| On this page we present you with some useful information for your journey to Malaysia and to Tioman Island
Best Time to Travel
Best time to travel to Malaysia is all year around. The diving season for Tioman Island starts towards the end of January and lasts until end of November.
Best Time to Dive
Best visibility (15m to 30m) can be expected during the months of March until May and then again from September until November. During the summer months (June – August) the visibility usually drops to around 8m to 12m.
February is the mating season of the reef cuttlefish, which no diver should miss.
Currents on Tioman are on the mild side.
Dive Equipment:
We are using the following dive equipment which you can rent:
- SeacSub, Beuchat and Scubapro BCD
- SeacSub and Scubapro Regulators
- 80cf (11L) Aluminium Tanks with INT (Yoke) Fitting
- 3mm shorty wetsuits
- Full foot fins
Weather & Temperatures:
The weather on Tioman Island is fine all year long. On most days you can expect sunny skies and little wind. Average temperature is around 32 Degrees Celsius all year around. Water temperatures are 27 to 29 Degrees Celsius.
Since Tioman Island is in the tropics and covered in dense rainforst, regular tropical rain showers are common. They usually last just an hour or so.
Check out the current weather situation on Tioman
Malaysian Entry Requirements:
Visitors to Malaysia must be in possession of a valid passport or travel document with a minimum validity of six months beyond the intended visiting period. Most nationalities do not require visas for social or business visits.
Money:
You can pay for diving in Malaysian Ringgit or by credit card. Most of the resorts accept credit card payments but meals and beverages have to be paid in cash. Note that there is a 3% bank charge for credit card payments.
Foreign currencies are best exchanged on the mainland prior to your visit to Tioman Island. You can check the current rates at www.xe.com. Exchange rates on the island are very poor.
There is only one ATM on the island in the village Tekek which is in the centre part of Tioman Island and only accessible by boat.
Vaccination & Health
No special vaccinations are required. There is no Malaria or other tropical disease present on Tioman Island or on Peninsular Malaysia.
Sandflies and mosquitoes are common in Malaysia so bring some tropical insect repellent and after bite ointment along. Sandfly bites can be nasty and can get infected if scratched open. Antiseptic cream is recommended.
There is no decompression chamber available on Tioman Island and the closest is in Singapore (some 6 hours transportation). We are therefore very careful with our diving profiles and have never had a dive accidents since we were established in 1986.
Language:
Malay is the native tongue but English is widely spoken. All our staff is fluent in English. We also teach courses in the following languages:
Electricity:
Voltage is 220V to 240V. You might want to purchase an adaptor for your electrical items.
Phone and Internet:
If you want to stay in touch with your friends and family, then best purchase a phone card (e.g. iTalk). With these cards you can make international phone calls at very cheap rates.
The few available internet cafes on Tioman Island usually only offer dial-up connection which we call snail-mail. Not worth trying to Skype with friends or family. There is one internet cafe in ABC (Ayer Batang) on Tioman Island which offers high speed satellite internet. |
