Redang Island

Redang is the largest island in the Terengganu marine park, and the clearest water on this coast is here: on a calm morning at Pasir Panjang you can stand in waist-deep water and count fish. Almost everyone stays in a resort and buys a package covering the boat, meals and a couple of snorkelling trips, because there is very little independent infrastructure and no road network to speak of. Snorkel sites include a shallow reef straight off the main beach and boat stops at the marine park centre, where fish gather in numbers. Green turtles nest on some of the quieter beaches, and the whole island shuts down when the monsoon arrives.

What you actually see

• Pasir Panjang - the long main beach with reef within swimming distance.
• The marine park centre - the pontoon stop where snorkel boats gather over shallow coral.
• Turtle nesting beaches - the quieter sands used by green turtles in season.
• The house reefs - coral edges directly off several of the resort bays.

When to go

The season runs March to October; the northeast monsoon from roughly November to February closes resorts and boat services, so a visit outside those months is usually impossible rather than merely wet. Visibility peaks around April to August. Malaysian school holidays and long weekends fill the island, and packages sell out early.

Honest expectations

The package model leaves little flexibility and produces food that is repetitive by day three. The main snorkel stop is crowded, with several boats unloading at once and fish fed to keep them there. Coral has bleached in patches and varies a lot between sites. Day-tripper boats arrive from the mainland mid-morning. Prices are high compared with the Perhentians.

Nearby

Lang Tengah and Bidong lie nearby; Kuala Terengganu is the mainland gateway.