TJAHAJA BULAN - Tioman Island
Tjhahaja Bulan, pronounced "Cha-ha-ya Boo-lan," is one of our favourite deep wrecks off Tioman, and it’s always a good call for a second dive when you’ve had enough of the shallow reefs. She went down in 1973, taking on water in a storm, and settled upright at 42 metres. We love that you can still feel the history here – imagining those nine crew members being rescued as she slipped beneath the waves. It’s a proper penetration dive if you’re qualified, with plenty of entry points into the holds and engine room. Inside, the light plays through gaps in the hull, illuminating schools of batfish that hang in the gloom. Outside, giant groupers often lurk in the shadows, and we’ve seen marble rays cruising over the sand nearby. The deck is carpeted in soft corals, purple and orange, with nudibranchs inching their way across the rusty plates. It’s a dive for advanced divers, obviously, but the rewards are considerable, especially if you catch it on a calm day with good visibility.
- Location
- Tioman Island, Malaysia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 2.000000, 104.633330
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 42m
Best Time to Dive in Tioman Island
The warmest water temperatures in Tioman Island occur in May, averaging 30.7°C. The coolest conditions are in January at 28.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.2°C
- February: 28.3°C
- March: 29.1°C
- April: 30.6°C
- May: 30.7°C
- June: 29.9°C
- July: 29.7°C
- August: 29.5°C
- September: 29.6°C
- October: 30.3°C
- November: 30.0°C
- December: 28.7°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Tioman Island
- ANN TONG - 4m (wreck)
- Bahai - 15m
- Bahara Rocks
- Bali Hai Divers House Reef (reef)
- Bamboo SeaSport - 5-18m (reef)
- Batu Katoaka (reef)
- Batu Mumbang - 16m
- Berlabuh - 20m
- B&J
- Blue Heaven Divers
- Bugis - 19m
- Bunker (reef)
- Captain point
- Coral Garden (reef)
- Courier (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to TJAHAJA BULAN
Marine Life in Tioman Island
Home to 118 recorded species including 75 reef fish, 15 hard corals, 8 sharks & rays, 7 seagrass & algae, 5 sea cucumbers, 3 other.
Notable Species
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- Species code: Si (Syringodium isoetifolium) - Seagrass & Algae
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Jack (Selar crumenophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Species code: Hp (Halodule pinifolia) - Seagrass & Algae
- Yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Forest Halfbeak (Hemirhamphodon pogonognathus) - Reef Fish
- Blackstripe coris (Coris pictoides) - Reef Fish
- Rock Cod (Cephalopholis boenak) - Reef Fish
- Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) - Sharks & Rays
- Curryfish (Stichopus vastus) - Sea Cucumbers
- Star Blaasop (Arothron stellatus) - Reef Fish
- Indian Scad (Decapterus russelli) - Reef Fish
- Greenfish (Stichopus chloronotus) - Sea Cucumbers
- Redspine Threadfin Bream (Nemipterus nemurus) - Reef Fish
- cowry (Monetaria moneta) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
Recommended Packing List for TJAHAJA BULAN
Based on average water temperature of 29.6°C, currents 20 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories