The word for island in Malay is Pulau and big is besar so in actual fact Pulau Sibu Besar means Big Sibu Island. Pulau Sibu forms part of the Seribuat chain of islands and lies 12 kilometres off the east coast of the West Peninsular of Malaysia. Tanjong Leman is the boat pick up point for Pulau Sibu and is approximately 2 hours north of Johor Bahru on the Mersing road. The island is shaped like a triangular hour glass, about 6 kilometres long and never more than one kilometre wide it’s whole length.
Pulau Sibu is a pleasant hideaway with its lush tropical vegetation, endless stretches of golden beaches and clear blue waters. The island is also dotted with numerous sea caves carved out of rocks. The constant pounding of the sea during the monsoon season has given the island a beautiful yet rugged appearance.
The surrounding waters contain fascinating coral reefs teeming with colourful marine life. Shipwrecks off its coast can also be found. In the olden days, Chinese junks and pirate vessels often exchanged cannon fire around this island, and the remains of these battles lie scattered around the seabed.
There are facilities for scuba diving, snorkelling, windsurfing, sailing and angling. Visitors can go for a hike through the jungle leading to unspoilt mangrove swamps or visit the kelong, or jetty, where anchovies are caught. Alternatively, head for the kampong, or village, to get a first-hand look at how coconuts are smoked to make copra.
How to get there
You can catch a boat ride to Sibu Island from Tanjung Leman jetty, south of Mersing. From Mersing town, travel south along the Mersing – Kota Tinggi (Highway 3) trunk road for about 44km and turn left. The road passes through an oil palm plantation, and is narrow and winding in certain parts. From Johor Bahru, head for Kota Tinggi town. From Kota Tinggi town, travel north on the Kota Tinggi – Mersing trunk road (Highway 3) for 48km and turn right to the same junction mentioned above. Pulau Sibu is about 20 minutes’ boat ride from Tanjung Leman.
If you are coming by plane you can either fly to
Senai Airport, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Private vehicle hire (up to 10 passengers) to Tanjong Leman: RM300
Travel Time: 2 hours
Changi Airport, Singapore.
Private vehicle hire (up to 10 passengers) to Tanjong Leman: RM400
Travel Time: 3 hours
Pulau Sibu – activities
Diving
There are approximately 30 dive sites dotted around areas that include Sibu Besar, Sibu Tengah and Pulau Tinggi. The dive sites have a general depth of 15m – 18m but on average visibility is about 10m as according to Linda, the owner of Sea Gypsy Village Resort.
One of the best sites here is Dolly Parton named so for obvious reasons. It was a 20- 25minute speed boat ride to the dive site and a 50minute dive. Upon descending, we found the current pretty strong preventing my dive master, Dave and I from circumnavigating Rock A. That suited me fine as being confined to a smaller area allowed me more time spent on looking into nooks and crannies for interesting lifeforms. Currents normally occur a couple of days before and a couple of days after the full moon – so if you’re not too sure about diving in currents, plan your trips accordingly.
Snorkelling
The best snorkelling area on Pulau Sibu Besar is on the stretch at Rimba Resort. The other area for snorkellers is at Pulau Sibu Kukus.
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malaysia looks nice I hope to visit there
Yes Malaysia is a wonderful place to visit, especially those white sand beached island!
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