stack into overhanging rock formations, and the route generally follows the line of them rather than a compass bearing.
A medium current turns up on some days, and that turns the dive into a drift — you drop in up-current, cover ground along the slope without swimming hard, and finish wherever the water has taken you. Keep an eye on your depth, because the sand at the foot of the slope is at thirty metres and it is easy to sink towards it while looking in under the overhangs. Ascend in open water with a marker deployed.
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
- The drift runs along a slope that ends on sand at 30 metres; set a turn depth before you drop rather than following the boulders down.
Sources
- Jahat - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Tioman
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Walk-in shore dive over a sandy bay and shallow fringing reef
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Sheltered cove reef with a freshwater boulder area
Reef
Towering rock formations and walls to 30 metres, often drifted
Lighthouse drop-off to 25 m, sand running on to 40
Easy shallow reef with blacktip sharks and green turtles
Wall
Boulder-flanked sand trench dropping to about 60 metres
Pinnacle
Untouched hard and soft coral on a rock topping out at 8 m
Reef
Volcanic boulders stacked into tunnels, with a cave at 21 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Three huge rocks with coral slopes, quieter than East of Eden
Granite arches and swim-throughs at the top of the chain
A wreck at 8 m and a drift south down a slope that reaches 40 m
Close-in reef of nudibranchs, batfish and giant pufferfish