|
� Dive Sites � Best Time
to Go � Getting There �
Diving off Pulau Aur - where waters are
blue and visibility averages about 30m. 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.
|
DIVE SITES |
Crocodile
Rock
A favourite night dive spot.
The Garden
Also known as the 'Secret Garden' is shallow dive site at 15m and
has abundant fish and coral life. A good site for new divers and
underwater photography
Teluk Sebukang
March to April brings out an amazing variety of nudibranches, and
garden eels deeper down at around 30m.
Rayner's Rock
Popular with advanced divers. Here palagics can be found on the
seaward side of the rock ahilst a large variety of soft corals can
be found in the valley between the two rocks that break the surface.
Different levels offer things. Napolean wrasses, up to 90cm long
have been spotted here and grey tip reef sharks are often sighted.
The Pinnacles
A group of three underwater rocks, with a plateau of the center
pinnacle at 18m deep. Schools of batfish and barracuda have been
sighted. Strong currents are common, so plan your dive for slack
tides. |
Teluk
Teluran
Interesting for its large undulating corals, which are home to
various octopuses, crabs, and moray eels.
Teluk Mariam
To check out a Ming Dynasty wreak (as some claim), do a shore dive
from the southern side of the bay towards the jetty.
Robert's Tip
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 fish.
Pulau Pinang
A barren rock with steep slopes, making it an ideal spot for some
wall diving. The sea floor goes down 60m. Here snappers, moral eels,
spotted rays and groupers can be seen. Turtles and sharks are not
uncommon. The spot is a good place to do a drift dive if the
currents are running.
 |
Accommodations & Amenities
Accommodations is available only on Pulau Dayang and Pulau Aur.
Amenities are pretty basic as electricity to the rooms is limited and
there is no hot running water. It is best to change money on the
mainland and make bookings for accommodations and dives before arrival
on the islands.
Best Time to Go
The Best time to visit Pulau Aur for diving is between April & October,
when the sea is calmer and visibility is at its best. The weekends are
hectic especially with Singaporeans on holiday. Typically, after leaving
work on Fridays, they depart for Mersing, whereupon they take a boat
ride at midnight, arriving at 4.30am in the morning of Saturday. They
then proceed to log-in six dives before leaving the island just after
lunch on Sunday. However the island is practically yours on weekdays.
Getting There
To get to Pulau Aur, 70km off Mersing, you can take a boat from the
Mersing Jetty or Sedilli fishing port. It's a slow boat ride over some
four hours, although some resorts have started using speed boats that
cut the travel time by half.
 Johor
|
|
