Explore: Pulau Tioman
General Info
Located 35 NM off the east coast of the Malaysian peninsula, Tioman Island has been voted one of the world’s most beautiful islands. Scenic, tranquil, with miles of white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters teeming with spectacular marine life and colourful coral gardens. The twin peaks of Gunung Nenek Semukut provide a prominent landmark to this island.
This is still very much the case today and cruising yacht SV Totem reported in September 2013 “What a pleasant surprise to find that Tioman is still a sleepy place of quiet beauty. Yes, it got busy on the weekend with the flocks from Singapore and KL, but most of the time it was just heavenly peace”.
Position 02°49.16’N, 104°09.33’E (Tioman marina)
Clearance
Pulau Tioman is a duty-free port.
For full details on clearance into and out of Malaysia see Formalities.
Clear in with Customs and Immigration at the ferry pier building. If the building is locked up, just across the street to the airport and they’ll call the officials for you.
The harbormaster (Jabatan Laut) is now in the marina.
When leaving here to visit Sarawak, it is necessary to clear out.
Last updated: December 2018
Docking
(Photo of the Teluk Tekek marina taken by SY Samba August 2017)
The marina at the village of Teluk Tekek on the western side of the island is open, but it has very limited space for visitors as much of the marina is taken up with small local tourist boats. Arriving around midday is the best time as many local boats have left. There is no longer any management at the marina. It has become very run down and services practically none existent. It is necessary to hunt for a pontoon with water and electricity. It is now run by the Harbour department, which is located at the ferry terminal.
The Marine Park Authority has laid orange buoys all around the island.
Most of the villages have jetties.
Juara Beach is a fair-weather anchorage on the eastern side of the island with exposure to the E. It is a surf beach in the NE monsoon routinely exposed. All sand, no reef, with good holding in ~20′ close in. Juara has a collection of small beach-front restaurants, with generally lower prices than in Tektek. Laundry services are also available for less than Tektek. There’s minimal provisioning available here.
Last updated September 2017.
