Tioman Island | Meet Malaysia
4. The Deluxe Dive Sites
When you speak with the staff and returning divers, it’s clear there’s something of a Tioman Holy Trinity comprised of 3 dive sites: Chebeh Island, Labas Island, and Tiger Reef.
Chebeh Island
Chebeh Island is a steep, sloping reef with impressive underwater topography that’s a mixture of boulders and coral. A massive spread.
“It drops nicely. Has this huge boulder formation that goes all the way down to 30-plus meters. On a clear day you see these coral fields and fan corals and big fish swimming around. It’s amazing.”
–Ben
“The north side of Chebeh has a place we call Pac-Man. It’s a big, granite boulder that looks like the Pac-Man face. It’s covered in corals, and it’s right at the edge where the current blows. Full of fish life. Hundreds of yellow-striped snappers. Dozens of bat fish. There’s a very narrow swim-through that holds glass fish and younger fish, like juvenile barracudas.”
-Martin
Photographer: Martin Ritter.
Labas Island
Labas Island is the poster child of Tioman diving. Beneath the surface, the island is absolutely cratered by swim-throughs. Swiss cheese, as Ben puts it.
“I prefer and love to dive Labas Island. There’s a mix of soft coral and hard coral. It’s a rock formation island, so you’re gonna dive under the rock, which is covered in soft corals. Beautiful, beautiful dive site.”
-Danny
“So many swim-throughs at Labas. And really nice corals outside them.”
-Dan
Tiger Reef
“People are always gonna come here asking to go to Tiger Reef… quite challenging for beginners. We need advanced divers [in order to go there] because there’s a strong current.”
-Danny
“Tiger is nice with the pinnacles and strong current. You need to hide behind the pinnacles.”
-Dan
“It’s in between two islands, so there’s current that brings nutrient-rich water. Therefore, Tiger Reef has very healthy coral. It’s a big challenge at times, but the fish life and the reef are just perfect.”
-Martin
Chebeh and Labas are fairly consistent, but Tiger Reef is moody.
Unlike the other dive sites, Tiger Reef is not anchored to an island. It’s an underwater pinnacle that’s located between two islands, and it’s hit by the current that’s being funneled through them. Smaller fish shelter in the rock and coral formations, while bigger fish use the area as a way station.
As you swim through the pinnacles you’ll play a constant game of hide-and-seek with the current. There’s low visibility on some days, making the dive site hard to appreciate if you’re only diving for your Instagram.
If you’re lucky enough to catch Tiger on a better day, you’ll experience not only the most spectacular dive site on Tioman, but possibly one of the best in this part of Asia. You’ll have the schools of tiny fish and beautiful coral that are natural to Tioman, combined with the schools of bigger fish that are more common at Sipadan.
Ideally, you’ll want a couple go’s at Tiger Reef to try and score the best conditions. Consider traveling with a dive group so you can enjoy the perk of a custom dive site itinerary.