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Langkawi - Malaysian Diving Paradise
On the surface, its marine park Pulau Payar is overrun with snorkellers in orange life vests. A little deeper down, it's overrun with sociable fish in psychedelic scales, plus colourful personalities named Mustafa and Toby.
I remember being disappointed in early 1997 when the live-aboard I was on was forced to shelter in the calm waters of Langkawi's Pulau Payar [right]. But I also remember being amazed by the lush underwater scene and taking home happy memories of rabbitfish snacking on our bubbles as they escorted us around the house reef. Even the hardened divers in our group were surprised and proclaimed that they would be back. None of us could stop talking about a lone 5 ft. long barraccuda who snuck up on unsuspecting pairs of divers, and checked out snorkellers blissfully unaware of his presence.
It's a pity that most divers think that Langkawi is just for snorkellers (it's true, the snorkellers are everywhere, but there's a lot more to be seen on scuba). Other divers have the misconception that diving is only done off the giant platform where the catamaran docks, coughing up over a hundred sightseers at a time
(tip: check that you are getting a diveboat if you want to avoid the catamaran, the platform, or a mass of snorkellers).
On my most recent trip, I asked our Japanese divemasters at East Marine why they chose to work in Langkawi. Their replies were identical: "Because the people are friendly." We were soon to discover that this wasn't just true of the people. Everyone loves Mustafa Fired up by stories of this scary looking, but harmless barracuda, everyone in our group made it a daily quest to dive the house reef at Pulau Payar just to catch a glimpse of him. All the divemasters are on a first name basis with him: "Mustafa is under the jetty today" or "Mustafa is under the platform," they'd tell us.
For such a mean looking guy, Mustafa is pretty shy, avoiding big groups in favour of sneaking up and grinning at pairs of divers. The House Reef is also home to Toby, a giant Malabar grouper [below, photo by Danny Lim], and his cousins.
Toby didn't look twice at us, but we're told that he'll nuzzle against divemasters he recognises. The rabbitfish are as friendly as I remember them, trailing us as we checked out an almost stationary column of twin dot sea perch (Mustafa's favourite grub) under a pontoon, and a mantis shrimp andseveral moray eels in the nearby rubble. The jetty (listen out forboats overhead!) is still populated with an incredibly thick concentration of fish that seem to stand still--the bannerfish and redtail butterflyfish,in particular, stand out.
Victor, our well-dived photographer swears that the density of fish here rivals that of more renowned diving sites, and quite happily parked himself here for long periods of time to watch the fishy formations change like patterns in a kaleidoscope.A few hundred metres from the jetty is a giant platform the size of a football field where the catamaran pulls in everyday. Below the giant platform is quite a treasure trove. Divers have retrieved jewellery and watches dropped by careless visitors (I only found a plastic stirrer). Tetsu, our divemaster, was a sight, surfacing with a fork and a yellow mask on a tray.
On my first dive here, I was warmly welcomed by overly sociable moon wrasse who peered straight into my mask, and tickled my ear for most of the dive. The more I tried to shoo them away, they more excitable they became. So I tried to ignore them by concentrating on the numerous rock cod that seemed to be sunning themselves on the coral. Jacks, titan triggers, morays, blue-ringed angelfish, lionfish, and porcupine fish are residents in this landscape dotted with barrel sponge, and pretty soft and white and purple coral (Dendronephthya). Coral Garden leads into what is dubbed Grouper Farm which is also home to barracudas and mangrove snappers. Our attempt to see the groupers was thwarted when we lost each other in the bad visibility. The viz at Coral Garden hovers around 10m, but can go up to 16-20m on a good day; you'll have to be really lucky to see grouper farm--visibility here is a top of 10m. in an orchid farm.
We spent the initial part of our second dive at Coral Garden muttering expletives because a sandstorm had reduced visibility to an arm's length. But as Tetsu led us into shallower waters, our regulators almost dropped from our mouths as the mucky haze lifted, revealing a steep valley resembling a dazzling field of orchids. Not only was this gully blanketed with purple and white soft corals, it was buzzing with fish life. Bannerfish, moon wrasse and angelfish nibbled on jellyfish the size of a soccer ball, and just off the gully, the likes of queenfish, jacks, and golden trevally zoomed about. Looking back, I should have planted myself at this purple paradise for the rest of the dive. Still, I stumbled upon a giant cod, followed by a giant box fish, followed by a giant titan trigger with a clam in between its teeth--looking like they were rushing to a secret party behind a boulder. This particular dive gets an A+ in my logbook.
