Pulau Payar

About 35 kilometers from the west coast of Kedah state is a cluster of 99 islands collectively known as Langkawi. The name Langkawi actually belongs to the largest inhabited island in the group. In addition to the island’s many land and underwater natural beauty, Langkawi’s duty-free port status has provided visitors with another reason to visit the island.

Scuba Diving
We are RADI 5- Star Dive Center located on Pulau Langkawi. Most diving is done around Pulau Payar Marine Park Group of the islands. Strict conservation laws enforced by Marine Park Rangers around the islands here resulted in prolific marine life. A unique highlight in Pulau Payar is the presence of up to 20 juvenile black tip shark providing excitement to the many snorkelers who visit the Marine Park centre. Although at times the plankton-rich waters can reduce visibility, the abundance of the fish makes up for it, fusiliers, jacks, black tip sharks, barracudas and groupers are sighted on a regular basis. Coral life is a mixture of hard and soft corals. Pulau Kaca is a favorite for easy, shallow wreck diving, with dozens of sunken finishing trawlers providing refuge for a variety of marine animals. The Pulau Payar group of islands offers the best diving on the west coast.

Pulau Payar Marine Park
Pulau Payar is located 19 nautical miles south east of Langkawi and north of Penang Island. No form of the accommodation is available on th island, only the Marine Park centre occupies its solitary beach. Speedboats or catamaran ferries shuttle divers from Langkawi to Pulau Payar within an hour.
The best dive sites are to be found from along the western tip to the sounthern and eastern portion of Pulau Payar.

Coral Garden
Coral garden is located on the western tip of Pulau Payar. This dive site features and both hard and soft corals along the island’s rocky terrain with depths from 5 to 18 meters. Visibility averages between 5 to 15 meters. Huge boulder carpeted with soft corals offer numerous crevices that attract marine life seeking refuge from predators. Fish life is abundant, with damsels fusilier, lionfish, schooling jacks and big groupers.

Grouper Farm
Suitably named, this dive site is located towards the southern end of Pulau Payar and is home to schooling fish numerous big groupers. Hard corals and sea fans dominate the seascape with the reef top gradually sloping down to about 15 meters to the sandy bottom. If a slight current is present, a drift dive is the best approach to this site.

Pulau Kaca
Situated towards to the east of Pulau Payar is some easy wreck diving off Pulau Kaca. Dozens of sunken fishing trawlers are found around Pulau Kaca creating artificial reefs. Rocky topside topography gives way to hard coral growth at 5 meters. A driver does not require any bearing to locate the wrecks, as he is bound to encounter the scattered vessels in the most any direction. Coral blocks on the sandy bottom are inhabited by a whole spectrum of the reef fishes, mollusks and nudibranchs.

Pulau Segantang
This twin rocky outcrop is located 13 kilometers towards the west of Pulau Payar. Pulau Segantang features steep rocky terrain plunging into the sea to a sandy bottom at 20 meters. Nurse sharks, barracudas and jacks are very common here. Fusilier will curiously swim around intruding divers. Here, hard corals and sea fans are found on the slopes between 15 to 20 meters. Lobsters, moray eels and mollusks are also commonly observed.

Getting There
Langkawi is easily accessible by air, sea, road and rail from various gateway points. Langkawi’s international airport links various countries and has several daily flights from Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore. Ferry services are available from Kuala Perlis, Kuala Kedah and Penang. The best way to get around the island is to hire motorcycles or cars that are easily available for rental from the airport and Kuah Town.