Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on January 13, 2024
Emerald Cove is a pretty natural cove located on the private island of Pangkor Laut, about 200 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur. Despite not always optimal underwater visibility and coral-poor bottoms, you can see at Emerald Cove an interesting diversity of invertebrates and reef fish.
Emerald Cove is located on Pangkor Laut, a small private island neighboring Pangkor Island. The island is entirely owned by the Pangkor Laut Resort, a high-end resort. You will need to stay at the resort to access the snorkeling spot.
Emerald Cove Beach is the main snorkeling spot on the island. Located on the west coast of Pangkor Laut, it can be accessed on foot or by a free shuttle run by the resort.
Emerald Cove is a quiet and relatively sheltered beach. We get into the water directly from the sandy beach.
It is along the rocks, on both sides of the bay, that the best snorkeling is found. In these areas, the seabed features boulders and rock scree, on which some corals have grown.
You’ll notice in particular branching corals, finger coral, massive porous coral, but also some barrel sponges. Mushroom corals are sometimes spotted on the seabed.
The rocky areas attract gobies and blennies of all kinds. While most, imitating the color of the rocks, have fairly dull coats, the Smith’s blenny (Meiacanthus smithi) is particularly elegant.
The Moorish Idol, the eight-banded butterflyfish, and the streaked spinefoot are easy to see all over the reef. More occasionally, you will encounter longfin batfish, barred soapfish, or the uncommon bluelined hind.
Visibility on this spot is not optimal because there is often sand and suspended particles.
Emerald Cove generally does not experience currents but waves can form at times.
This spot is located within the Pangkor Laut Resort, which has several restaurants.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