THE ISLAND OF LEGEND
Langkawi comprises a group of 99 tropical islands (102 at low tide!) lying off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The main island is known as Pulau Langkawi. Part of Langkawi's charm is in the legends that surround it. The best known one is of Mashuri, a pretty maiden who lived some 200 years ago. She was executed for a crime she did not commit; and as she was about to die, she cursed Langkawi, saying that it would not prosper for seven generations. It looks like seven generations have passed, because the island has an abundance of flora and fauna, plus a wealth of holiday accommodations.
Besides snorkelling and scuba diving, other water-based activities offered include boating, water skiing, windsurfing and parasailing. dive sites to see Lembu Rock. For days, we misheard and thought it was named Rainbow Rock for huge schooling yellow fish that seem to form an arc. Lembu in Malay means cow. No sea cows or bovines here, but we spotted puffer fish and a giant moray and plenty of groupers. Kaca. North east of Payar are what remains of seven confiscated fishing boats. barracuda schools, snappers and blacktip sharks hang around here.
Interesting characters we encountered included a giant lobster sitting imperiously under a boulder, a handsome young brown turtle, and a large white cod.Pulau Segangtang. A 10 minute boat ride from Pulau Payar, this site is rougher than the others, but is good for wall diving and bigger fish life including barracudas and jacks: right into our dive, we saw a big reef shark charging along, and a giant trevally feeding. Leopard sharks are seen here, and last May, Tetsu, our divemaster, saw a whale shark here. This site is also home to a lot of lionfish. Tyre reef. Off Pulau Segangtang, some divers describe this place as having lots of tyre fish.
FIVE MORE REASON TO VISIT LANGKAWI
1. If you live nearby or are stopping off in the region and need a quick nitrogen fix, Langkawi is easily accessible. It's just a short plane ride away from nearby Asian capitals; no need to endure butt-numbing coach rides, or spend the night cramped on a ferry in the dead of the night, as we usually do when visiting the more frequented Malaysian dive spots on the east coast.
2. You have a wide choice of hotels (and decent bathrooms) to come back to at the end of a day's dive. The larger hotels have their own discos, spas, and restaurants.
3. You're not stuck on an island where there's virtually nothing to do at night or on your non-diving day.
4. If you need a holiday with your non-diving partner or friends, they can snorkel Payar or stay in town and see the sites while you dive.
5. Most of the diving is virtually stress-free. The majority of dives we enjoyed weren't of the struggle-against-the-current variety. Conditions are good for the diver who wants to take things easy, and the diving is suitable for beginners, families, or those in need to regain their confidence in the sport.
Diving centres around the protected marine park which consists of Pulau Payar, the smaller islands of Pulau Kaca and Pulau Lembu, and two large outcrops making up Pulau Segantang. This area which was designated a fisheries protected area in 1985 now boasts over 270 types of fish and 50 types of hard coral. Pulau Payar is 19 nautical miles south of Pulau Langkawi (about a 40 to 60 minute boat ride away from the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club) and 32 nautical miles north of Penang. There's an Environmental Conservation Charge of RM5 (per adult) and RM2.50 (per child). The people you dive with would get you the permits required to visit the park.
There's no accommodation on Pulau Payar except for marine park staff. There is no fresh water supply on the island. But there's a visitor information centre, public loos, and picnic tables. Camping is allowed on Pulau Payar with prior permission from the Kedah State Fishery Department.
During lunchtime, tourists and snorkellers swarm the beach to watch the baby blacktips, sergeant majors and butterflyfish. At about 3pm, most of the snorkellers and boats would have cleared out, so the house reef can be dived quite peacefully in the afternoon. This beach was previously known as the RAAF Beach because it was dived by the Royal Australian Air Force in the 1970s. We did three dives a day though two is usually the standard and still managed to make it back to mainland by late afternoon. Night dives can be arranged, although one consideration is that the marine park is an hour's boat ride away from the main island. While the visibility during our trip wasn't at its best, the underwater sights, particularly the House Reef and Coral Garden, more than made up for the lack of it. It would have been even more awesome if the visibility gods hadn't been so jealous about guarding this underwater Eden feeding frenzy Warning! You may need more weight towards the end of your dive vacation. But it doesn't have to puncture a hole in your wallets.
