wreck

Log This Dive

TJAHAJA BULAN

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.