There are two islands with the same name Pulau Besar. One is near the coast of Melaka and the other one is in the South China Sea. This is about the last one. It's located off the east coast of Johor - 15 km from Mersing.

 Pulau Besar is surrounded by many nearby islands, like Pulau Mensirip, Pulau Hujung, Pulau Rawa, Pulau Harimau. Even Pulau Tengah  on which Expedition Robinson was filmed, is close to Pula Besar. Divers will be able to dive at Jahat/ Aut, Sakit Mata, Mata Tikus and Rawa.

The island is characterized by quiet, clean beaches of powdery white sand that promises an amazingly spectacular view. Crystal clear waters surround the island; Pulau Besar. The waters are so clean that visitors can even see the many reefs from the surface. To preserve the unspoiled marine life, the Government has gazetted it as a marine park to protect around 60 species of marine life from any activity that can harm their natural habitats within 2 nautical miles around the island.

here are many interesting activities. One can go snorkelling, fishing, diving or take a trip to all the nearby islands. Visitors can trek through the woods to see the tropical plants and animals or visit a 'kelong' to see the fishermen hauling up their nets laden with the bountiful harvest from the sea.

The wild vegetation of the tropical jungle are rich in many different green colours and the sight of coconut palm dotting the landscape is a normal one. There are about 7 ?8 small villages that are still populated by around 100 friendly dwellers who are mostly fishermen.

Pulau Besar is rising some 2,000 feet above the sea level. So this is one of the largest islands off the coast of Mersing The island got its former name, Pulau Babi Besar, (directly translated as Big Boars Island) from the numerous wild boars that roamed the island before man inhabited the place.

Nowadays there is not a single boar on the island at present and for that reason they changed the name to Pulau Besar.
 
Here, you can find many species of the giant cockle that live on the ocean floor and 6 of them can only be found around Mersing waters.A number of the surrounding islands such as Pulau Aur, Pulau Pemanggil, Pulau Tinggi and Pulau Rawa have been identified as new habitats for the new generation of the giant cockles.

These cockles have a life span of 70 years. They are 1-metre long and can weigh as much as 200 kilograms. Tourists will be able to set their eyes on these lovely shelled-creatures while snorkelling in the breathtakingly picturesque underwater.