Redang Island

Redang is a resort-based diving island off Terengganu, reached mainly by boat from Merang or on limited seasonal flights to the island. Most visitors buy fixed accommodation, meal, transfer and diving packages rather than arranging each part independently.

Best time
Apr–Sep
Certification
Open water
Budget
$–$$ · under $2,000 to $2,000–4,000
Trip length
37 days
Trip style
Land based, Day trip, Shore dive
Access
Moderate

The short version

Known forChagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary, where green and hawksbill nesting has been monitored by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's SEATRU since 1993.

Main tradeoffMost resorts, dive operators and boat services stop from November through February for the northeast monsoon.

A hawksbill sea turtle swimming over a shallow coral reef

Photo: Dani Grau / Unsplash

Plan within this destination

What works for your trip?

When are you going? (optional)

What do you want to see? (optional)

Your outlook

Explore 3 dive sites

Browse the map and wildlife below, or add an optional preference to narrow Redang Island.

Most relevant wildlife

  • Green sea turtleMar–Oct
  • AnemonefishMar–Oct
  • Blacktip reef sharkMar–Oct
  • Hawksbill turtleMar–Oct

Plan the trip

Links coming soon

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3 sites shown.

Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Apr–Sep · Mild current
Best months Operating Closed / no trips
Current
Mild
Visibility
625m: Typically around 10–15m, with clearer water possible on offshore sites.
Experience
Resort-side reefs and Mini Mount suit Open Water divers.

01 · Marine life

What you may see

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak seasondestination closed

Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.

Green sea turtleChelonia mydas
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maypeak season
Junepeak season
Julypeak season
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

The most reliable animal in the region.

AnemonefishAmphiprion spp.
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maycommonly seen
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Anemone patches on Redang's shallow reefs hold resident false clown anemonefish, including the Pasir Panjang house reefs.

Blacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterus
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maycommonly seen
Junecommonly seen
Julycommonly seen
Augustcommonly seen
Septembercommonly seen
Octobercommonly seen
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks are resident around Terumbu Kili, Chek Isa and Pulau Ekor Tebu.

Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricata
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarydestination closed
Februarydestination closed
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberdestination closed
Decemberdestination closed

Hawksbills are far outnumbered by green turtles, with roughly 20 hawksbill nests to 385 green nests in one recorded Chagar Hutang season.

See all 5 species

02 · Dive sites

Dive sites worth knowing

A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.

03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsModerate. Fly to TGG. Typical trip $–$$.

Route overview

Moderate

Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.

Airport options

TGG

Sultan Mahmud Airport, Kuala Terengganu

About 35km or roughly 1 hour by road to Merang jetty, followed by a 40–50 minute ferry or resort transfer

RDN

Redang Airport

A small island airstrip with limited seasonal service from Subang; schedules stop over the monsoon

Typical trip cost

$–$$

under $2,000 to $2,000–4,000

Per person, excluding international flights.

  • Redang is normally sold as a full-board resort package with fixed boat transfers, meals and some diving included.
  • This is less flexible than the Perhentians and the final cost depends heavily on the resort category.
  • Ferries from Merang are about RM55 one way.

Permit or park fee

What you pay

RM30 per foreign adult, RM15 per foreign child aged 6–12 and senior over 60

RM5 and RM2 for Malaysian MyKad holders

disabled visitors free.

How it works

Redang is a gazetted Marine Park under the Department of Fisheries Malaysia. Visitors pay the conservation charge before boarding. Diving is through licensed operators. Fishing, coral collection and anchoring are prohibited inside park boundaries.

Sources & last checked

Checked August 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 6 sources and checking notes

Note on the data: Split from the former combined Perhentian and Redang record on 2026-08-31. Access, resort format, named sites, turtle sanctuary and bleaching evidence are specific to Redang. Site coordinates remain approximate and should be confirmed before use for navigation. Monsoon closure is an operator shutdown rather than a gazetted legal closure, so exact dates vary by resort and year.