Malaysia :: Bidong Islands

The Bidong group of islands offers some unexplored dive sites that are have yet to become commercialized. Visiting restrictions were lifted in 1999 as the islands used to be a Vietnamese refugee camp and off limits to tourists. Now they are a diving alternative to Redang. Due to their distance though not many dive operators from Redang come here unless special arrangements are made.

The diving at Bidong offers good visibility in the deep clear waters around Pulau Yu and submerged reefs between Pulau Yu Besar and Pulau Yu Kecil. This makes it one of the better dive sites providing common encounters with schooling batfish and other reef life. The other notable site is Batu Tengkorak with a shallow depth of around 14 metres, providing opportunities to encounter schooling trevallies, mackerel and barracuda, amidst dense and scattered coral formations. There is an impressive blue anemone garden at Kapak island, the best time to dive is at dusk when the anemones appear to give off a blue light.