Situated on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, close to the Thai border, is the island of Langkawi.
The island is one of Malaysia’s most popular tourist spots, with great beaches, beautiful scenery, great shopping and plenty to do.
Diving and snorkelling is popular here too, especially in the marine park around Pulau Payar to the south. Langkawi is a good place to learn to dive, with shallow, easy reefs and plenty of reef life.
Highlights
Best diving spots
Langkawi is a good place to learn to dive, with shallow, easy reefs and plenty of reef life. Coral Gardens, on the south western tip of Palau Payar is a popular site with both divers & snorkellers. Numerous colourful reef fish, including Angelfish & Clownfish can be found between a variety of corals & sponges, including colourful soft corals.
The Coral Gardens leads to Grouper Farm, a hard coral slope to around 15m, where, as the name suggests, large Groupers can be seen along with plenty of smaller reef fish. Palau Segantang to the west is a small rocky island where Barracuda, Trevally & Nurse Sharks can be seen.
There are also some wrecks in the area which are easy to dive and make a good introduction to wreck diving. Around Palau Kaca, numerous fishing boats have been intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef that is now home to Moray Eels, Trevally, Fusiliers & some interesting Nudibranch’s.
A little to the west, Pulau Segantang has some of the area's best diving. Tyre Reef is a wall dive with a depth of 26m. Gliding along the wall, divers may encounter schools of Snapper, Jacks & Barracuda, while deeper lovely Seafans & Whip Corals sway in the current. This site is also home to healthy numbers of Lionfish. Occasionally, Leopard Sharks & Reef Sharks can be spotted here too. Also on Pulau Segantang, Anemone Reef is another popular site.
When to dive
The dive sites around Langkawi can be dived all year round, although the best months for diving are between April & June, and then again in October.
Getting there
Langkawi is easily reached, as it has its own airport - receiving flights from Penang, Kuala Lumpur & Singapore. The island can also be reached by ferry from Penang, Kuala Perlis or Puala Kedah and even Thailand to the north.
Activities
The islands have a wealth of other activities to enjoy aside from diving, from a trip in a cable car to jungle trekking. There are plenty of nice beaches, lively nightlife, good shopping, a golf course and plenty of tours to nearby islands. It is a good place for families & children.
Resort and liveaboard options
Langkawi is one of Malaysia's most popular islands for tourists, offering a wide range of accommodation options from budget to luxury.
There are also plenty of dive centres to choose from, offering diving courses and making daily dive trips to the local dive sites.
There are no liveaboards frequenting this area.
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The diving is generally easy, while the island's lovely beaches & quiet ambience ensure a very relaxing stay.
Con Dao
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While the south of Vietnam is part of the Mekong Delta and subject to a lot of run-off, the Con Dao islands are far enough away to be blessed with very good visibility and possibly Vietnam’s best diving.
Tioman & Aur
Around 40km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, not far from Singapore is the picturesque island of Tioman.
A popular holiday resort for Malaysians & Singaporeans, the steep-sided jungle clad slopes of the island rise straight out the water and smaller islets dot the coastline, making for a spectacular tropical dive spot.
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Lombok & Gili Islands
In north-west Lombok, the Indonesian island to the east of Bali, are three idyllic islands known collectively as the Gili Islands.
These small islands, as well as being beautiful above water, also offer a visual feast below the waves, with plenty of turtles & other great marine animals.
The islands, which have no cars and a very relaxed way of life, have become the most popular spot in Indonesia to learn to dive.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang, just south of Vietnam’s most easterly point, is the country’s main diving mecca & its most popular tourist spot.
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Nha Trang is the most popular spot in Vietnam to learn to dive.
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