I have been busy researching the history of Pulau Tioman for the Bluesails Sportfishing Blog, and except for the minor irritation of a race horse named (of all things) "Pulau Tioman” in the 1980's that played havoc with my keyword searches, it was great fun and extremely interesting. So, following are a few of the more fascinating (and lesser known) facts about Pulau Tioman, an unspoilt island paradise in the South China Sea that in my opinion is a perfect setting for your ow

Ah, who can forget actress Mitzi Gaynor working up a lather while singing "I'm gonna wash that man right outta my hair” in that famous scene from the 1958 Hollywood movie 'South Pacific''? The movie was based on the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name (that was in turn, based on a book by James A. Michener entitled Tales of the South Pacific) and tells the tale of an American nurse played by Mitzi, stationed in the South Pacific during World War II who falls

It was Mahi Madness in Tioman waters over the weekend during the maiden voyage of our brand new 40ft boat. From livies to lures– the Mahi were chompin'! The Malay name for Mahi-Mahi is "belitong" but in other parts of the world, Mahi-Mahi are known as Dorado, meaning gold in Spanish, lampuka (lampuki, plural) in the Maltese language in the Meditteranean, or else simply Dolphin Fish... even though these fish are completely unrelated to cute Dolphins of the "Flipper" variety. M

I often get guys asking me, what does a FAD look like, how do you construct one & how does it work? Definitions first. FAD stands for Fish Aggregating / Attracting Device & refers to any man-made object used to attract fish in open water. Basically, an FAD is like an artificial reef where bait-fish congregate and in turn, attract larger fish from further up the food-chain. They are used by both recreational and commercial fisheries. I have attached a photo of a typical Malays

Standing on the jetty, gazing down admiringly at the new boat (cruising speed 23kn, according to Capt. Mike Tan, with a safe maximum speed of 27kn, clean and spacious and with the latest Lowrance fish-finder and GPS perched at the wheel, and powerful brand new Yamaha four-stroke twin outboard motors with 150 hp growling at the stern), I experienced a sudden flashback to the last time I stepped onto a local Malaysian fishing boat. We had hired one of the boats moored at Tanjon