The story behind the design
Too many turtles to count. One barracuda school you never forget.
From Tioman and Tenggol to Mabul and Sipadan, Malaysia offers far more than one kind of diving. Reefs, walls and strong currents lead to turtles, sharks and schools of fish, but Sipadan's barracuda tornado has a habit of making every other school look slightly under-rehearsed.
Tioman has excellent diving and some excellent people. It also has enough bargain-first, corner-cutting operations to make choosing a centre part of the dive plan. Please do not search the web, sort by cheapest and call that due diligence. A cheap course becomes expensive very quickly when the shortcuts concern your safety.
We watched friends spend four days learning from one instructor, only to find a completely different instructor's name and number on their PADI record. None of them had ever met him. Apparently instructor numbers have joined the car-pooling economy. Funny line. Not a funny situation. Know who is teaching you, know who is certifying you, and verify anything that does not make sense.
One of the good ones deserves a name: Uncle Chok, from Aman Tioman Dive Centre (ATDC). Tioman is too beautiful to choose a dive centre by price alone.
Malaysia is not only for recreational divers. Its established technical-diving community adds another layer to the journey, extending well beyond the familiar reefs and islands.
The artwork gathers a swirling barracuda school, turtle, coral, hibiscus and ornate forms inspired by Malaysia's rich cultural detail. That same diversity continues above the surface through its people, traditions and, arguably, some of the best food in Southeast Asia.
Come for the diving. Leave with a longer list of things you still need to eat.
Diving involves risk. Read the disclaimer.