Long Weekend Getaway Pulau Redang (May 20th to May 23rd) My 4th trip
Getting there :
We assembled at the car park opposite Cantonment Police Station at 7.30pm for the overnight coach transfer. The coach was delayed by half an hour & we departed at 8pm. The journey took about 10 & 1/2 hours with 2 stops in between (1st stop for 45 minutes at Yong Peng for late dinner & another toilet break for 15 minutes). Note: It gets terribly cold in the coach so do bring along a blanket/sarong to keep warm. We arrived at Merang jetty at 6.30am. There are few roadside stalls open for breakfast & I had a cup of comfort drink, teh tarik to perk myself up. The Redang Kalongs representative met us, 30 minutes later & then we proceed to take the ferry, which took us, about 35-40 minutes to the island.
Note: Add another 2 hours for return journey due to traffic jam & custom clearing.
Redang Kalong Resort ( http://www.redangkalong.com/)
Accommodation: We stayed in quad-sharing room with en-suite bathroom (hot shower) & comfort of air-conditioning, which is available 24 hours. Bath towels & blankets are provided.
FACILITY dive shop, snorkeling, fishing, beach volleyball, kayaking, board games and a mini karaoke. The resort shop sells a range of T-shirt, films, batteries, toiletries, souvenirs, etc.
Staff: AB Lee & Sharon run the resort & dive center. Both are avid photographers & emphasized on caring for the environment. Tim (ABs brother) is our DM for the trip & he is witty guy with a good sense of humor. The staffs are very welcoming, accommodating & hardworking (the resort, esp. the dining area is kept spick & span). I forgot to bring my contact lens holder & Sharon kindly find one from her room & pass it to me Thanks Sharon!!
Food & Beverages: Buffet style meals comprising a mixture of Asian & Western. BBQ dinner was served on the last night. Free flow of cold(water, orange juice) & hot(nescape, tea) beverages & biscuits/bread with spread (kaya, peanut butter & jam). Tea break at 4.30pm with hot desserts & snacks. Verdict: Ample & Appetizing.
Diving/ Sea Condition
The resort has its very own 5-Star PADI Dive Center. The center is managed by The Diver's Den. I did a total of 7 dives: Pulau Kerengga, Terumbu Kili, Batu Che Isa (Nite), Tanjong Tok Kong, Batu Cina Terjun, South Point & Pulau Ling.
The Divers Den is very well organized & safety is their No. 1 priority. Each diver was assigned a colored box to store your equipments for the entire trip. A large whiteboard lists DM & guests assigned to each boat (12 divers in my group- not overly crowded) & the dives scheduled for your boat that day. Detailed dive briefing was given before each dive with site map drawn by the DM. All dive sites are about 5-15 minutes from the resort & the dives were all pretty easy with back-roll from the dive boat. The sea condition was calm & perfect for diving. The water temperature for this trip average at 29°C, but I have encountered thermo clines for my last trip in May 2004 & the water temperature was around 27°C. Recommended: 3mm full wet suit for those who are less tolerant to cold. Visibility varied from site to site, ranging from 8-25m.
Redang is an underwater photographers dream come true. Marine critters of all shapes, sizes & colors make their home amidst rocks, sea fans & coral tables. We saw schools of trevallies & barracudas, bump-head parrotfish, nudibranchs, anemone & hinge-beak shrimps, moray eels, crabs, gobies, blennies, lionfishes, scorpion fishes, & many other colorful marine fishes. . Tupe/vase anemone sponges with anemone/clown fishes are in abundance. The magnificent school of silver pomfrets at South Point mesmerized me so much that I do not want to end the dive SIMPLY AWESOME. :biggrin2:
Here is the link to my pix gallery....enjoy..
http://sg.homeunix.com/jovin/Pulau-Redang-May05
happy bubbles,
Jovin-
Getting there :
We assembled at the car park opposite Cantonment Police Station at 7.30pm for the overnight coach transfer. The coach was delayed by half an hour & we departed at 8pm. The journey took about 10 & 1/2 hours with 2 stops in between (1st stop for 45 minutes at Yong Peng for late dinner & another toilet break for 15 minutes). Note: It gets terribly cold in the coach so do bring along a blanket/sarong to keep warm. We arrived at Merang jetty at 6.30am. There are few roadside stalls open for breakfast & I had a cup of comfort drink, teh tarik to perk myself up. The Redang Kalongs representative met us, 30 minutes later & then we proceed to take the ferry, which took us, about 35-40 minutes to the island.
Note: Add another 2 hours for return journey due to traffic jam & custom clearing.
Redang Kalong Resort ( http://www.redangkalong.com/)
Accommodation: We stayed in quad-sharing room with en-suite bathroom (hot shower) & comfort of air-conditioning, which is available 24 hours. Bath towels & blankets are provided.
FACILITY dive shop, snorkeling, fishing, beach volleyball, kayaking, board games and a mini karaoke. The resort shop sells a range of T-shirt, films, batteries, toiletries, souvenirs, etc.
Staff: AB Lee & Sharon run the resort & dive center. Both are avid photographers & emphasized on caring for the environment. Tim (ABs brother) is our DM for the trip & he is witty guy with a good sense of humor. The staffs are very welcoming, accommodating & hardworking (the resort, esp. the dining area is kept spick & span). I forgot to bring my contact lens holder & Sharon kindly find one from her room & pass it to me Thanks Sharon!!
Food & Beverages: Buffet style meals comprising a mixture of Asian & Western. BBQ dinner was served on the last night. Free flow of cold(water, orange juice) & hot(nescape, tea) beverages & biscuits/bread with spread (kaya, peanut butter & jam). Tea break at 4.30pm with hot desserts & snacks. Verdict: Ample & Appetizing.
Diving/ Sea Condition
The resort has its very own 5-Star PADI Dive Center. The center is managed by The Diver's Den. I did a total of 7 dives: Pulau Kerengga, Terumbu Kili, Batu Che Isa (Nite), Tanjong Tok Kong, Batu Cina Terjun, South Point & Pulau Ling.
The Divers Den is very well organized & safety is their No. 1 priority. Each diver was assigned a colored box to store your equipments for the entire trip. A large whiteboard lists DM & guests assigned to each boat (12 divers in my group- not overly crowded) & the dives scheduled for your boat that day. Detailed dive briefing was given before each dive with site map drawn by the DM. All dive sites are about 5-15 minutes from the resort & the dives were all pretty easy with back-roll from the dive boat. The sea condition was calm & perfect for diving. The water temperature for this trip average at 29°C, but I have encountered thermo clines for my last trip in May 2004 & the water temperature was around 27°C. Recommended: 3mm full wet suit for those who are less tolerant to cold. Visibility varied from site to site, ranging from 8-25m.
Redang is an underwater photographers dream come true. Marine critters of all shapes, sizes & colors make their home amidst rocks, sea fans & coral tables. We saw schools of trevallies & barracudas, bump-head parrotfish, nudibranchs, anemone & hinge-beak shrimps, moray eels, crabs, gobies, blennies, lionfishes, scorpion fishes, & many other colorful marine fishes. . Tupe/vase anemone sponges with anemone/clown fishes are in abundance. The magnificent school of silver pomfrets at South Point mesmerized me so much that I do not want to end the dive SIMPLY AWESOME. :biggrin2:
Here is the link to my pix gallery....enjoy..
http://sg.homeunix.com/jovin/Pulau-Redang-May05
happy bubbles,
Jovin-
