Langkawi, the other dive sites….
While most Malaysian divers have heard of the busy daytrips to Pulau Payar Marinepark in Langkawi, it is not as widely known that there are other places to dive in this archipelago.
The many small, jungle covered, uninhabited islands of Langkawi offer several divespots. These divesites can be reached by small speedboat within 10min from Langkawi Scuba on Cenang beach so you could fit more dives in your day.
The best time to dive this area in Langkawi is outside of the west monsoon, the diveshop is be operating from October till May. Note: this is the opposite time of year from the diveseason of the east-coast of peninsular Malaysia, where the east-monsoon will hit in November.
It is absolutely no secret that the water around Langkawi is not crystal clear, in fact, the visibility is usually only 2-4m but that doesn’t mean that diving is difficult…
It just means that you should dive as close to your divemaster as possible to get to see the good stuff, and follow some extra safety-procedures or perhaps even do the PADI Limited Visibility Diver course. This specialty course was developed by Langkawi Scuba in cooperation with PADI after many years of experience diving these conditions and is full of little tips on how to feel in control of your own dive. For safety and enjoyment the dive instructors will only dive with maximum 2 divers.
It is clear to not expect pretty blue water and large marinelife, but you can expect some very interesting macrodiving in Langkawi.
In the dense soft-coral forests of Beras Laut or Razorreef, it is common to find morays, lionfish, boxfish, razorfish or porcupines. And the names of the sites are pretty self-explanatory; The Stables where we “keep” the seahorses or White Coral Corner where it is clear what the reef will look like. An experienced divemaster could find you nudis, toadfish, pipefish or even seahorses.
Pulau Cepu is a bit further, an extra 10min on the boat will bring you to this small island. On the way to the divesite, look around for some dolphins or finless porpoises and, of course, the eagles that Langkawi is known for. Cepu is known for the resident barracudas and fields of white and pink broccoli coral where frogfish and seahorses hide.
For those who come to Langkawi: besides booking the Cable Car, Mangrovetrip or Island-hopping trip, it is so worth it to arrange some time for a few dives. And you don’t even have to be an experienced diver, even discover scuba diving, or PADI courses are a fun way to spend your holiday. A trip starts at 9am and after 2 dives you will be back on Cenang beach around 1:30pm. And if you like, another dive after lunch is easily arranged.
