Long overdue blog - Perhentian Kecil

Something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time is a trip to the Perhentian islands in Malaysia. I’ve always had the idea to go there for a relaxing week doing nothing but beach bumming and a bit of diving.

The Perhentians is a group of two islands, Perhentian Besar (big island) and Perhentian Kecil (small island) on the north eastern shore of Peninsular Malaysia. Most people going there take a flight to Kota Bahru, cab it to Kuala Besut and then take a boat for 45 minutes to the islands, which was exactly what I did. I went to Kecil as the island caters more for budget travelers.

I e-mailed our man Ali to let him know I finally made it there. The next day we met and had a chat. It’s weird to meet someone who you kinda know virtually but have never met. Ali, who is practically a Perhentian resident, gave me a few tips on where to stay as I wasn’t too keen on my first accommodation of which I won’t mention the name as I liked the people who run it too much. After two days staying there, I moved my stuff to Panorama Chalets and stayed for the duration. Thanks Ali!

Initially my plan was to stay for a week, get my rescue diving course over and done with and then fly off to the Philippines for the last two weeks of my trip. Well guess what.. I ended up staying on Long Beach for 3 weeks, done no rescue course whatsoever and convinced myself that the Philippines will still be there for another year.

What I did do in the Perhentians was fun dive my days away. I dived with Sunlight Divers, a really great diving company with the most awesome staff. I met so many great people at Sunlight. The staff and dive master trainees: Sunny, Laura, Paddy, Antonio, Bob, Alex, Suzanne, Sham. These people are the ones responsible for the great holiday I had. And on top of that, I also got to meet two great fellow travelbloggers Claire and Stu. Their last night was definitely one of the best nights I had on the island.

A truly unforgettable memory was the day we went diving to Sugar Wreck. The boat was full with 12 people and was divided into 4 groups all on their own mission. Antonio and I went separately on a nudibranch exploration, combing the seabed looking for tiny sea slugs. When we resurfaced I heard Suzanne screaming at me. At first I didn’t really realize what she was saying until I heard the word ‘WHALESHARK’. At the time my air was low at 50 bars, I screamed back at Suzanne saying I was low on air. But then Antonio swam past me as fast as he could so I followed him. Shortly after we went back under water and saw the giant fish turning towards us. It was unbelievable! We all swam with it until our air ran out. I just couldn’t believe my luck. I went to Mozambique and didn’t have the opportunity to see them there and just contented myself with the belief that one day I will be so lucky to see one, but I never thought I would be lucky enough to sight one on the same trip. Amazing, that’s all I can say.

Unfortunately, my luck ran out as my camera warned me that it was full. I didn’t have the time to delete a few photos and take a few at the same time so I only have a few pics of the gentle giant, but luckily Antonio and Laura made a film.

News spread like wild fire on Long Beach. We went back to get a second tank and by the time we got back to Sugar Wreck at least 4 other dive schools joined us to get a glimpse of the whaleshark. But of course there was no more whaleshark to be seen. I buddied with Ali and we went down looking everywhere until we gave up and went to the sunken ship for the rest of the dive. At one point I saw a huge pufferfish and pointed it out to Ali. Poor guy, he thought I was signaling for the whaleshark, I saw him turning his head to every direction possible. Haha.. sorry man!

After 3 weeks my time at Long Beach had come to an end. My exit was on a hot and sunny day, coloring the water in bright turquoise, just as on my arrival. I was reluctant to leave knowing a cold and grey country awaits me. I was trying to convince myself that I was ready to go home, that I would be seeing my friends and family again. After 2 months, I did miss them. But as much as I wanted to believe it, I knew I didn’t want to go home. The Sunlight staff left the island at the same time, continuing to Pulau Weh in Indonesia. As I took a seat in the taxi to Kota Bahru, I said to Laura “I’m coming with you to Pulau Weh”. And so another 3 weeks of diving was added to my summer trip. “Wicked” she said.

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