Scuba Dynamics
No 8 & 10, Jalan 24/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
(03) 2300 9060
Fax: 2300 9070
E-mail: info@scubadynamics.com.my
Website: www.scubadynamics.com.my

Scuba Dynamics organises trips to Pulau Aur and other dive sites in Malaysia.

AAAH, the search for the perfect dive site never ends. After hearing tales of a rarely visited Malaysian island, where the water is blue and visibility averages 30m, I readily went along with Henry Batzer of Scuba Dynamics to Pulau Aur.

This was my first time diving off Pulau Aur, having missed the opportunity many times, and it was also my first experience diving with Batzer.

I had been introduced to Scuba Dynamics by one of my diving buddies, who had regaled me with tales of Batzer’s impeccable track record and reputation. And since the guy actually managed to teach my friends to dive, I reckoned he had some serious skill! As it turned out, Batzer was indeed a consummate professional, and my only grouse was that I didn’t get to dive with him more.

Now, although Pulau Aur is a Malaysian island, you wouldn’t have guessed it from the many Singaporeans who come a-calling. Typically, after leaving work on Friday, they depart for Mersing, Johor, whereupon they take a boat at midnight, arriving at 4.30am. They then proceed to log-in six dives before leaving the island just after lunch on Sunday!

If the weekends are hectic, the island is practically yours on weekdays. Amenities are pretty basic. The resort on the best beach has the worst food and the one with the best food has the worst beach. The one with no beach is well known for its nightlife. All have Astro, but electricity to the rooms is limited, and there is no hot running water. However, the diving is good.

To get to Pulau Aur, 70km off Mersing, you can take a boat from the Mersing jetty (the same one that takes you to Pulau Tioman) or Sedilli fishing port. It’s a slow boat ride over some four hours, although some resorts have started using speed boats that cut travel time by half.

Pulau Aur, together with the smaller isles of Pulau Dayang, Pulau Lang and Pulau Pemanggil, make up one half of the Johor Marine Park. Both Dayang and Aur have deep clear water and healthy corals.

Accommodation is available only on these two islands.

The best time to visit Pulau Aur for diving is between April and October, when the sea is calmer and visibility is at its best.

Dive sites

There are many dive sites in the area. Crocodile Rock at 10m is a favourite night dive spot. Teluk Teluran used to be the watery home of Smit Lloyd 19 , a ship which ran aground in 1981. Not much is left today as most of the wreck had been salvaged, but the site is interesting for its large undulating corals, which are home to various octopus, lobsters, crabs and moral eels.

The Garden, also known as the Secret Garden, is a shallow dive site at 15m and has abundant fish and coral life. It’s a good site for new divers and underwater photography. To check out a Ming Dynasty wreck (or so some claim), go to Teluk Mariam. To get to it, do a shore dive from the southern side of the bay towards the jetty.

At Teluk Sebukang, slow finning at around 10m will yield the good stuff. March to April brings out an amazing variety of nudibranches, and you can find garden eels deeper down at around 30m. Robert’s Point located at the northern tip of Pulau Lang has a small but interesting patch of coral with immense variety. Dusk dives are best as the corals here teem with feeding fish. A huge 2m long, moray eel about 18cm in diameter has been spotted here, so look out for it. You might also bump into green turtles, eagle rays and schools of bumphead parrotfish.

Rayner’s Rock is a popular dive site with advanced divers. Here, pelagics can be found on the seaward side of the rock whilst a large variety of soft corals can be found in the valley between the two rocks that break the surface.

Different levels offer different things. Napoleon wrasses, up to 90cm long, have been spotted here and grey tip reef sharks are often sighted between Rayner’s Rock and Teluk Jawa. Whale sharks and Manta rays, too, have been glimpsed.

Pulau Pinang is a barren rock with steep slopes, making it an ideal spot for some wall diving. The sea floor goes down 60m, so keep an eye on your depth gauge. Things to see here include snappers, moral eels, spotted rays and groupers. Turtles and sharks are not uncommon, and if you’re lucky, you may come across giant sea fans. This spot is a good place to do a drift dive if the currents are running.

The Pinnacles is a group of three underwater rocks with the plateau of the centre pinnacle at 18m deep. Schools of batfish and barracuda have also been sighted. Strong currents are common, so plan your dive for slack tides. The variety is quite amazing, so it’s no wonder the divers down south keep coming back.


Getting there
From Kuala Lumpur, head south on the North-South Expressway heading towards Singapore. Take the turn-off to Air Hitam. From here, drive towards Kluang, then towards Kahang town. From there, just follow the signs to Mersing.
Another route on the North-South Expressway is to take the Senawang turn-off and head towards Tanjung Gemuk, before making south again on the coastal road to Mersing.

Either way, the trip takes five to six hours and cuts through some deserted countryside, so make sure your tank is full and your car is in decent condition.

Places to stay


Friendly Waters Chalet
(02) 447 2108
www.friendlywaters.com.sg

Aur Samudera Holidays
(07) 799 4217

Blue Water Resort
(07) 799 4072

Atlantis Bay Resort
(011) 770 279

Aur Holiday Resort
(07) 799 4072

Telok Brai Chalet
(07) 799 4870

Mahmood’s Chalet
(07) 799 4217