The Return to Redang Island

Redang was my first ever taste of a Malaysian Coral Island, back when I was just a squat of a teenager awed by the beauty of the ocean through Jacques Cousteau’s wonderful undersea documentaries. There, I found out that the television was no substitute for the beauty of the world beneath the waves. The sheer vastness of a coral reef promised discovery abound at every turn. If I was to see so much from just snorkeling and my brief incursion into the depth by turning blue due to holding my breath, imagine what I could see and do with an aqua-lung!

Today, I am still quite that dizzy teen. Opting to stay to the shallow reefs and observing the sea life by just drifting around interesting coral heads such as cleaning stations. Fish are more camera friendly when you are not vigorously flapping towards them.

But Redang has changed much since the days when I was a teen. Much development and tourism has more than taken its toll on the islands. I am not saying that all is destroyed, but one can attest that there is certainly some measure of paradise lost. My last trip to Redang before this was 3 years ago, in which what I can merely describe as the pinnacle of my disappointment and sadness for my much beloved island.

Malaysia , like many other developing nations are still grasping the fundamentals of good resort management and ecological friendly practices. After all, if your attractions are firmly based on the beauty of a natural resource, the last thing you would want to do would be to see it destroyed right? Not true. Unfortunately, for much of the developing world, planning is done solely for short-term gain, and protecting the ecology takes resources (that’s right, money). Even if we are done getting the operators to understand that the survival of the reef is in their self-interest, then, there are the visitors to the islands.  Laws on marine protection are often neglected let alone enforced. Hence, it is often that we see throngs of island visitors breaking even every common sense rule on preserving the coral environment.

3 years ago, I saw this environmental carelessness in Redang, with the island overrun mostly by visitors content on having a holiday away from a city and their brief glimpse of coral beauty involved a short packaged snorkeling trip. Lack of concern and education from all responsible parties, allowed corals to be destroyed, the beach picked cleaned of shells, coral fragments taken as souvenirs, and trash with my every step. It did not help that El Nino was also wrecking havoc on the weather systems. None of the dive sites on that trip were worth a dive, even if one could even bear the poor visibility, or risk the strong currents.

My last straw came when the house reef, which lies along Pasir Panjang ( Long Beach ), hardly showed the sea-life that I have come to expect, other than the numerous cigarette butts I got to see. This site is easily accessible as a beach dive, even closer if you picked your tanks of the Redang Bay Resort Dive Store! But no longer did I see the resident white-tip reef shark, the friendly green turtles, and not even the all agitating and pugnacious Titan (Moustache) Triggers that live just off the reef on the sand flats. With that day, I had put Redang at the bottom of my list.

Since then, the Malaysian authorities have taken a stronger stand at preserving the marine park and to maintain some semblance of ecological law and order. My return to Redang was not due to this. I had just missed the island too much. My expectations were also held in check. After all, a brand new resort had just opened up on Pasir Panjang, and much of its construction was marred with accusations of environment disregard.

Since then, the Malaysian authorities have taken a stronger stand at preserving the marine park and to maintain some semblance of ecological law and order. My return to Redang was not due to this. I had just missed the island too much. My expectations were also held in check. After all, a brand new resort had just opened up on Pasir Panjang, and much of its construction was marred with accusations of environment disregard.

But the islands have healed somewhat and the operators are now serious about preserving the environment and directly, their businesses. What I had noticed is that the resorts have also changed. Gone are much of the shacks that hid behind the “back-to-nature” marketing, and much cleanup had been done. The truth be told, only with money and significant claim to the beach will personal interest be at one with environmental preservation.

I had also decided to give Laguna Redang Resort a miss. Laguna Redang being the brand new resort I had earlier mentioned with the questionable environmental track record. Partly as a silent protest, and to the fact that I really did not need things like televisions, a huge swimming pool, sharing the land area with three other floors above me, and the air with a thousand other beach frolickers. I was also told that the lunch buffet is also quite an event, if you are into the ruckus likened to that of an Ikea super sale! But if you are into that kind of thing, don't let me stop you.

The Resort

I decided to go with familiarity and stayed at Coral Redang Island Resort, located at the northern end of Pasir Panjang. But first, you need to get to the makeshift jetties of Merang that have sprung up as a result of the closure of the main jetty built a couple years ago. Look out for the signs that signify which boat jetty belongs to which resort. Coral Redang and many of the other resorts in Redang have their own boats for their guests, unlike that of Perhentian Island. For those who drive, there are plenty of uncovered or covered parking available for your cars. I prefer to park right across the jetty at Pak Jak Car Park. They have sheltered parking in which they charge RM10 for a day. From my experience, they have been good at taking care of the cars. Ask for a discount, I have been successful so far! Ask for Rosmadi 013-9851403.

Coral Redang Island Resort is a small resort given its capacity, but with adequate space between abodes, and thus giving it a sense of space and peace. They have a pool, a small poolside bar that is quite stocked with games, and a quaint restaurant that serves its buffet and ala-carte meals. So, if serenity and calm is what you are looking for, Coral Redang is my choice. The rooms adequately luxurious, clean, well and aptly decorated, and spotting a newly renovated bathroom. For more information, visit their site at www.coralredang.com.my.

The Dive Operations

Redang Bay Dive Center is not exactly the Hilton of dive centers, but they are comfortably equipped, and it is always the dive master and the diving that counts, not the gear or the dive center. So don’t hold your breath if you are looking for luxury, but warmth and friendly dive service, these guys have aplenty. If you want more information about the Redang Bay Resort, go to www.redangbay.com.my.

The Diving Sites