Tioman Island, Malaysia: Marine Conservation Program

Tioman Island, Pahang, Juara Turtle Project, Tanjung Gemok Jetty, Mersing Jetty, Marine Park

I have visit Tioman Island for the first time in 2013. Well maybe this is the major throwback, but I hope this might be help for anyone who planned to visit Tioman Island too. Actually it was university volunteerism program under Marina Club and Faculty of Marine and Maritime Studies (now known as School of Marine Science and Environments) University Malaysia Terengganu. Back then, I was the Program Director of Baktisiswa Ecomarin Pulau Tioman 2013. The main objectives of the event were to spread the awareness through the young generation as well as to prepare us to marine conversations activities.

22 June 2013

I will share few events and place that we have visit during the program. We arrive at Mersing Jetty around 7am after 9 hours travel from Kuala Terengganu. After breakfast we catch the ferry at 9.00am and arrive around 11.00am (if I’m not mistaken). We stay in the SMK Tekek hostel. 

Nature Exploration: Tioman Island Marine Park

The first things we do there was we visit Marine Park area. Marine Park Office was located at the north area of Tioman Island. As another island in Malaysia, Tioman Island was gazetted as Malaysia Marine Park in 1994 under Fisheries Act 985 and it is protected area was around 2 nautical miles from the island itself. Tioman Island was one of 42 of Marine Park that involved 32 island in Malaysia. Meanwhile, in Pahang there about 9 Marine Park and of course Tioman Island was one of them. Tioman archipelago was build up by 3 coral island consist of Renggis Island, Tumok Island and Soyak Island. 

Movie Night: Under he sea

We start the video around 9.30pm in SMK Tekek halls and were hosted by Ubai and Dayah. Actually most of the video was the idea to initiates students perspective on marine flora fauna and how their ecosystems related and affect us, human. Before we closed our session, we open to question and answer on what they think about the movie.

23 June 2013

Marine Education Program

The program was to educate and give awareness on marine habitats. Our audience includes students of SMK Tekek from Form 1, Form 2 as well as Form 4. The activities have been done by separated session which begun with video presentation and importance of ocean quiz. After that students were move to poster sessions before end up with ocean biodiversity game. All of us are very welcome by the students and what the exiting was our program also interact locals and staff from Marine Park.

Marine Park Conservation: Beach Clean Up

We start clean up session in the late afternoon, even its quite hot, but we managed to clean Tekek beach for almost 1000 meters away. Most of the debris usually was wash away from the mainland including Malaysia and from the country that associated in South China Sea area. Debris, for example plastic bottles, bottle caps, glass, domestic waste was differentiated based on their type before disposed.

Jungle Trekking to Kampung Juara  and Visiting Juara Turtle Projects

The trek from Kampung Tekek to Kampung Juara takes one one hour and half by walk with 7 kilometers far. Kampung Juara was located in east site of Tioman Island and can be access by road, trekking as well as by water. As the village was facing to the open ocean of south China Sea, the vie was amazing, we enjoyed with clean peaceful village, long wide and white sandy beach. Hmm if you are looking for the beautiful village environment, yes Kampung Juara was the place.

On the right side of the village, there was Juara Turtle Project which is the NGO that work on sea turtle conservation. we have welcome by Charlie and he had explained on what the they do here. Charlie and another staff, Sofia (She was our one year old seniors and now have her intenships program here) bring us to looking forward in this conservation site. there was a Turtle Gallery with lots of turtle information that landed in this area, we also visit the Turtle Hatchery where basically turtle egg was incubated here.

In a pool, there was a John (if I am not mistaken its name), John was a Green turtle where they found wounded and swim around the beach near the site. They found John was blind, after a while they put John in quarantine and free its after its fully recovered from its wound. Unfortunately, they saw John particularly swim in circle and difficult to find its foods. Then they decide to keep care of John in the pool. For foods, as John blind, they have to feed it by their own.

Juara Turtle Project accept any volunteer or intern students to join their program. feels free to visit their website here:

Juara Turtle Project

On the way back to to Kampung Tekek, we managed to stop at the waterfall and have some bath. we also found scorpion, large centipede, few moss that glow in the dark and the largest flowers in the world, Rafflesia on the way back.

24 June 2013

Our last day here, after closing ceremony, we start to packing our staff and move to jetty.

I was very glad and appreciated for each volunteer, course-mate, and of course my committee member that have brings this program to be succeed. Thank you also to supporter, Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar 2013/14, Pusat Pembangunan Hal Ehwal Pelajar UMT, SMK Tekek, Jabatan Taman Laut Malaysia, Juara Turtle Project and of course our sponsors, OPL Marine Services Sdn Bhd and Arus Dermaga Sdn. Bhd.