Snorkeling In Blue Waters Around Redang Island

Locally known as Pulau Redang or Redang Island is a small island in the South China Sea, in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. It is actually part of an archipelago with many small islands around it. These islands stand like green spots in the blue waters of the sea. White sand surrounds the islands and beaches are as inviting as they can get. It is a popular tourist destination.

And has many resorts and hotels to manage the tourist flow. The island can be reached either via ferry from towns like Terengganu or via air. Besides KL, Redang Island has flights to Singapore from its small airport.

Snorkeling on Redang Island

My biggest memory of Redang will always remain that of doing Snorkeling for the first time in my life. I had only heard the term snorkeling and always thought of it as some less adventurous form of deep-sea diving. Until I looked at the Snorkel and tried to figure out how it works. Well, you do not have to go below the sea, all you have to do is wear goggle-like equipment around your eyes and nose. Breathe through your mouth and look down below the surface from the surface. A long pipe attached to your mouth ensures that you have contact with the air outside. And with a bit of practice, you can easily start breathing from your mouth. If you know swimming, it adds to your confidence while hitting the water.

Swimming Knowledge for Snorkeling

But it is not really required if you wear the life jacket that keeps you afloat all the time. I know just a little bit of swimming; definitely not good for swimming in the ocean. So I panicked as I first landed in the sea. One look beneath the sea and I were willing to let go of all my fears. And did not want to lose even a single moment of looking at the seabed.

Colorful Coral Reefs at Redang Island

Coral reef formations and their colors are something you can never imagine till you see them. The huge formations can take floral shapes, brain-like shapes, leaves, and just about anything. To understand that there is a world of these living organisms below the calm blue surface was like a revelation to me. Intellectually, you understand it, you have seen it on television, and in documentaries. But being in the same space as these underwater creatures is an experience that no visual can match. I was so happy to see this world that I was singing and if I could I would have danced too. It was the world that I did not want to come back from. Since the time I have come back, I have been recommending this to everyone who has not done it.

Colorful Fishes underwater

Until I saw the colorful fishes undersea, I had no idea that they really exist in so many colors. In aquariums, they look more like an exception than a rule. But here they were floating in their very own world, playing around, running here and there. Sometimes they tickled me and teased me, tempting me to try and hold them. But no they were too fishy to be caught by a novice like me. I could have been lost in trying to figure out their colors and patterns had the instructor not called us back.

Other things that you can do on the island are trekking in the thick rainforests of the island and walking around white beaches. Apparently, a lot of people come to this island for destination weddings. Some of the private beaches with resorts can prepare the whole beach for your wedding with sand art and theme settings for the romantically inclined with deep pockets.

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