If you are
only visiting islands at the west side of the peninsula or are not able to go
to visit the island at the east side due to the monsoon pereod (which lasts
from October till March in that region), then you have the alternative to go to
the islands of Langkawi and Penang where you will be able to snorkel around a
couple of very small islands. The Pulau Payar Marine Park lies between both
islands, a small but marvelous coral area. There are four islands within the
marine park, Pulau Payar, Pulau Kaca, Pulau Lembu and Pulau Segantang. Tourists
can stay for the day, however it is an uninhabited island and there is no
accommodation available on the island. There is a daily tour to Pulau
Payar, this tour includes pickup from the hotel in either Penang or Langkawi. A
Pulau Payar snorkeling trip usually lasts a full day.
Only place to enjoy diving and snorkeling at the western peninsula
It is one of
the only locations at the west side of the Malaysian peninsula where you can
snorkel and dive. Besides that, you can also feed the fish (e.g. small sharks).
However, we do advise not to participate in that, because it is very bad for
the fish and eventually it harms the coral as well. The underwater world around
the island often attracts very big kinds of fish, because of the enormous
amount of algae in the water. When you obtain your PADI diving license on the
island of Langkawi you complete your dives within the marine park. The best
snorkel location with the marine parks is near 'Coral Garden'. Update: Coral
Garden is currently closed to the public to give the coral enough time to
restore.
The island
is a protected area as the coral has to be preserved. Fishing is absolutely
prohibited within the marine park. If you are not going to the east side of the
Malaysian peninsula (i.e. Perhentian, Redang or Tioman) or to the beautiful
islands around Borneo during your trip through Malaysia, then this is one of
the few places where you can encounter the beauty of a real coral island.
Things to
keep in mind when visiting Pulau Payar
The small
island group, Pulau Payar has been under a lot of pressure as a result of
tourism in the last couple of years. The islands are set up in a very touristy
way and there is a chance that you might view the same fish with 20 others.
Additionally, there is the issue of 'coral bleaching' due to the high
temperature increase of the seawater. As a result, the coral is not in its best
shape anymore. Below, please find a few rules to take into account to ensure
that Payar does not collapse under the pressures of tourism:
- Do not feed the fish and do not touch any fish.
- Keep your waste and do not throw anything into the water.
- Only use the toilettes.
- Do not stand on the coral. Wear a life jacket and swim without flippers to prevent yourself from standing on the coral.
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