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The resort group collaborated with Professional Association of Diving Instructors’ (Padi) Project Aware and Scuba Symphony on the three-day event to strengthen conservation of underwater life and educate people on the importance of coral reefs to the ecosystem.

“We are taking this opportunity to prove to people that by gathering many hands, we can change the current state of our environment for the better,” said Berjaya Hotels & Resorts group director Peggy Tan.

Heave-ho: The divers hauling the crown-of-thorns that they removed from the sea during the Redang Island Clean-up Day.

Padi Asia-Pacific regional manager Johnny Chew said the resort group had been a strong supporter of Project Aware clean-ups and activities.

“We are delighted to have them on board this year and be involved in this exciting conservation event,” he added.

A total of 110 divers, including a team from Singapore, and 29 non-divers took part in the event.

The enthusiastic divers managed to remove 580 crown-of-thorns from the seabed, breaking last year’s RICD record of 442 crown-of-thorns. The underwater clean-up covered most of the islands’ popular dive spots, including Berjaya Redang Resort House Reef, Mak Simpang, Teluk Dalam Besar, Tanjung Tokong, Blue Ring, Bahagia Wreck, Southern Run, Northern Run, Kerengga Kecil and Kerengga Besar.

Non-divers, meanwhile, cleared the beach of plastic bags, beverage cans and cigarette butts.

The clean-up was also an exercise in data gathering.

Project Aware Asia-Pacific manager Joanne Marston said, “Most divers and environmental project volunteers recognise the importance of data collection to drive positive change for our oceans.

“Better data means better decision-making, but there is more that we can do. We urge all divers to enter the data that they have into the Global Marine Debris Index.”

Project Aware Foundation is the dive industry’s leading non-profit environmental organisation. It is present in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland and Japan.

Its mission includes conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action among 175 countries.

As the divers were underwater, the non-divers were occupied with a host of activities on land besides the beach clean-up. The participants went on a nature walk and played beach telematches as well as tug-of-war.

A photography contest was one of the main highlights during the event, with prizes consisting of 3 days / 2 nights stay at Berjaya Redang Resort and Berjaya Tioman Resort inclusive of flight tickets on Berjaya Air, two Epoque Japan 230 underwater camera worth RM1,245 each sponsored by Scuba Symphony and meal vouchers from Kenny Rogers.

There were also seminars on Underwater Conservation by Padi Project Aware and Underwater Photography by Scuba Symphony.

Upon arriving at Berjaya Redang Resort, participants were greeted with goodie bags.

Berjaya Hotels & Resorts is planning to hold the next Clean-up Day at its Tioman resort in March next year.

The Star

Beach at Redang Island.

How long one should stay at Redang depends on how much one enjoys the sun, sea and sand. Most visitors stay at least 3D/2N which is short enough for a quick weekend getaway but we feel this is quite a rush. If you’re going to be traveling quite a while or distance to get here, we recommend at least 4D/3N to at least be able to relax and enjoy the island. However long you choose to stay, try to book your package, accommodation or transfers in advance to make sure you get the dates you want.

To book a package, follow the 3 simple steps below:

• Decide when to visit.
  Many resorts impose additional surcharges for peak season such as on weekends and school holidays and lower rates for off-peak season.
• Book your package.
  Book you package at Cheap Redang Package. Holiday packages typically include all land and sea transfers from KT to Redang, though some resorts may charge extra for these services.
• Get to Kuala Terengganu (KT) or Merang.
  You can drive, take a coach or fly. If you are making your own travel arrangements to get to KT or Merang, refer to the Getting There section or check with the resort for more information as you need to coordinate land and boat transfer schedules to ensure you have enough time to catch your flight or coach. If you prefer not to make your own travel arrangements, look for a Cheap Redang Package that also includes transport to KT and back.

Once you arrive in KT or Merang, you should be well taken care of. Logistics involving land and sea transfers are usually smooth and well-coordinated. Visitors will be transferred to the appropriate jetty to catch their speedboat.

Source: Redang Island Rendezvous

THE United World College, Costa Rica (UWCCR), is a college of 160 students, with 57 countries being represented.

Recently, Costa Rica celebrated its independence day and as students in an international college, we participated in a national parade by dressing up in our national costumes.

The writer (third from left) with some of her schoolmates all dressed up in their respective national costumes.

Personally, being away from home has made me realise how important it is to be patriotic.

As a Malaysian, I’d have to say that I was proud to be Malay, wearing a Cheongsam, while carrying the Malaysian flag. I’ve never felt more patriotic than I did that day.

As a teenager, I realised how amazing it was to actually see the Malaysian flag soaring high, together with flags from Brazil, Spain, Finland, Costa Rica, Korea, Holland, Argentina, Sweden, and many others.

Apart from exhibiting patriotism on the surface, the love for Malaysia actually came from deep within.

