Exploring Malaysia 
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Pulau Aur, known locally as Aur Island, lies about 65 km east of Mersing, Johor, Malaysia. It is part of the Johor Marine Park. Its corals, lagoons and offshore pools make it a tourist attraction. It has for many years also always been a frequent stopover point for fishermen.
There is also a smaller island close by, Pulau Dayang. Both islands are home to Singaporean diving companies, divers reach the island by chartered boats from Mersing or Singapore.
Offshore, 65km east of Mersing, Pulau Aur, and the three smaller islands of Pulau Dayang, Pulau Lang and Pulau Pinang, together with Pulau Pemanggil which is 15km northwest of Pulau Aur, make up the rest of the Johor Marine Park. Most of the rocky islands are well forested and have isolated coconut plantations. With deep, clear water, healthy corals and regular encounters with large pelagic species, these islands have the potential to become international diving locations.
Several underwater Pinnacles on the east side of Pulau Aur rise 30m from the sea floor to within 10m of the surface with good hard coral growth including undamaged table corals (Acropora Sp.). 'Rayner's Rock' northeast of Pulau Dayang, is a similar 33m high, submerged rock where there are impressive Boulder Corals (Porites Sp.), Whale Sharks have been seen and delightful encounters with large Manta Rays (Manta birostris) are common.
It is surprising to see extraordinarily large numbers of juvenile fish this far offshore, many are so different in shape and markings from their adults that they can be mistaken for different species.
When fish are ready to breed, many strategies have evolved to ensure that only the strongest males and females mate. In some species, the presence of Alpha (larger) females prevent smaller fish becoming females. With many other species males fight to establish domination. With so many fish of similar shapes living in close proximity on crowded reefs it would be a waste of energy if adults picked unnecessary fights with juveniles. One way to avoid this happening is for juveniles to be a completely different colour, pattern or shape from mature adults.
Getting There
There are boats to the island from Mersing jetty or Sedili. The long boat journey takes about 4.5 hours, and most operators opt to depart in the late evening, travelling through the night to arrive the next morning on the island. If the seas are rough, the boat ride could take a little longer.
