Berjaya Tioman Resort - Malaysia

Great Dive At Tioman

24 Oct 2009 by Sally Yap, Gua.com.my (Malaysia)

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with happy faces all round, reflecting the excitement I felt as we arrived at Pulau Tioman, Pahang.

The sight of the airport crew, complete with face masks, however, was an unwelcome one, but understandable considering the H1N1 outbreak.

Commuting to the resort from the airport – in a bus without air-conditioning in the blistering heat – took me down memory lane, back to my school days when the conditions were fairly similar.

My elation at stepping into the only 4-star resort in Pulau Tioman was further increased when we were welcomed by Mr. A. Hakim Koh, the Resort General Manager of Berjaya Tioman Resort himself.

After a great lunch, we adjourned to the Marine Park Wreck for our first dive, my first dive there despite having dived at Tioman Island repeatedly over the years. Guided by the Dive Masters, we visited the boat wreck, located a good 25 metres deep. Despite visibility being less than 2 metres, I saw not only a variety of soft and hard corals, but also a gigantic specimen of a blackspotted pufferfish floating lazily in the wreck. There were also various other anemone aqua life like false clown fish, tomato anemonefish and long spined sea urchins.

The following day was even more interesting when we went to Pulau Chebeh, where visibility was at 4 metres and careful observation of the corals revealed the perfectly camouflaged form of a multi-hued tropical tasseled short fin scorpion fish posing aggressively with open fins on top of some hard corals. Also on the seabed were nudibranches with brilliant and variegated colours, and baby scorpion fish resting on a gorgonian sea fan.

Our last dive took place at the Sawades Wreck, the most exciting site of all. 29 metres deep with less than 3 metres visibility, it was surrounded by a big school of yellow tailed fish, long-spined porcupine puffers playing hide-and-seek as well as a dog face puffer floating around the wreck. I also found a Flabellina rubrolineata hanging from a tiny branch, which was rare, considering the depth. To top it off, as we were about to do a safety stop, a Cat Shark swam past us. I tried to follow it but it swam into deeper waters.

Dives schedule are normally arranged by the Dive Centre. There are dive-masters on board who will give the usual pre-dive briefing and look-out for those elusive critters. The traditional dive boats are specially designed for divers and come equipped with first aid kits, towels, oxygen tanks, a toilet and fresh water for showering.

Divers will need to take a shuttle to the Dive Centre as it is located a fair distance away. The dive centre also offers non-divers a selection of snorkeling spots. Staying in Berjaya Tioman Resort was enjoyable, particularly because of the friendly and helpful staff. The Deluxe Room I stayed in was spacious and clean, complete with air-conditioning and a hot shower. It even comes equipped with a mini fridge, coffee-making facilities and a plasma television.

Unfortunately, I found a termite nest under the counter top of the bathroom and despite several visits by house-keeping, the nest of squirming creatures remained.

The resort offers a choice of standard chalets, 2-storey superior and deluxe rooms, Junior Suites and Tioman Suites which are located uphill facing Renggis Island and Condo-tel. There is a beach bar with a live band providing great nightly entertainment.

Recreational activities like cycling, tennis, golf, jungle tracking, football and volleyball are also available at the resort with a Games room near the Main Lobby thrown in for variety.

There are 3 different restaurants in the resort. Sri Nelayan serves simple but tasty a la carte and buffet meals whereas the Fortune Court only serves halal Chinese cuisine. The Pahn Thai, which translates as “Thai House”, offers Thai cuisine in a cosy setting. The Thai chefs serve authentic thai food although the flavour of the dishes are marginally less spicy compared to their Thai counterparts.

At sunset, while gazing over the open sea with a cold beer in hand on a duty-free island, the sun and clouds fade from orange to charcoal grey, and I found myself reflecting on the day’s outcome and eagerly awaiting the following day.