If you took a year off to do whatever you wanted, what would you do? I decided my dream year would be to travel around the world searching for some of the world's most spectacular dive sites. I wanted to experience first-hand the beauty of the world's reefs: corals, sponges, the rainbow of marine life one finds below the sea. I also wanted to meet divers vastly more experienced than I and learn from their experience.

My first Malaysia dive stop was Redang Island where I stayed at the Redang Beach Resort. Redang Island is Peninsular Malaysia's premier dive destination. You'll find healthy hard corals, great visibility, and many marine creatures unique to the South China Sea. Redang Island is a popular tropical paradise. At RBR you get a comfortable air-conditioned chalet, a hammock under a tree on the beach, wonderful Malaysian food, and some of the most beautiful nature anywhere.

I discovered many new marine creatures diving at Redang Island. At Sandy Bottom I saw a rare sea hare, which looks like a nudibranch and swims like a Spanish dancer. There were ghost shrimp dancing around florescent-orange tube anemones, and there were white filefish indistinguishable from the white sea whips next to them! I saw dozens of blue-spotted lagoon rays and a first for me: beautiful blue-ringed angelfish!

Instructor Tee and his staff keep the dive equipment in tip-top shape. None of the Island's dive sites is more than ten minutes from the resort. It doesn't take long to adjust to the daily routine: wonderful breakfast, dive, relax in hammock, yummy lunch, back to hammock, dive, etc.

At Terumbu Kili I saw half a dozen shiny tiger cowries laying in the open, which indicates reef preservation is taken seriously in Redang. I was told there is a $5,000 fine for taking reef souvenirs or harming marine life.

Most of the divers I befriended at RBR were repeat customers. I can definitely see why and I will be back again too!

NOTE:
Joseph Ross is travelling around the globe for a year in search of the world's ultimate diving experiences. Follow his diving adventures in Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Egypt, South Africa, Canary Islands, Galapagos Islands, and more!
JR's reports are posted at GOALS (Global Online Adventure Learning Site).