I still recall the morning of the parade. Seeing all my friends getting up early to get dressed in their costumes made me eager to put on mine.

The Jalur Gemilang flying high among flags of other nations during the parade .

As we were dressing up in front of the mirror, cracking girly jokes and putting on make-up; we started asking each other about our respective countries.

It was then that I realised how proud I was to be from a country that had a modern metropolis like Kuala Lumpur as its capital. It was also blessed with thick jungles and lush greenery in places like Taman Negara, and breathtaking beaches on beautiful islands like Pulau Redang.

This is, of course, on top of our multi-culture and numerous traditions that seem to be in syncwith our respective heritage.

Now that I’m in an international college, I find that I am at ease when mingling with people of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.

And I would give most of my thanks to Malaysia itself, for preparing me to fit in the outside world with its diverse cultures and religions.

It may, at this point sound very cliché, but being away from home has helped open my eyes on what it really means to be patriotic as a teenager.

History is, of course, something that we ought to learn and appreciate, but as a modern society, I think it is important that we put it to practical use.

“Why do we study history, apart from learning the mistakes made?” a friend asked. And I’ve never had a right answer to that until last week when I was telling others about Malaysia.

The answer is, of course, as simple as being able to feel gratified and content about our country.

The Star

State Industrial Development and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Mohamed Awang Tera said similar measures in Pulau Sipadan in Sabah and Pulau Rawa in Johor had proven to be successful.

“The government does not mean to stop backpackers from enjoying Pulau Redang’s beauty but this move can reduce the environmental degradation caused by resorts which don’t have good waste treatment facilities,” he told reporters.

Several resorts on the island would also be upgraded and the state government would focus on luring high budget tourists, he said.

As an alternative to Pulau Redang, Pulau Bidong would be turned into a recreational island complete with basic amenities but no resorts.

Mohamed said the state government had approved a project to turn the Pulau Redang jetty near the Laguna Redang Resort into a common jetty for several other resorts on the island. – Bernama.

Small islands can’t offer much diving,” a friend scoffed to me once, as he pointed to Pulau Lang Tengah on a map of Malaysia, a footnote of an isle between the mighty Redang and the hedonistic Perhentian.

Piqued by his claim, I found myself on its shores earlier this year, ready to test out its diving spots with a couple of friends.

D’Coconut Lagoon has a cosy ambience.

At least the beginning of our journey was straightforward. After a hair-raising, five-hour dash to Kuala Terengganu, followed by an even quicker one to Merang up north (not Marang, mind you, which is nowhere near it), we found ourselves a mere 40-minutes away by speedboat from Lang Tengah’s shores.

Several resorts offer accommodation on the island but we chose D’Coconut Lagoon for comfort of size and amenities. It had a pool, decent food, air conditioning and the all-important in-house dive centre. The facilities were comfortable but somewhat ageing already and the staff were a little shy. The Shangri-La this is not.

That same afternoon we were all kitted up at the dive centre, briefed by the affable Hamidun (a.k.a Don) and his trusty dive masters. We found that most of the (good) dive sites were from the north down to the west and right down the southern tip. The eastern shore is largely rocky and prone to strong currents.

We started at Karang Nibong up north. Visibility was not fantastic but we marvelled at the teeming fish life up here. Some juvenile pufferfish mingled with parrotfish and angelfish amid lots of nudibranchs on ground level. A few cobias darted in and out of the large boulders that pock-marked the site. At the shallower levels, Moorish idols fluttered around, and we even spied a blue-spotted stingray out and about.

A triggerfish made a brief cameo but what was memorable was the real lack of coral cover here. I expected more.

The feather star is a common sight on the ledges.

We got up early the next morning and had limited luck with visibility at Yellow Reef and White Reef down the western side. Coral cover improved with more varieties evident at the latter — whips, sponges and lots of brain coral.

We ventured up north again to the more open Tanjung Nibong, and the reef jumped to life again. Here, we were delighted to see a humphead parrotfish foraging for food. An even larger grouper dashed from one coral bommie to another when it saw us approach. But the little reef fish were also in abundance.

The many boulders here even created some wonderful and memorable swim-throughs (natural tunnels) for us to navigate. All this got us excited, and we couldn’t be sure if life was appearing because the weekend had officially begun or whether we were hitting the right dive sites.

D’Coconut lies smack in the middle of the west coast, and for our last trip of the day we headed next door to Redang Lang Resort’s house reef. It was a Project Aware dive, and we joined over a dozen divers in sweeping the area and scooping up the dreaded crown-of-thorns starfish (a.k.a. COTs). The house reef, like D’Coconut’s own, was too sandy and sparsely populated with coral to really call a dive site. Not a proper one anyway.

