Life is truly colourful with all the sea activities in Pulau Payar Marine Park. The marine park, comprising four uninhabited islands of Payar, Lembu, Kaca and Segantang, makes up Malaysia’s oldest marine park sanctuary. These islands, famous for the varied and colorful marine life that they support, offer the best diving site on Peninsular Malaysia’s west coast. Access is not a problem as speedboats and catamarans ply the route on a regular basis from Langkawi and Penang.

Step into the underwater observation chamber to view the marine life surrounding a reef. Get closer and watch the swirl of fishes that make these corals their home. Grab a mask, a snorkel and fins and join the spectacle. Go scuba diving as this is the best diving is along the reef system that skirts the south, east and west of Pulau Payar.

This well-preserved, uninhabited marine park extends over a number of islands, with Pulau Payar being the largest. Your base out here is the floating platform moored off Pulau Payar. But the real attraction of this platform lies below sea level.

The waters of Pulau Payar have an additional attraction — artificial reefs built from tyres, concrete blocks and old boats, which over the years developed into mature reefs that are teeming with marine life.