PULAU PERHENTIAN, Oct 2 — The pontoon floats on crystal clear waters that shimmer under the morning sun. It’s an inviting aqua-green pool, except for a large cluster of brown right underneath and around the wooden platform.

Bubbles' guests tend to come back time and again, and it's easy to see why.

From the beach looking sea-ward, it looks as if a prominent patch of the sandy bed is showing through but looking down from the bobbing planks, I am immediately enthralled. The thick dark patch is not static but a swirling whirlpool of anchovy-like fishes, swimming round and round.

Baby reef sharks circle the tiny fishes, hoping for a bite.

Every now and then, small circles of droplets rain across the surface of the water while the crocodile needlefish, which looks like barracuda, puts on a show making quick jumps from one spot to another. The real stars though, are the baby reef sharks, which are most easily spotted in the mornings as they encircle the tiny fish to prey on them.

Bubbles Dive Resort was established in 2010 in a pristine cove on the southern tip of Perhentian Besar.

That’s just an indication of the rich diversity found at this quiet bay in the southern tip of Perhentian Besar island, off the coast of Terengganu, and the home of Bubbles Dive Resort. The reef sharks have become an attraction of their own; several times a day, speedboats bring tourists from the other islands for quick photo opportunities.

The shoal of tiny fish that swim around the pontoon is visible even from a distance.

"You’ll see boats stop by the pontoon, and people whipping out their Go Pro cameras to dip them into the waters for a shot. Sometimes, they jump in for a quick swim too,” says Hwang Pei See, the Marketing Manager of Bubbles, and adds with a laugh: "I should start charging for it!”

Her title may be such but Pei See does more than just sell the resort that she has been a part of since it was established in 2010. Her husband, Ronnie Ng, co-owns Bubbles with fellow dive instructor Gan Sian Ban and a silent partner, Eric Ng. A certified dive instructor herself, Pei See oversees the overall running of Bubbles.

A green turtle nesting on the beach at Bubbles Dive Resort.

Between March and mid-October, the resort draws a steady flow of divers fulfilling their cravings for compressed air. During that time, a different set of visitors make their appearance felt too: green turtles, who land on the beach fronting Bubbles to lay their eggs, usually from April to August but can keep coming in the months after.

"This beach has long been a turtle landing and nesting site, although we didn’t know that when we first arrived here. We woke up one morning and saw that the beach looked as if it had been bulldozed the night before — there were marks all over,” Pei See recalls. "Then we realised they were turtle tracks. We stayed up at night to spot them, and we saw a LOT of them!”

This wooden chalet serves as the Turtle Conservation Centre at Bubbles.

More than just a turtle watch spot, they wanted it to become a place where man and animal can co-exist in harmony and so Bubbles established their own Turtle Conservation Centre, the only one in the Perhentian islands. Facing the pontoon is the hatchery, where nests of turtle eggs are incubated and once hatched, are released into the sea. Every important data is dutifully collected and everything is done under careful supervision.

Turtle eggs incubating in the hatchery.

The centre runs a volunteer programme that’s open to the public, and hosts student groups from all parts of the world. Guests of the resort can attend a turtle talk on selected nights and have the opportunity to participate in the conservation efforts as well.

Hang this sign on your door if you want to witness turtle landings or the hatchlings' release.

In every room, you’ll find a turtle-shaped sign that says "Yes” on one side and "No” on the other. If you hang the "Yes” side on your door, volunteers will come knocking on your door when the eggs hatch and the hatchlings are ready to be released, so you have a chance to witness the event.

The centre pretty much runs like clockwork now, but it wasn’t always that way. "I knew very little about turtles so I wrote to everyone I could think of who did. No one responded,” Pei See recalls.

Frustrated but not one to give up, she focused on doing what she could — keep an eye out on the nests, keep the eggs safe, and collect as much data as she could.

East Coast sun, sand and sea at its finest.

That was when she initiated the volunteer programme, which attracted a lot of gap year travellers, whose main task was to collate any information they could think of — even details like how high the moon was in the sky!

Over the years, Pei See has also devised unique methodologies to troubleshoot problems. Among others, she "hacked” an incubation technique using Styrofoam boxes, and found that sprinkling urine around the nest keeps monitor lizards away.

As part of their turtle conservation efforts, no white lights are allowed on the beach area after 7pm.

