I am a bit busy at the mo trying to catch up on a retrospective change back
to Jan 2002 due to this state changing the working conditions of our public
servants.  On top of that I have two newsletters to get out before the end
of the week ... so I'm gonna cheat & post off a trip report by my friend
Stefan, who has submitted this for the WAUPS mag, to tide you over until I
get time to write up my Easter break dive trip report to Coral Bay & last
weekends dives off Cottesloe Beach.

Diving The West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia By Stefan Harasymow.
On a recent holiday to Malaysia, I couldn’t resist the temptation of
exploring what this idyllic region had to offer underwater, even on a
predominantly land orientated holiday. My partner and I were based on the
beautiful island of Langkawi in Kedah state, not far from the Thailand
border. If the calm inland waters, beautiful bays and white sandy beaches
were intended as a lure for the scenery below, then they certainly did just
that.

Most of what is heard about diving in Malaysia is centred on eastern
Malaysia off the island of Borneo where the likes of Sipadan and Layang
Layang Island have duly made it into the “must dive” list of locations.
Even the east coast of peninsula Malaysia lures divers to sites like Tioman
and Redang but according to many dive publications, it’s the west coast of
peninsula Malaysia that has the largest diversity of corals and fish
species.

Pulau (island) Payar Marine Reserve is located some 19 nautical miles south
of Langkawi and approximately 40 miles north of Penang. Pulau Payar was
designated a marine reserve in the 1980s primarily to offer protection to
the fish and coral reefs from the heavy impact of dynamite fishing. All
visitors are charged a small levy to ensure the area is maintained in its
present state and nothing but photographs may be taken. The marine reserve
is composed of a group of four islands with Payar being the largest,
although each provide a variety of sites and diving opportunities.

Several companies provide access to the marine park via high speed
catamaran (Langkawi Coral) which docks at a floating platform off the main
island, catering mostly for first time snorkellers, right through to custom
dive facilities like East Marine and Pro Dive. We chose Pro Dive as it was
a PADI facility and came with a good recommendation. Prices are identical
between the companies and typically cost RM$280 (~A$140) for a double dive
at two locations with all gear supplied, including marine park entry,
lunch, drinks and towels (supplied by the resort). The service starts from
when you are picked up from your resort and taken to the dive shop to sign
the required paperwork and briefed on the day. After boarding the dive
boat, customs clearance must be obtained for the boat in person from the
main town Kuah, which is an international port. Then the one hour high
speed trip begins, firstly weaving through the archipelago of Langkawi’s
103 islands and then into the open stretch of the Malacca Straits toward
the Pulau Payar group.

The Pro Dive boat was “adequately” equipped with twin 200HP outboard motors
which saw us overtaking the larger high speed ferries on the way there. The
high powered motors are there not only to minimise the trip time but
sometimes used to evade the boat pirates from Thailand, who commonly steal
boats from harbours at night and are armed. Pro Dive had lost three boats
in recent times, which explained the near new appearance of their latest
offering.

Upon arriving we were briefed by the divemaster on the first site, Coral
Gardens (maximum depth 26m) and to expect large numbers of grouper. The
water temperature was 28 deg which negated the use of a wetsuit apart from
lycra or rash vest. The dive profile commenced in 8m gradually sloping to
26m whilst following a wall with underhangs and gullies. Visibility at best
was close to 15m but the fish life and corals were incredible. We spotted a
large moray eel peering out from underneath a coral patch while around it
swam a myriad of colourful reef inhabitants. All sorts of fish were spotted
including large mottled grouper, mangrove jacks, fearsome titan
triggerfish, lionfish, angelfish, bannerfish, a single barracuda, some
larger pelagics and many smaller wrasse and parrotfish. At times the
surrounding water resembled a fish soup. A number of large barrel sponges
were also sighted and patches of anemones with their respective clown fish.
The site is best known for its mind-blowing number of multicoloured soft
corals which line the top of the reef like a carpet.

Back on the boat we all exchanged descriptions of what we had seen as we
ate our chicken rice lunch box pack and freshly sliced watermelon. Scraps
were thrown to the hungry fish which were scattered by the occasional
grouper coming in for their share. We were taken for our surface interval
to the main beach on the island where all the other boats dock and people
are free to wander around or wade and snorkel in the water while watching
the black tip reef sharks come in from deeper water for a free handout. The
Langkawi Coral floating platform is also seen from this location.

For the next dive we left the snorkellers on shore and proceeded to Pulau
Kaca (Glass Island) for our second dive at Sunken Boat Point. A number of
confiscated fishing boats have been scuttled here creating an artificial
reef and ideal shelter for some of the smaller reef inhabitants. The
visibility here was only about 7m contributed by a layer of particles in
suspension. We saw a black and white banded sea snake going about its
business in the remains of one of the wooden fishing boats while similar
fish though not as many were encountered in mid water. A number of large
nudibranchs were also seen although all from the same species and numerous
large holothurians which we previously saw being sold in a Chinese food
shop in KL (I’ll leave it up to your imagination to describe what they look
like when shrivelled up and dried!). After the dive we were picked up and
returned to the island to pick up the snorkellers before making the journey
back to Langkawi. The skipper took us home via another route where we
weaved between the smaller uninhabited islands and took in an eyeful of
beautiful cliffs and scenery. We thoroughly enjoyed diving at the Pulau
Payar marine park and can recommend the excellent staff at Pro Dive. END