Join STV, as we go Day by Day through our incredible trip to Malaysia… with photos, too!!
DAY 3: Tiger Reef
We’re going to keep this one short, because we’re still completely bewitched by today’s dive. The images and sensations have been all-consuming, playing on repeat through our heads every minute since we returned to shore.
The culprit of our wonder was Tiger Reef, which Dive Tioman considers its top dive site and one of Tioman’s most spectacular underwater nirvanas.
The reef, which lies between Labas Island and Sepoi Island, begins at a depth of 9 meters and slopes to a depth of 22 meters. Like most of the dive sites around Tioman, the locals’ protection of the reef has kept the coral here extraordinarily healthy and abundant.
Tiger Reef has breathtaking, astounding rock formations. The masses of large boulders are absolutely blanketed in color: soft coral, hard coral, fans, and sponges alike. The many accessible canyons here will delight fans of swim-throughs. Some notable marine life that we spot are black tip sharks, nurse sharks, moray eels, and stingrays.
And, of course, an unceasing barrage of fish. A flourishing, immeasurable amount of fish. Barracudas, mackerels, angel fish, trigger fish, puffer fish, your Nemo’s and Dory’s, and plentiful varieties of schools of small fish. They come endlessly – by the hundreds, by the thousands, by the incredible multitudes of colors, shapes, and sizes.
The reefs are so vibrant, that you realize you’ve had tunnel vision on the coral. So you look up toward the surface, where the sun blasts a heavenly ray of light through the water. And you realize that you’re flying through clouds of fish, through tropical storms and hurricanes of fish.
To spare you an overdose of drooling imagery, we’ll leave it at this. Tiger Reef is a beautiful, well-cultivated, underwater botanic garden, a magnificent whirlpool of colors, a rainforest of marine life, and a boundless vacuum of fish. It’s world-class diving.
As we reminisce over a drink, Martin Ritter, one of the owners of the resort, reflects on the vastly undisturbed and tranquil state of the waters and the island. “There’s nothing here”, he says, “nothing but beauty.”
Call us or email us to make your reservation today! 1-800-298-9009
**Each Day of the trip will be posted, check back for updates**
(all writing and pictures copyright of Scuba Travel Ventures)
