Perfect pairing: Combine city and coast to experience the true magic of Malaysia

We’re happily bobbing in the waves, surveying the vast playground of cerulean waters spilling out in every direction, when the alert comes: “Shark!” Instead of the frantic scramble you’d imagine would naturally follow, we respond with excited gasps, quickly securing our snorkels before dunking our heads eagerly beneath the surface.

Sure enough, we’re not alone. Not one but three baby black-tipped reef sharks are darting around playfully just a metre away, looking more like bath toys compared to the Jaws-esque creature that usually comes to mind when imagining these apex predators.

We’re a few miles off the east coast of Malaysia, exploring the waters surrounding tiny Tenggol Island at a dive site fittingly named Amazing Grace. With shoals of iridescent fish racing past, silhouetted against a carpet of coral, and no fellow snorkellers in sight, a sense of peace descends upon the deserted lagoon – a feeling I’ll grow to be fond of over the coming week spent traversing this bewitching country. Suddenly, ‘amazing’ doesn’t quite do it justice.