Dive Destination: Lang Tengah

The east coast of peninsular Malaysia is famous for its clear waters, laid-back culture and tropical islets. You’ve heard of Tioman, Redang and Perhentian. But what about Lang Tengah?

Lang Tengah is sandwiched between the islands of Perhentian and Redang. On a clear day you can see Perhentian just a few kilometers to the north and Redang almost equidistance to the south. Those two are huge compared to Lang Tengah, which boasts only 3 resorts and can be circumnavigated by a speed boat in about 15 minutes, if you have a penchant for speed.

Depending on your taste in holidays, Lang Tengah may be just what the doctor ordered. Because there are only three resorts, the beaches are rarely crowded like Perhentian or Redang. The other two islands often cater to the crowd desiring night life and loud music. You won’t find that here but you will find starry nights perfect for midnight walks on the sand. During the day that same sand glistens in the sun and was rated by Islands magazine a lost gem. Indeed this is a lost gem, just waiting to be found and enjoyed once again.

The diving at Lang Tengah is good but with limited sites because of its size. The gang from Scubafiends dove Lang Tengah the first week in August. Visibility was impacted by storms at that time but on the sheltered side of the island visibility still reached 20 meters.

There are two superb deep dives here: Karang Nibong Laut and Terumbu Kuning. We dove these sites a total of three times. Karang Nibong Laut is very deep, 30 plus meters, so bottom time is limited but full of sightings such as several species of puffer fish, nurse sharks, blue-spotted ribbon tail ray, cuttlefish and a white-eyed moray eel. Terumbu Kuning boasts batfish, Janss’s pipefish, hingebeak shrimp, blue-spotted ribbon tail ray and a couple of trevally.

After these two sites, the quality goes to average. Goby Garden was one site I will not dive again but the rest were fun. Nudibranches were plentiful and certain species we stopped pointing out to our resident photographer. For me, these were fun dives rather than destination dives. No, they aren’t the drop-off at Sipadan but it was great fun to dive with a group of friends and scour the rocks and coral for interesting critters. I wouldn’t fly halfway around the world to dive at Lang Tengah but I will probably visit there again this year.

The resort we stayed at was Lang Sari. It had just changed management but the food was spectacular, if you like local fare. They did a good bar-b-que in the evenings. The rooms were clean but spartan. A bed, a toilet and a shower. There was Astro in the main dining area for the guests to catch the finale of “Akademi Fantasia”. (Why do girls enter that competition? They can never hope to win.)

Lang Tengah is for people who like a slow relaxing day, sitting in a hammock and reading a novel in between snoozes. Here is where you speak quieter as the night lengthens, aware that your voice is harsh against the sounds of the jungle night and the soft slap of the waves on the shore. This is where friends enjoy mah jong or cards and long conversations deep into the night. No, it isn’t for everyone but it may be just what you are looking for.