April 12, 2026
Day 3 started with a trip out to see Manta Ray. Sure enough we saw one in the first few minutes. The only thing disappointing was the amount of trash in the water here - plastic everything. The guides clean up what they can, but it appears to be a losing battle. SO SAD!
Next we had our morning tea and cake break at a Homestay island in the area. There are several of these primitive camps on the small islands. Long, open, wooden, outboard motor boats pick up Homestay guest for excursions they may want to do.
We snorkled in the morning, then Bosco and I had our check out dive with the Dive Master, in the afternoon. It was great to dive again!
Today, I braved the heat ( it's a blazing 84) to walk around a little bit and get the feel for life on Tioman Island, Malaysia . The Village of Tekek is where we tender to and this is where the Ferry , the Island's National Secondary School, Health Clinic and Airport (really just a strip) are located. The most notable feature is the Rainbow Bridge over the inlet.
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)