PULAU REDANG

ABOUT Redang Island 

Redang Island – one of the most famous Island in Malaysia where is lying just about 45km north-northeast of Kuala Terengganu in Peninsular Malaysia and 22 km off Tanjung Merang, the closest point on the mainland. The Island is the largest Island in Terengganu with 7 km long and 6 km wide. The highest peak is Bukit Besar at 359 metres above sea-level. The Redang archipelago constitutes the islands of Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Paku Besar, Pulau Paku Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Besar, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Ling and Pulau Pinang.


Redang Island is famous for its white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and spectacular coral reefs. It is everything that you hoped a tropical island would be. For its beach which named as Pasir Panjang (Long Beach) where most of the resorts located at, arguably as one of the best stretches of all the beaches in Malaysia. While for its ocean and underwater world, with the excellent visibility and spectacular, easy accessibly coral reefs, no doubt that Redang Island is claimed as paradise for scuba diving and snorkeling.


Beside snorkeling and scuba diving, Redang Island is also perfect place for swimming, jungle trekking, boating and canoeing. The environment and the breathtaking sunset could also make the island become world’s most mature coral gardens. There is your chance to see and be acquainted with the local eel, giant garoupa, black tipped shark, and so on. Chance to encounter with Green Turtle and Hawkbill turtle is common. Besides that, observant are also rewarded with sights of flatworm, nudibranch, shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, boxfish, stonefish, lionfish and pipefish.

PULAU REDANG ARCHIPELAGO

Malaysia is renowned for its natural beauty but it is the coral reefs located primarily around these off -shore islands that will lure you to one of the best diving destinations in the world, the Redang archipelago. Suitable substrates, clear water with temperatures ranging from 27 ° to 31.5 ° C as well as salinity in range of 31 to 34 ppt are conducive to coral reef development and healthy growth of marine life. These conditions are just as suitable for you to explore the underwater realm of the following islands in comfort and ease.

Dive Site # 1. Tanjung Lang 

Located on the northern tip of Pulau Redang, this spot offers a variety of corals such as hydrozoans, siphonophorans and anthozoans which include sea fans and sea whips as well as crustaceans and fish of different colors for all to feast their eyes upon. With a maximum depth of 60 feet, it is accessible to any certified diver. 

Dive Site # 2. Tanjung Tok Kong

Situated a short distance away, this dive location offers an amazing array of marine flora and fauna till a depth of 80 feet. Sea turtles are an almost site of green and hawks-bill turtles. Sights include feather stars; tube worms, nudibranchs and schools of tuna forming a magnificent screen right before you. 

Dive Site # 3. Tanjung Gua Kawah 

At a maximum depth of 70 feet, this dive spot is a must for those who are willing to brave the currents and waves. Rest assured that your efforts will be rewarded handsomely in the from of the marvelous underwater realm before you. 

Dive Site # 4. Pasir Panjang

Just a stone's throw away from the resort, one is able to see fascinating species of corals and sea life living in harmony. With a maximum depth of just 40 feet, this spot could very well be your first taste of Redang. Not to be missed is the sight of the resident grouper recently christened KAREN.

Dive Site # 5. Batu Mak Chantek

Situated near Pasir Panjang, this spot which reaches down to 60 feet, is bountiful with colourful reef fishes and invertebrates including echinoderms, moluscs are well as feather stars and hydrozoans. Night diving here features the nocturnal world at its best.

Turtles 

Turtles has appeared on earth for more than 100 million years, to the age of dinosaurs, with the different that these living dinosaurs are still surviving through the decades, despite that environment on earth has been changing throughout the this period. Studies reports show that it is possible for a turtle to live for hundreds years of time, and this explains why the Chinese society treats turtles as a symbol of longevity.

Turtles are categorised according to its physical appearance, behaviour and nesting site. To your surprise, sex of hatchings is determined by the temperature of the surrounding sand, which a female turtle lays its eggs.

A warm nest will result in mostly female hatchings while males are mostly come from a cooler nest.There are seven recognized species of sea turtle in the world, which are divided into two families, Dermochelydae and Cheloniidae.  The only species that is categorised in the Dermochelydae family is the Leatherback turtle The rest six species, i.e. Green turtle, Olive Ridley turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley turtle and Flatback turtle are all belong to the Cheloniidae family. Among these seven species, four choose to nest in Malaysia beaches.

Garden Under The Sea

As the largest island among the Redang Archipelago, Pulau Redang is not only made famous by its white sandy beach but also the world lying beneath this crystal clear water which, is not only paradise for marine life but also for natural lovers. Snorkeling or diving in the sea around Pulau Redang is a breathtaking experience where, the water surrounding Pulau Redang is home to some 3,000 species of fish, 1.000 of species of bivalves and 500 species of reef-building coral. 

Coral reefs are found in the shallow as well as the deep water around the islands. They are formed by gradual accumulation and transformation of tiny soft-bodied animals, closely related to sea anemones. One of the very common coral found in the waters of Pulau Redang is Staghorn corals. This reef-building corals are often found in shallow areas. They are green, brown or yellowish in colour and they provide shelter for a variety of small fishes and other sea animals. 

In the deeper water there are sea fans, soft tree corals, cup coral and several species of nudibranch. Some deeper rocks are covered with leathery soft corals with some soft tree corals, cup corals, tunicates and sponges. Large giant clams are often found here.  

Then on the sand itself are larger soft corals and sea fans, whip corals, table corals, mushroom corals, boulder corals, nudibranch, sea stars, cushin stars and sea urchin.  

Perhaps you will agree that the glory of this underwater garden will eclipse if without the existence of fish. Fish chasing each other in the coral or swimming in groups in the dark blue sea like a group of patrolling soldiers, making this garden as fascinating and as colourful as the colour palette of an artist. 

Shoaling fish such as jacks and snappers and rabbitfish, or groupers silver barracudas, clownfish, triggerfish, parrotfish, stingrays, hammerheads and Green turtles etc. is always surprises the divers. There have been a few times when divers have spotted a whale shark at Big Mount, one of the popular dive sites in Pulau Redang. And if you are lucky, you might spot a cuttlefish, squid and/or Eagle ray while snorkeling.  

The best location for snorkeling on this island is found at the southern coast around the Pulau Pinang and Pulau Ekor Tebu. Below sea level, you will get to see some of the more beautiful sea creatures including the batfish, angelfish, boxfish and butterfly fish. There are also many multicolored creatures that eat off anemone, sponges and bivalves. For diving enthusiasts, there are about 18 dive sites around Pulau Redang, each has its own way to surprise the divers.  

Conservation has been taken place by gazetted this island as one of the marine park in Malaysia in order to protect the marine life in this marine paradise. Activities such as fishing, collecting corals and marine life, and anchoring boats directly on the reef are prohibited within two nautical miles of these islands.