Malaysia - Redang

[K.Haroon]

Redang Island is an island in Kuala Nerus District, Terengganu, Malaysia. Visited this place in March 2017 for diving. It is one of the largest islands off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is famous for its crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. It is one of nine islands, which form a marine sanctuary park offering snorkeling and diving opportunities for tourists. The island is an important conservation site for sea turtles. Previously, the indiscriminate economic exploitation of turtle eggs had caused fewer turtles returning to nest on the island. This has led the Terengganu state government to set up the Koperasi Setiajaya Pulau Redang in 1989, a cooperative aiming to develop and manage socio-economic programmes that could improve the livelihood of Pulau Redang locals without endangering its natural resources. Redang offers 80% of species found in the 'coral triangle' (an area bounded by the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea known to have the highest number of marine species in the world). This biodiversity makes Redang one of the top dive sites in peninsular Malaysia. There are more than 20 dive sites including beach dives with a good mix of coral gardens, wall dives as well as sandy bottom offering opportunities for macro photography. The dive sites are all located nearby and are quickly accessible by speedboat. As far as recommending a dive center is concerned, I would go for Coral Redang Dive Center.

Photo Source: audleytravel.com