Tioman was once rated one of the
Top 10 Most Beautiful Island in the World by none other than Time Magazine. And to ensure that the island's dazzling natural beauty stays up to par, The Malaysian government has gazetted the area as a marine park. It's this protected status, as well as Tioman's relative accessibility that has lent the island its reputation as the paradise getaway of choice for
island-hoppers, sun-worshippers, snorkelers and, of course,
scuba-divers and underwater photography enthusiasts from around the world.
An inquisitive Moray eel checks
out the camera
Tioman is a fantastic destination for underwater photography, because most its renown off-shore dive locations offer an abundance of both wide-angle subjects as well as macro subjects. The various hard-coral and soft-coral peppered reef sites combine into a veritable kaleidoscope of colours that you'll find almost impossible not to immortalize.
Tioman's waters are brimming with cuttlefish
Schools of fish, as well as turtles, rays and even sea snakes, cuttlefish reef sharks and dolphins are frequently spotted. And as Tioman is located along the migration path of whale sharks, you may well hit paydirt and go home with a camera containing countless shots of this magnificent creature.
Exactly what species are you likely to encounter in Tioman? Apart from schooling varieties like glassfish, damselfish, rabbitfish, wrasses and parrotfish, you'll also come across solitary species, such as scorpionfish, triggerfish, porcupinefish, pufferfish and boxfish. And even napoleon wrasse and barramundi cod make occasional appearances here.
A shrimp that's anything but understated
Macro aficionados can expect to see photogenic shrimp species of all shapes, colours and sizes, nudibranchs of sheer unimaginable hues, as well as various kinds of molluscs. But many other creatures, buried in the sediment or hiding in the reefs' countless nooks and crannies, await divers. Patience is a virtue at the bottom of the sea too.
It's not for nothing that Tioman's main claim to fame is said to be the immense variety of species the island offers, both marine and terrestrial. And scientific expeditions are uncovering completely new species even today. So bring your biggest memory card, because in all likelihood, you'll be needing it.
PADI Underwater Photography Course
Are you keen to quickly pick up underwater photography? Then take a gander at our
Digital Underwater Photographer course. This course gets you going quickly with today's modern digital equipment. Then again, if traditional photography is more your thing, then the
Underwater Photographer course is more suitable for you, as it's designed for conventional film equipment.
Both courses, Digital Underwater Photographer and Underwater Photographer, are fully governed by PADI and include two separate dives. When you're done, you'll have all technical aspects of underwater photography down pat, after which you can post your pro underwater pictures on your blog for instance. What better way to relive your awesome Tioman discovery?
One of Tioman's countless bottom dwellers
Note: All major dive centres provide freshwater containers for rinsing your cameras and other electronic underwater equipment upon completion of the dives.
For more details on taking the Underwater Photography course or on Tioman underwater photography in general, use below form.
