Chartering Tioman & Pulau Aur Island

Charts supplied courtesy of Image Asia Events Co., Ltd, Thailand . Extracted from Andaman Sea Pilot – www.andamanseapilot.com

Tioman Island

Pulau Tioman is magnificent; the island rises steeply to a height of 3,500 feet and is covered by thick virgin jungle.  In the South of the Island two large granite peaks called the “Asses Ears” because of their shape are a particular topographical feature.  Tioman is 10 miles long and 6 miles at its widest point.  There are opportunities to walk through the jungle to waterfalls and to take a 4 wheel drive across the island.

There are an enormous number of beaches around the west and south side of Tioman. There are many reefs on which to snorkel and dive that have a wide variety of coral and fish.  For the more adventurous divers there are deeper dives on the smaller outlying islands and underwater seamounts.

We recommend spending a day at Rengis Island.  There is an untouched reef surrounding Pulau Rengis, in the evening hundreds of sea birds converge on this small island to roost.  It is fascinating to watch the different birds circling the island in the evening looking for a place to settle in the trees for the night.  Directly opposite is the Tioman Island Golf Club which has a pretty 18 hole links golf course which is open to visitors.  The 4-star Berjaya Resort and main town of Tekok is along the same beach offering some shopping opportunities (Tioman is a duty free island) and onshore dining experience.

From here we recommend taking a 45 minute 4-wheel drive across the island to Telok Juara.  The trail climbs up the steep hills through Virgin Jungle and then drops down into Telok Juara Bay.  Kemana IV will motor round to join you there.

At Telok Juara Bay, there is a 1-mile long crescent shaped bay with a steep sandy beach.  There are several beach bars and restaurants at the North end to choose from. This is a good anchorage at which to spend one night.  The North East side is rocky and rugged but there are some good reefs on which to snorkel and dive.

Monkey Bay is a lovely anchorage on the N.W. side, named because of the monkeys that come down to the shoreline at low tide to drink from the fresh water stream and to forage along the shoreline for food.  At low tide, Juvenile black tipped reef sharks cruise the shallow water at the head of the bay. There is good snorkelling and diving along the coastline and some lovely little secluded beaches.

Pulau Tulai has a choice of several beautiful fine white sand beaches.  There is a good anchorage, in a bay on the N.W. side where we recommend anchoring overnight.  There is a mangrove forest at the head of the bay; you can walk round the forest on the beach behind it.  Build a bonfire on the beach and enjoy an evening beach party roasting marshmallows on the fire.

From Pulau Tulai head down the west side of Tioman, possibly stopping at one of the small islands or beaches along the way.  South East of Tioman lie Permanggil and then Pulau Aur. From Pulau Tulai to Permanggil takes 1.15 hours.

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Pulau Aur is the furthest offshore of all the islands, the water clarity here is excellent.  This is a must see for anybody interested in marine life, snorkelling and diving.  This is a good place to see rare whale sharks and manta ray.  Dolphins are quite common, sail fish and marlin can be spotted as well.

Aur’s Jungle clad slopes rise to a height of 1800 feet, its’ isolation has left much of the island untouched.  There is one small Malay Kampong (village) on the north side and coconut plantations on the lower slopes.

There are some excellent reefs on the west and south sides, the reef at Pulau Pinang is in pristine condition, giant hump headed parrot fish are common.  The north and east sides of both islands are bare rock dropping into the sea with boulder seabeds that make interesting dives.  In deep water offshore 3 seamounts rise to within 15 metres of the surface.  It is easy to spend 2-3 days exploring the different dive sites around Aur.

On the north side of Pulau Aur, Pulau Dayang forms a natural deep water harbour which is fringed by lovely white sandy beaches.

Spend a morning hiking upto the top of Dayang, a height of 500 feet where you will find the remains of a fruit plantation, from large bare rock outcrops you enjoy lovely panoramic views over the South China Sea and down to the harbour at your feet.  A shorter walk on Pulau Lang to the top of the lighthouse affords splendid views as well.

Explore the coastline of Pulau Aur by kayak, between rocky headlands lie untouched beaches fringed by palm trees.  In the afternoon there is generally a steady breeze so that you can enjoy sailing our two sailing dinghies or test your skills in a race against each other.

Enjoy magnificent sunsets that turn the cumulo nimbus thunder clouds over the distant Malaysian mainland vivid yellow orange and red colours that fade to purple and indigo in the night sky above. After dark, lightning flickers through the clouds in the distance continuing to provide a display worth watching.

Permanggil whilst it is a sizable island, it is smaller than Tioman or Aur.

Permanggil is covered by extensive coconut plantations on the west side and some jungle on the east side.

Permanggil is a favourite destination for anglers on fishing trips.  On the west side of the island, a wooden walkway runs from North to South.  Lovely beaches extend the length of the west side and there is good snorkelling and diving on the reef off the beach. The east side is rocky and can be explored by kayak.  There is good snorkelling and diving on the reefs surrounding Permanggil.It is worth spending a day visiting Permanggil.

From Permanggil to Aur is 45 minutes.

Head inshore from Aur to Tinggi (1¾ hours), which rises into a distinctive cone shaped peak 1700 feet high that frequently has its own white cap of cloud.

Explore the group of small coral islands to the south of Tinggi, the beaches have a range of seashell and coral washed up on the shoreline.  Anchor in a small indent in the coastline on the north side that is Vesak Bay.  At high tide the beach disappears.

On the west side of Sibu which is opposite Tinggi there are several large fish traps on which sit houses, these are called fishing kelongs.  We can arrange a Chinese seafood dinner on one of them.

Moving northward from Tinggi explore the line of  7 islands from Babi Besar to Rawa. The passage from Tinggi to Rawa takes an hour. Several of the islands have resorts where you can stop for a drink or a meal ashore.  Others are uninhibited. All have beaches and coral reefs.

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