Johor Bahru - General Info
Where is Johor Bahru?
Johor Bahru (universally known as JB) is located in the centre of Malaysia’s southern coast, immediately opposite Singapore to which it is connected by a causeway.
Entrance Notes and Cautions for Johor Bahru:
The approach to the western side of the causeway is limited to yachts with an air draft of 25m or less. All yachts can access Johor Bahru from the eastern side of the causeway.
Cruiser Highlights for Johor Bahru:
Provisioning is good in Johor Bahru. Using a “Grab” or other type of car rental, you can easily access all of the businesses in JB, although traffic is heavy and the complex of highways and roads can make for a challenging expedition.
Position:
01°27.01’N, 103°46.20’E (causeway)
Last updated: December 2024
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Related to following destinations: Johor Bahru, Johore Strait, Malaysia
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To lump Penang with JB in terms of security is a complete misrepresentation. JB is where even locals fear going out at night wheareas you can actually see cops on the beat in Penang and walking at night is a non issue.
https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=455&bul_id=SnJlWjNGZ3VWajUraDlBcFpMQ3JWUT09&menu_id=U3VPMldoYUxzVzFaYmNkWXZteGduZz09. Note that the figure for Johor is for the entire state, not just JB whereas most people live on the island of Penang.
https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Malaysia&country2=Malaysia&city1=George+Town&city2=Johor+Bahru
Senibong Cove Marina is a great place to have your boat in Malaysia. Balan and his entire staff go out of their way to help all the yachties. We took several short trips from here and were never worried about leaving the boat. Very reasonable rates. Taxi to the nearest mall and supermarket (Aeon) only about US$2 each way. Laundries near Aeon or do it yourself for US$1.50/14kg washing and US$1 dryer.
Dalac Marine would not give us a firm date to haul or a firm price. Others in the yard were waiting weeks for them to work on their boats and would not let owners work on it themselves. We did not haul here as felt it would be a total rip-off.
Ganesh anchored near the Causeway for 3 weeks. Convenient to shops and great Vietnamese restaurant within sight of dingy. But cannot leave dingy out of your sight.
Dalac Marine will no longer haul out cruising yachts unless Dalac is contracted to perform the work. If yacht owners decide to go this way they should still arrange to be on site and supervise 100% of everything all of the time.
Hi, Peter Wong Nice to have “Dreamer” Lagoon 560 in Senibong Cove Marina.
Thanks for the compliments.
we stopped over at Senibong cove marine on our delivery of “Dreamer” Lagoon 560 from Hong Kong to Phuket. We phoned Balan to inform that we will arrive about 0300. We were pleasantly surprised to find that his staff assisted us in berthing at such an hour. We were met with great hospitality and Balan and his staff were a great help to us during our stay at the marina. Thank you again
Posted on behalf of Robert Geier / SY China Dolphin:
I checked into Senibong Cove Marina on arrival to Malaysia, and they were extremely helpful in making my arrival smooth. It is a nice small marina in a new development, in good condition and convenient to Singapore. To clear into Malaysia I first needed to take a taxi to the Harbour Master (Jabatan Laut) on the waterfront to the West of the causeway near Danga Bay.
They were closed (for lunch?) until 2 pm, but actual processing only took a minute. For immigration, I went to the office at the second floor of The Zon ferry terminal on the East side of the causeway. I was also instructed to visit customs at The Zon ferry terminal, but they told me they were not interested in incoming vessels, only outgoing.
Just completed hauling out for bottom repair and misc work completed in the Dalac boatyard in Johor. See http://www.dalac.com.my/ They did a good. The entrance to the yard is shallow, only 3m depth at the higher tides.
Posted on behalf of SY Yindee Plus:
The clearance information for the Johor Straits has changed a little in the last few years. As we understand it, the ports of entry now are Pengileh (east side), Puteri Harbour Marina (west side), and presumably still Johor Bahru itself, although we have been over the causeway several times now and have never seen any yachts at anchor near there.
There is a large land reclamation scheme going on in that area and it may not now be possible to anchor or to get ashore (we haven’t sailed all the way to the causeway so don’t have definite knowledge about it).
A convenience store is now open at the marina — fresh bread, ice cream, sodas. The on-site bar and restaurant are extremely popular, probably the only viable nightlife in the area. Marina maintenance, management, facilities all excellent. During our 6 months stay the marina has hosted at least 6 special dinners (e.g., Chinese New Years) and yachties BBQs.
Posted on behalf of SY Kiwi Blue:
Senibong Cove Marina, Malaysia.
We have found Senibong Cove Marina very good, the management is extremely helpful and the security is excellent. It is a new marina within a housing development so no shops on the premises, but a major shopping centre within a 5-minute taxi ride. Just about everything is available within a 10 minutes radius.
The marina provides 2 shuttle services a day.
Kiwi Blue
Gert Harbers
Nearest marina to Danga Bay is Country Garden Danga Bay. ( http://www.countrygardendangabay.com.my 1000Rm/monthly include water and electricity. At the begging of the 2015 price plan to grow up. Here you have a shower, swimming pool, restaurants and a nice view.
One problem is security, here it is just for decoration. A fisherman comes on the pontoon, leave their nets and fishing and going around all night, sitting near the boats, slipping and talking. Security covers up them and doesn’t do anything.
Senibing cove marina is now open and fully functional. They can if you wish to do your paperwork for you. The access is quite straight forward and the manager Greg is very helpful. There is no wifi but Inet access is available at the office. The only disadvantage is the access to local shops. This requires a taxi ride or a 20 min walk.