Tioman

Tioman Island, in the South China Sea off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is the closest tropical dive island to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and a long-standing weekend favourite for divers from both cities. Its reefs are part of a marine park, with sites such as Chebeh, Tiger Reef, Labas and Renggis offering boulders, swim-throughs, turtles, bamboo sharks and big schools of fish, plus the occasional whale shark. Conditions are mostly gentle, which makes Tioman a good place to learn. The season runs from roughly March to October; much of the island winds down during the northeast monsoon. Dive centres are spread across the villages of Air Batang, Tekek, Salang and Juara.