The resort has also put other turtle-friendly measures in place, such as not allowing any white lights around the beach area after 7pm, as that can confuse the turtles. At the Thirsty Turtle, Bubbles’ sole restaurant, white lights are turned off and replaced by red lights every evening. "Red lights don’t penetrate the waters as much as white lights and so are a lot less intrusive,” explains Thomas Horsell, the centre’s resident zoologist who came on board three years ago.

Only red lights are allowed on the beach at night as they are the least intrusive to the turtles.

A zoology graduate who started off his career as a real estate agent in London’s Mayfair, Thomas has continued to improve the centre’s conservation efforts, including building relationships with local authorities such as the Department of Fisheries. Previously, the centre was allowed to keep only 20 eggs per nest but now, they get to keep an entire nest per night.

Obviously, the centre is doing something right, as evidenced by the number of turtle landings tripling in the last few years. "On average, we get three landings a night during the peak of turtle season. One night, we had 17!” says Pei See. "If you stay at Bubbles for three nights, you will definitely see either a turtle landing or hatchlings’ release,” says Thomas.

The hatchlings are released at night and resort guests can choose to witness it.

The volunteer and students’ programmes are growing just as steadily, with the latter attracting schools from the UK, Australia, South Africa and Dubai. Thomas hopes to get more local schools and young children involved. "I feel that this has more impact on kids and their future, as this experience will shape their views on conservation.”

Kuala Lumpur-based Anna Huggel, 11, is a prime example. She first visited Bubbles with her family two years ago and developed such a passion for the turtles that she has initiated fundraising activities, besides donating her ang pow money to the cause. So much so, Thomas refers to Anna as the centre’s ambassador.

Kids always have a swinging good time at Bubbles.

Children are another focus at Bubbles, which is very much a family-oriented resort where parents can relax or head out for a dive, while their young ones play freely on the resort grounds. Those below the age of five stay for free, and a Kids’ Club is available upon request.

Kai Ann getting her turn on the tyre swing (left). Pei See’s children are home-schooled on the island by a private tutor (right).

Pei See admits that she positioned Bubbles as a family getaway "for selfish reasons”: so that her two children, Kai Jin and Kai Ann, would always have company.

At Bubbles, the children are never without company and entertainment.

It’s worked out as she had hoped, and better. Like the turtles that land here each year to nest, the families who visit Bubbles tend to come back again and again. Ilse Leyssen and Brian Aue were the resort’s first guests and are still among their most loyal. They travel all the way from the Netherlands each year and stay for weeks with their daughters Zoe, Tess and Kaia.

The resort’s only restaurant, Thirsty Turtle, serves a variety of drinks including milk kefir smoothies.

A ‘no messaging’ sign at the restaurant reminds guests to tuck their phones away while dining.

"There’s just something about this place... I dive practically every day when I’m here and I’d say that Perhentian’s diversity has remained as rich over the years,” says Ilse. "I love bringing the kids here because it’s so safe for them — the staff know them and look out for them, and there’s always a fellow parent around to help keep an eye on all the children. The shore is also generally calm, so even if the kids happen to wander into the water, there is no immediate danger.”

Rent a snorkel and get up close with Perhentian’s marine diversity.

Divers getting ready to hit the water.

Adeline Ee, a full-time mother from Kuala Lumpur, agrees. Since coming to Bubbles to get her open water diving certification together with her daughter, she has visited twice more. "As the resort is not big, the amenities are located close to each other so parents can chill in one corner while their children play nearby. The staff is very personable, so it’s easy to establish trust and build a bond with them. That’s why people keep coming back.”

As Pei See observes, "Usually, on the first day, parents are on the edge and keep a keen eye on their kids. By day two, the parents will be sleeping in while their kids walk out on their own to get food!”

Seek respite in the serenity that Bubbles affords between March and October each year.

If you’re looking for a last-minute family holiday or simply feel the need for a good dose of East Coast sun, sea and sand along with the chance to contribute to turtle conservation efforts, you still have a small window of time to visit Bubbles Dive Resort before they close for the monsoon season this October 15. Otherwise, there’s always next year (they re-open every March 1) and more green turtles to look forward to.

Bubbles Dive Resort Tanjung Tukas Pulau Perhentian Besar http://bubblesdc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/bubblesdc/

Vivian Chong is a freelance writer-editor with a penchant for travel. Follow her adventures at http://thisbunnyhops.com/