Our recommendations
Head for the financial district (it's lined with two-storey shophouses) and zero in on a local coffeeshop known as Water Garden. There are a variety of stalls selling local food, their version of fried keow teow (fried with Maggi Mee or instant noodles) is delicious, and so are the pungent fried Tom Yum noodles. Good breakfast place if your hotel's breakfast is uninspiring. Post-dive hunger pangs can be satiated with kuehs (local cakes) and fried banana fritters from local stalls.Langkawi is famous for its seafood restaurants. Our favourite, Restoran Makanan Laut Yong Leong for the steamed crab, fried tofu, and steamed fish in Tom Yum gravy. If you're a durian fiend, June/July is the best time to visit for a variety of the fragrant (or smelly, depending on how you look at it) spiky fruits from Penang, Thailand, or the local kampungs. If you're not a fan, pray that your hotel doesn't allow durians on its premises. on your no-fly day Hot spring, crocodile farm, go-cart track, underwater world, duty-free shopping... there are too many attractions to fit in, so here are just three. Movie buff, The Summer Palace at Pantai Kok houses the movie set that was used in Anna And The King (sorry, sightings of Jodie Foster or Yun Fatt are unlikely). There is a RM3.50 entrance fee to see the jetty, main building, courtyard and Anna's house. Double that if you have a camera. You might want to trace the footsteps of the stars: the movie was also filmed around Datai Bay, Panta Pasir Tengkorak, Kampung Ewa and Sungai Kilim. Lazy nature lover, Even if you don't plan on dining at Barn Thai, it's a nice stroll to this restaurant at the end of a shaded, 450m wooden walkway surrounded by mangroves. There are plenty of opportunities to bird watch and monkey watch. At the patio of the restaurant, we spotted a giant monitor lizard taking an afternoon dip in the river below Sun worshipper, There are plenty of beaches, but we like the stretch of white sand at Tanjung Rhu or Casurina Beach on the northern tip of the island. It dips down into the Andaman Sea, with a fabulous view of its signature lush but craggy islands.
GETTING THERE
By Air: Langkawi is serviced by regular international and domestic flights. There are direct flights from Singapore, Japan and South Korea. By ferry: There are regular ferry services to Kuah (Pulau Langkawi's main town) from Kuala Kedah (1 hour), Kuala Perlis (1 hour), and Penang (2 hours). By Rail: Rail services are available from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar. You can take a taxi or bus to Kuala Kedah before hopping on a ferry to Pulau Langkawi. By Road: The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis takes about 5 hours along the North-South Expressway. The journey from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Kedah is about 53/4 hours. From here board a ferry to the island. Car parks at Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis charge about RM12 per day.
TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Visitors must have a passport valid for 6 months more than the maximum time allowed for their stay in Malaysia. Residents of most countries are granted visa free access for up to 3 months. The departure tax is RM40 (international flights) and RM5 (domestic departures).
GETTING AROUND
Most taxis are fitted with meters. Taxi rates are currently RM 2 for the first 2km and 10 sen for every subsequent 200m. There's a 50% surcharge between midnight and 6am. The roads are good, and car rental is readily available.
CURRENCY
The unit of currency is the Malaysian Ringgit which is divided into 100 sen. US$1 is about RM3.80. Travellers have to declare the amount of local and foreign currencies on arrival and departure.
LANGUAGE
Malay, but English is widely spoken and understood. Hokkien and Tamil are also spoken. Because of its proximity to the Thai boarder, Thai is also spoken.
DIVE OPERATORS
East Marine, The Asian Diver team dived with East Marine which is based at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club in Kuah. Langkawi Coral, Pro-Dive,
BEST TIME TO DIVE
Pulau Payar can be dived all year round. The weather is the hottest, and the visibility best from April to June, and in October. Visibility is an average of 10m, but can go up to 20 to 25m. Water temperature is usually 29; a dive skin should suffice. where to stay Pulau Langkawi offers the whole range of accommodation to suit every budget and taste: from inexpensive hotels and chalets to earthy but cushy hideaways like The Datai. To cut down on travelling time to and from the jetty at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, we stayed at The Gates (a short walk away, but we chose to take advantage of East Marine's complimentary van transfer. Sadly, this once-charming hotel hasn't been well-maintained; but, it was decent enough for our purposes (just don't leave your dive gear on the balcony unless you want to see monkeys modelling your mask and BC). The Sheraton Perdana is the nearest luxury hotel to the yacht club. If there are sufficient divers, East Marine can send a boat pickup to the region of Awana Langkawi Porto Malai.
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