Ariff & Adam Junior Open Water Padi Scuba Dive Test

Perhentian Island Adventure

Perhentian Island on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia consists of two islands called Perhentian Kecil (the smaller island) and Perhentian Besar (the bigger island). The water surrounding the island is crystal clear. Very good for those who loves snorkeling and scuba diving.

I was told that Long Beach on Perhentian Kecil is where the action is, if you are looking for one. So as a scuba diver, I decided to go to Perhentian Kecil on 13 March to 15 March 2010 to see what is under the water and what is on Long Beach (killing two birds with one stone).

So this is how the story goes:

I reached the Jetty at Kuala Besut at twelve noon on 13 March. And it just stopped raining. The agent hurried me on a speed boat, and waived good bye. "See you again day after tomorrow" he yelled over the sound of the loud speed boat engine and the thunderous crash of waves on the rocks at the jetty.

Barely a few meters from the jetty the whole ordeal begin to unfold. Waves as high as 3 foot starts crashing into our speedboat. Then the horror! The driver said, thought the monsoon was just over, the weather from yesterday was just like during the monsoon season. No small boats dare to go out to sea the whole of the morning. The ride was very bumpy and we all got wet. Some of us had to use goggles and mask to see where we are going. No joke.

The journey was supposed to be 25 minutes. We touched solid ground 45 minutes later because the boat had to slow down several times to avoid flipping belly-up due to high waves. Anyway, to cut the story, we checked-in at the Shari-La Resort. After getting our chalet keys and welcoming us, the receptionist advised us not to swim too far out as someone drowned the day before on Long Beach. Long Beach....that's where we plan to swim shortly.

OK, positive thinking, people do drown once awhile.

Because of all these fuss, we decided not to swim that evening, instead Muhammad, Ariff and me went hiking. We plan to walk along the beach to the fisherman village nearby, and make one round the island and return to our resort. We said we will be back in about 45 minutes.

We found out that hiking at Perhentian kecil was wonderful for fat burn and cardio. We walked and ran over soft white sand, track over small hills and climb rocks. The air was fresh and clean. We reached the resort after a grueling 2 hours of hiking.

It was already almost dark, so we took our bath, and went for set-dinner at the resort. Only RM10 per person. Very cheap. You choose either the Malaysian Set or Western Set. The Malaysian set would of course be either mee goreng or nasi goreng with fruit juice and desert and......free flow of hot coffee or tea. The western set would be something like fish and chips or some cheap steaks with fries and again fruit juice and hot drinks.

The next morning as planned, I proceeded to the Dive Center next to the resort. The rates are reasonable, but unfortunately I didn't follow through with my plan to dive as I was advised by a Dive Master friend of mine (Mr. Fauzi) that visibility for that day would be bad. Remember, yesterday the sea was rough, so sand and silt would not have settled yet. Never mind about that as there's lots of other activities to do. I went snorkeling with friends and family instead.

In the afternoon, we went to the famous Long Beach. A long stretch of beautiful soft sandy beach with many foreigners sunbathing. As I'm already tanned, I don't have to do that. It's true that this is the the only place in Perhentian Island where people converge. See picture below.

A European woman selling some souvenirs.

Alright, that's enough about my experience in Perhentian Island. What I've learned here is that there are many things to do in the Island. You can scuba, snorkel, swim, sunbath, hiking etc. etc. etc.

Follow me on my next adventure - Mt. Kinabalu via Ferrata 14 to 17 May 2010.