Pulau Aur

Aur sits about sixty-five kilometres off Mersing, which puts it three to four hours away by boat and well outside day-trip range, and that distance is the reason its water is clearer and its coral in better condition than the islands closer in. It is two hilly islands - Aur and Dayang - with a channel between them, plus the rock stacks of Lang and Pinang, and the dive sites are around those: walls, boulder fields, soft coral, and the wreck sites offshore, with visibility that can reach twenty-five metres in the good months. There are two villages and a handful of chalet operations run mostly for divers, no roads to speak of, and limited electricity hours. Boats are chartered rather than scheduled, so trips are organised as packages and the crossing can be rough.

What you actually see

• The clearest water of the group - visibility to twenty-five metres in season.
• Aur and Dayang - two hilly islands with a channel and rock stacks off them.
• Wall and boulder diving - soft coral and reef around the outer rocks.
• Two small villages - basic chalets, no roads, limited electricity.

When to go

April to September. Three days minimum, given the crossing.

Honest expectations

Three to four hours each way and the sea is often rough - not for the seasick. Trips are packages, not scheduled ferries. Facilities are basic with limited power. Fully closed during the monsoon.

Nearby

Pemanggil is the next island in; Mersing is the mainland port.