The Underwater World of Pulau Perhentian

The Perhentian Islands, as with many other islands off the East coast of Malaysia, are said to have some of the best marine life in the world, so I figured I should give it a shot. Along with the three French girls, two Danish girls and an Austrian couple, we began a day tour snorkelling all around the island. Each of these tours guarantee that you will see turtles and probably sharks, so I was excited at the prospect, not really having much experience snorkelling other than a pathetic little trip while in Jamaica as a teenager. Our first stop took us out to a buoy, and I was immediately blown away by what I saw in the clear water. Hills and gardens of coral of every imaginable type anchored the sea floor below us, yielding the array of shapes and colors that I had only seen in documentaries before. Greens, yellows, oranges, reds and blues intermingled, all surrounded by small schools of fish, some colorful, some almost hidden from view. We couldn't believe the diversity and sheer quantity of everything below, swimming around in cirlces for about half an hour until it was time to move to our next spot.

Cruising around to the South side of Pulau Perhentian Besar (the bigger of the group of two islands), we passed a few beaches and rock outcrops until we arrived at 'Shark Point.' We were instructed to keep quiet and follow the instructor who, with any luck, would point out a few sharks that we'd be able to follow around for a while. Within minutes, he pointed ahead, and we saw our first shark. A black tipped reef shark, it was probably about 6 or 7 feet long, though they are very shy and almost always turn the other way when they see humans. The group clammored forward to get a view of the elusive fish, but it was soon back in the depths of the water, away from our view. Trying to keep up, my mask filled with water a few times (possibly user error, but I think it actually was not the greatest mask), so I ended up near the back of the group, just cruising around, trying to see what I could see. A few minutes later, looking through the coral below, a group of two sharks appeared just below me, oblivious to me floating above. Both of these were probably slightly larger than me, and I had to remind myself that these are not at all aggressive and pose almost no threat to me, though there's always that half second of fear instilled in us by horror movies. I kept up with the sharks for a while, watching them swim effortlessly around the sea floor just 20 feet below me before seeing them disappear into the distance. We saw one more shark, and that was it for our Shark Point adventure.

Next was Turtle Point. Here, we rode out to a deeper point between the two islands and just waited. Our guide insisted that a tiny dark spot barely visible on the ocean floor was a turtle and told us to wait. As we waited skeptically, the spot grew larger and larger and soon we dove in to examine. It was in face a huge sea turtle, coming up from the ocean floor for air. Minutes later, there were a few more in the vicinity, and I even had one to myself to chase around for a while before he grew tired of me and sped away. The massive turtles are amazing up close, paddling so freely through the water, looking from side to side for their next meal. As before, this was truly like a show on the Discovery channel, only I was actually able to get this close and see the natural beauty firsthand. Later, we had a quick stop for lunch and another stop at some other incredible coral gardens. Not thinking I'd ever be that impressed by snorkelling, I was blown away by this tour and was certainly glad that I paid the $12 to do it.

I hurried and caught the ferry back that night, enthralled by the day underwater and also wanting to escape the other tourists. Arriving back in Kuala Besut, I got my ticket for the overnight bus to Kuala Lumpur and waited, giving me four hours to sit around town, have dinner and pretty much do nothing. I found a friendly group of travel agents who had a powerful fan in their office, so I talked with them for a while in between watching them guide tourists to their hotels on the islands, and I eventually left and found a small cafe with tables overlooking the ocean, though there was no beach there, just a concrete walkway and tiny park. After a while, one of the guys from the travel agency appeared and sat down to have a drink while I finished my dinner. The conversation began simple enough, though it sooned turned awkward. He said he wanted to ask something but wanted to be sure that I wouldn't tell anyone about it. Not knowing what to expect, I told him that was fine, and he stammered and stuttered before eventually coming out with a quiet little statement. I'll spare the exact wording, but he, in broken and whispered English though in no uncertain terms, offered me an indecent proposal. Not really knowing how to react, though feling a bit bad for the guy as it took a lot of courage for him to ask, especially given the strict Muslim society here, I politely declined, and then another predictably awkward silence followed. He soon finished up his drink and went back home, and then I got on the bus for my trip to the capital.

(The rocky shore and amazing water around "Shark Point." I actually did see about four black tipped reef sharks here in the water, so I guess the guy that named it knew what he was talking about.)

(Getting ready to dive in. Try not to be blinded by the beaming white light coming from my chest - that's actually just my untanned skin. Better than nice thick leathery skin, I guess.)

(The beach right around our lunch stop at the Southern end of Pulau Perhentian Besar/The Big Island.)

(About to get back on the boat. I may or may not be wearing the same shirt as in the pictures from the previous day. The good news is that I was snorkelling, so I didn't need a shirt most of the day.)

(One of the signs on the wall of a local restaurant in town, forbidding to pungent smelling fruit.)

(My dinner in Kuala Besut - a nice spicy rice dish followed by a very awkward conversation with one of the locals...)

(Another great meal - kway teoh, basically just fried noodles, meat and veggies. You can't go wrong. I'm salivating a little bit as I type this.)