Our third day saw even more action. Going out to the other side of the island for once, we ventured to Batu Kuching. Upon descending, we immediately sighted three blacktip reef sharks in very shallow water! They sped off fast.

Nudibranchs come in all colours and patterns.

The coral cover was generous, and we spotted a moray eel lurking at one stage. One coral bommie revealed a host of hingebeak shrimps. To top it off, as we were about to do a safety stop, a dozen humphead parrotfish swam past. So much for the west coast being the more exciting one!

Back to the west, we were treated to more friendly sights at Tanjung Telunjuk, with its dusky pipefish, cleaner shrimps and some tomato anemones. Lots of nudibranchs were also found here as well as a huge variety of healthy coral. Unfortunately, a colony of COTs seemed to have gathered too. The marine life was not as prolific at Batu Bulan, but we got an up-close glimpse of a roving blacktip reef shark.

We made our last dive at Tanjung Telunjuk again, as the island’s diving community fittingly decided to get rid of the COTs here. Amazingly, my dive buddy and I bagged 53 of the critters. We also glimpsed a huge green turtle nestled on a small boulder, chewing off a small piece of coral. It looked genuinely happy.

The entire trip was one pleasant surprise of marine sightings and easy diving. Kudos to the dive team that guided us for their wonderful service. Visibility wasn’t the best and the coral weren’t always as colourful or prolific as we’d have liked, but we managed to squeeze in many dives without feeling rushed or crowded, as is the case with many larger islands.

And with all dive sites just minutes away from our resort, Lang Tengah was a great addition to the family of islands we’ve been diving at. It’s certainly another choice you would want to consider.

Several sharks were spotted on the dives, especially in Batu Kuching.

Getting there

Travel by car is recommended, with the journey time being four hours from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan, and then an additional two hours to Merang. Or, one can fly to Kuala Terengganu and take a 30-minute cab ride to the jetty.

For more information, visit www.goredang.com.

The Perhentian Island issue, just like the wildlife issue, is a long neglected one.

My guess is we will only see some action once there is a big drop in tourist arrivals to the islands and Terengganu.

But by that time it will be too late.

The Perhentians, both Besar and Kecil, are known as the peninsula’s version of the much-touted and well-known Sipadan and Mabul in Sabah with their beautiful underwater world.

It is the nearest place from Kuala Lumpur or Penang where one can see marine life, which unfortunately is being

threatened due to haphazard and poorly planned tourism development projects and ineffective sewage treatment and solid waste disposal.

The situation is likely to worsen as more development seem to be taking place.

The Perhentians, unlike Langkawi, Pangkor and Tioman, are too small to warrant the setting up of a development board to oversee their growth.

But the authorities can look at the big picture.

Terengganu has many islands like Redang, Kapas, Gemia, Lang Tengah and Tenggol.

All these islands can be grouped together and a Terengganu Islands Development Authority can be set up to oversee their development.

We all know that the state has its hands full with other tourism activities like the Monsoon Cup and the recent revival of Tasik Kenyir as a major tourism destination.

But don’t you think that being blessed with beautiful islands and marine life is an added boost to not just the state but the country as well?

ZARI MALAYSIANA,
Petaling Jaya.

From my observation and conversation with people on the island, one of the main causes for the degenerating coral reefs and marine life is the development on the island as well as the increase in number of irresponsible tourists, especially snorkellers with fins.

There are various development projects on the island like jetties, paths for jungle walks and several big buildings. Most of the tourists I talked to were upset with such developments on an island so well-known for its quiet and natural environment.

These development projects not only destroy the natural beauty and landscape of the island but also the beautiful underwater world.

The island depends solely on tourism, and if the development pushes the tourists away, businesses here will suffer, not to mention the revenue the Government gets from the tourism industry.

Things such as touching and stepping on corals, collecting seashells and corals as well as touching marine life like turtles are causing a lot of damage to the marine environment. I believe the relevant authorities should work together to create awareness among tourists about the Do’s and Don’ts and practise responsible tourism.

The other issue that needs attention will be the protection of turtles that usually feed in the channel between the big and small islands, which happens to be the main “highway” for boats. Just this week, there were two reports of turtles found dead, one of unknown causes and the other by boat propellers.

This has been a somewhat usual incident on the island, and if this continues alongside the poaching of turtle eggs, the turtle population on the island will continue to decline.

Tourists love turtles, and will thus stop coming to the island if the turtle population were to decline further.

I urge the Government to set up proper shipping lanes (just large enough for a few boats) and close off other areas along the channel to reduce the possibility of propellers hitting the turtles.

There is also a need for Government officials to visit Long Beach at night and see what is going on there. Illegal parties and bars have mushroomed along the beach. I doubt licences are issued for these activities. It’s not only harming the environment but the safety of people visiting the island as well.

DANLEE,
Subang Jaya.