Life Between Fishing Trips.
There are certain places in life that you keep returning to, and somehow, they never seem to lose their charm. Tioman Island is one of those places for me.
I had a rare opportunity to spend seven days on what would become one of my latest long fishing expeditions in Tioman. It had been quite some time since my last extended expedition. I think the previous one was before COVID, when I spent 14 days travelling across Malaysia, exploring everything from freshwater to saltwater fishing. That trip was memorable, but this time was something different.
Six of those days were on Tioman Island. My fourth visit to this beautiful island, yet somehow, there was still so much left to discover. Slow living on an island, even temporarily, has always been one of my dreams. There is something fascinating about stepping away from the usual routine, leaving behind the familiar surroundings of the city, and allowing yourself to experience a completely different pace of life.
Of course, this wasn't exactly a holiday where I could simply sit back and relax. Most of the days were spent fishing, travelling out to sea, and returning back to the island. There were moments when I was physically exhausted, but those were also the moments that made the experience worthwhile.
Tioman Island Sailfish Expedition: Part 1 — The First Three Days
The Myth Behind Tioman Island
Beyond its magnificent landscape, Tioman Island is surrounded by fascinating folklore. One of the most captivating is the legend of Naga Pulau Tioman, which tells the story of a female dragon travelling across the South China Sea. Mesmerised by the crystal-clear waters and natural beauty, she decided to rest and transformed herself into an island, offering shelter to passing sailors. From above, Tioman is said to resemble a dragon resting on the sea, while its famous twin peaks, Gunung Semukut, are believed to represent the dragon's horns.
There are also alternative theories about the origins of the name Tioman. One suggests it comes from the combination of "Tiong", referring to the myna bird, and "Man", an old term believed to mean place, essentially, the place of myna birds. Another historical reference can be found in older Chinese maritime records, including the Mao Kun nautical chart published in the Wubeizhi in the 1620s, which marks the island as Zhuma Shan. Arab sailors knew it by another name altogether, Tiyumah.
Whether shaped by a mythical dragon, named after birds, or known to ancient sailors navigating the South China Sea, Tioman carries a fascinating identity beyond its natural beauty. Perhaps that's what makes returning to this island so special, there's always another story waiting to be discovered.
Getting to Tioman
Getting to Tioman itself is already part of the adventure.
From Kuala Lumpur, the usual journey involves travelling towards Mersing or Tanjung Gemok, where you can catch a ferry across to the island. The ferry schedules and ticket prices can vary, depending on the season and departure point. It is not exactly the cheapest journey for travellers, especially when you factor in the additional travelling time from the mainland.
But once you are out there, crossing the South China Sea and slowly approaching the island, you begin to understand why people make the journey. On one of our fishing days, we had our setup ready and headed out into the sea before eventually making our way back to the island for the night.
My first impression, once again, was how incredibly massive Tioman Island actually is. Its geographical structure is magnificent. The island rises dramatically out of the sea, with its mountainous landscape forming a striking silhouette that can be seen from miles away. On a clear day, you can appreciate its sheer scale even from a considerable distance.
It is one of those natural landscapes that photographs don't always do justice.
Our little home on the island
During our stay, we settled at RN Global House.
It was a fairly straightforward accommodation, nothing overly extravagant, but it served its purpose perfectly. Berjaya Tioman Resort would probably be the fancier alternative, while the rest of the island has plenty of family-owned and locally operated chalets scattered along its coastline.
We parked our boat at Tioman Island Marina, and thankfully, our accommodation was within walking distance. By the time we arrived, it was already around 6 PM. There was something about the atmosphere that immediately gave us that island feeling. It was a weekday, and there weren't many people around. Everything felt quieter, almost as if we had a little corner of the island to ourselves.
For the first three days, however, we barely had time to appreciate any of it. Our schedule was quite hectic. We were constantly heading out for fishing expeditions, returning to shore, finding somewhere to eat and preparing for the next outing. We tried a few different restaurants around the area, but most of the time, our focus was still on the expedition.
Then Thursday came along.
We finally had a day to ourselves.
A much-needed break from fishing, a chance to rest our bodies and, more importantly, an opportunity to explore Tioman Island beyond the usual places we had been visiting.
Exploring Kampung Tekek to Berjaya Tioman Resort on two wheels
Thursday was probably one of the highlights of the entire trip. Shafiq managed to arrange two motorcycles for us, which gave us the freedom to explore the island at our own pace. Our destination was Kampung Tekek, the largest village on Tioman Island and one of its main settlements. It had been a while since I last rode a motorcycle. I don't regularly ride one, but thankfully, the bikes available were relatively modest in power.
