If you are visiting the Malaysian peninsula or Singapore and looking for a liveaboard cruise, there are some great short-trip options available. Although the best diving in Malaysia is found in the Bornean state of Sabah, there are some very worthwhile dive sites along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly around Pulau Tioman.
There are some 20 sites dotted around Tioman Island, where such cruises focus their trips. These typically feature submerged granite boulders, healthy hard and soft corals and plenty of marine life. Bumphead parrotfish, anemonefish, angelfish, batfish and blue spotted stingrays are all likely encounters. These sites tend not to be too deep and experience little or no current, so conditions are not challenging.
In addition to these reefs, you can dive below a jetty for great macro life encounters and there is a number of wrecks to explore. These include various Thai fishing boats and a former Royal Navy warship which can keep you amused on multiple dives. Charters that operate out of Singapore conduct trips not only in Malaysian waters, but also run some cruises that travel to dive sites within Indonesian territory.
These are short liveaboard cruises of 3 days/ 2 nights, so they are ideal for divers short on time or resources. The region is rich in healthy reefs and the sea-bed is scattered with wrecks, so it is suitable for scuba divers of all experience-levels, including technical divers.
Other liveaboard trips from Singapore includes into Indonesia waters to dive sites like Anambas Island, 7 Skies wreck, Igara wreck and the Garden of Eden. These trips are usually for 2 or 3 nights' duration.
> [More details: Pulau Tioman Trips]Malaysia is a year-round destination but the dive season specifics vary from one location to the next. Liveaboards which operate along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, particularly around the Tioman Island area, do so mostly in the June to September period.
Tioman liveaboard safaris depart from Singapore, which is one of the best-connected hubs in Asia with direct flights from all over the world, including from Kuala Lumpur and various cities in Malaysia.
You can view which ports the various boats use on their trips in the 'Departures & Prices' section of each boat's webpage. Whichever ports your boat uses, normally the boat operator provides a transfer to the boat from the local airport or hotels (if you overnight beforehand). We will send you full departure details during the booking process.
We recommend you take out insurance to cover diving and travel activities, including trip cancellation. See our insurance programme for a competitive quotation:
If you plan on staying in Malaysia before or after your liveaboard diving safari, you can find a large range of accommodation options at hotelscombined.com, our affiliated hotel reservation specialists. Browse their website, use their on-line chat to ask questions, then simply use your credit card to make your booking:
All bookings carry a 'Low Price Guarantee' to ensure you get top-dollar value for money.
