Johor Marine Park, Johor

Johor Marine Park is a protected area to off Mersing, on the east coast of Johor. Here, you can find many pristine islands that are perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving. The main islands in the group includes Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Tinggi, Pulau Aur, Pulau Rawa, Pulau Tengah, Pulau Sibu and Pulau Besar. However, there are many islets surrounding each of these islands which I will describe separately when I write about the main islands.

The Johor Marine Park enjoys an abundance of coral reefs and fishlife due to the hot and humid weather the whole year round. Land temperature rarely drops below 25°C even in the earliest morning. However, in the day time it can easily breach 33°C.

The best time to visit the islands is around April to June. The months of November to February are the monsoon season, when there is heavy rain and frequent storms, making the sea choppy and dangerous to small crafts. The islands are almost cut off during this time. They are sparsely populated in any case, harbouring a total of less than 400 families, mostly earning a living through fishing and the tourist trade.

Boats visiting the islands for snorkelling and diving are moored on mooring buoys which are provided by the marine park, so that the anchors are not dropped indistriminately on the fragile reefs.

The main islands to visit include Pulau Besar, Pulau Sibu, Pulau Tinggi, Pulau Pemanggil and Pulau Aur. I will describe how to get to each of these islands separately. Generally, you can take a boat from the Tanjung Leman Jetty or the Mersing Jetty.

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