Of course, safety should always come first, and riding responsibly is important, especially when exploring unfamiliar roads. We started our morning by heading north from our hotel, cruising along the coastal roads towards Kampung Tekek.
The scenery was beautiful.
Clear blue skies, a blazing tropical sun, the ocean stretching alongside the road, and hardly any traffic to interrupt the journey. It was incredibly hot, though. The kind of heat that reminds you that you're genuinely somewhere in the tropics.
But that was part of the experience.
There is a different kind of satisfaction in exploring a place on two wheels. You get to notice the little things, stop whenever something catches your attention, and appreciate the surroundings in a way that you probably wouldn't from inside a car. I get it now why people love their ride tours, you could stop at any point, savour the moment and move along. Almost thought of buying a bike when I get back haha.
One of the more interesting discoveries was the airstrip on the island. Berjaya Air once flew scheduled services here, until around 2014, and today the short runway mostly handles charter and private flights. Seeing the runway still there was fascinating. It was another reminder that Tioman has a history beyond tourism and fishing, with its own infrastructure, transportation links and stories of human settlement.
There are layers of history on this island that you might easily overlook if you only come here for a beach holiday.
By around noon, we crossed the main jetty area.
There were quite a number of people around, many of them arriving by boat or waiting to board their next ferry. It was a completely different atmosphere compared with the quieter surroundings we had experienced earlier in the morning.
It was nice to see the island coming alive.
Exploring the Other Side of Tioman
The ride between one point and another wasn't particularly long. In fact, most journeys took less than 15 minutes, which made exploring the island by motorcycle quite convenient. After spending some time around Kampung Tekek, we eventually made our way back towards Berjaya Tioman Resort. The route was slightly more challenging, with an elevated road and, believe it or not, there is an extremely narrow road leading towards Kampung Juara on the other side of the island. It looked a little too risky for us to attempt, especially since we weren't familiar with the terrain. What we didn't realise was that there were actually pickup trucks offering transport between Tekek and Juara!
By lunchtime, we stopped to grab something to eat. One thing I noticed throughout our conversations with the locals was how friendly and welcoming everyone was. We were always curious about what it was like to live on an island like Tioman, and one topic that kept coming up was the cost of food. Eating out here was noticeably more expensive than on the mainland. I'm not entirely sure whether this was the usual tourist pricing, but considering how much effort and expense goes into transporting supplies from the mainland, it was understandable. Despite that, the food was good, and after lunch, we returned to our hotel to escape the afternoon heat. By then, we felt we had already covered quite a bit of the island, so there wasn't much reason to keep riding under the scorching sun.
Later in the evening, after 5 PM, we headed out again, this time towards Panuba and the quieter parts of the island. Riding through Kampung Tekek was relatively straightforward, although some sections of the road were quite narrow and challenging. The atmosphere in Panuba felt noticeably different from Tekek. If Tekek was the island's main town, with most of its residents, banks, clinics and essential services, Panuba had a much quieter village atmosphere, with chalets, dive centres and tourism operators scattered around. We stopped by for a quick drink and chat before continuing on our exploration.
What I enjoyed most, however, wasn't necessarily the scenery but watching everyday island life unfold. Along the way, we spotted groups of villagers spending their afternoons together, including a group of women playing netball by the beach and children running around enjoying a community activity. There was something genuinely heartwarming about watching people who seemed to know one another, sharing the same space without much fuss. Some were playing sports, others were chatting or simply enjoying the sea breeze. It reminded me that for the people living here, the beach isn't just a tourist attraction. It's part of their everyday life, a place to unwind after a long day working in the tourism industry, diving, fishing or running their businesses. And honestly, watching those simple moments unfold was probably one of the most relaxing and memorable parts of our island exploration.
Until We Meet Again, Tioman
Looking back, that final motorcycle ride was probably the perfect way to end a day well spent. It had been a while since I last rode a bike, and somehow this little adventure reminded me how much I enjoyed it. Perhaps one day, I might even get myself a motorcycle and explore more places on my own. It's a small thought, but experiences like this have a way of planting new ideas and giving you something to look forward to.
There is also something about this trip that has given me a renewed sense of purpose. Last year, I made the decision to step away from fishing, but somehow, life brought me back to the water. This expedition reminded me why I started in the first place. It has encouraged me to keep going. And hopefully, I'll find my way back to Tioman again. Maybe in another year, maybe five, or even ten years from now. Who knows where life will take me by then?
For now, I'm grateful for these seven days, the people I shared them with, the experiences along the way and the little memories that will stay with me. Perhaps when I look back at this journal ten years from now, I'll understand just how meaningful this chapter was. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and follow along. Your support has always meant a great deal to me and continues to keep these stories alive. This isn't the end of the journey. There's still plenty more to come, so stay tuned for the next expedition report!
