Snorkeling in Malaysia; turtles and sharks on Redang Island
For years I shouted: ‘I will never go snorkeling and certainly not diving! I’m still convinced of the latter, but that snorkeling turned out to be quite fun. How could it be otherwise on one of the most beautiful islands of Malaysia, Redang. Snorkeling on Redang, our first time between turtles and sharks.
Redang
I prefer to go on a sun vacation to an island where you have a beautiful view, a white beach and a beautiful sea to look out on. From Crete to Ibiza and Gran Canaria, I am having a great time here! And also here in Asia you have the most beautiful islands where there is plenty to do, including snorkeling. When we were on Redang last year, we saw hundreds of people every day in boats being taken to a small bay to voluntarily jump into the water. We couldn’t imagine that it would be fun as I don’t go any further into the sea than to my hips. No, let me sunbathe on the beach and cool off in the sea once in a while. That’s more than enough.
Turtles
We put on our lifejackets and jumped into the boat. Five minutes later, we stopped in the bay where an enormous turtle came to take a look. What a luck we thought! Our tour guide jumped into the water with her flippers and started swimming around like crazy. So we went after her, snorkel in your mouth, and breathing as if you have asthma. But how beautiful it was! One turtle after another swam by and didn’t even seem to notice us. I asked in advance if they bite, the answer did not reassure me. Only if they’re incredibly hungry or when they think you’re a fish, they can bite you. The result: I lay like a frog in the water with my feet up to prevent Mr. Tortoise from thinking my toe was a fish.
Lifejacket
A lifejacket is such an invention! You don’t make any effort, and you can ‘calmly’ look underwater. Of course, I wasn’t that calm, sometimes the turtles came pretty close to us, and I was terrified that he would show me his teeth. Meanwhile, Jeroen was lying on his back enjoying the sunshine and saw me like a fool only with my head hanging down. I had to keep a close eye to see if I didn’t come across a surprise. After half an hour, it was time for the last stop.
Decathlon
Since all expatriates stayed in Malaysia this year and went on vacation here, there were quite a few people who traveled to Redang. From them, we heard the most beautiful stories about snorkeling, and what they saw. Gradually we became curious and decided to just buy two snorkel sets at the Decathlon (so you have that store here too, very busy!) in case we were in a crazy mood. And in that crazy mood, we came!
Turtle point
Every hotel on the island offers a tour for snorkeling. These tours vary from once for two hours searching for fish (this sounded good to us) to fanatic snorkeling every day. Diving is also possible here, and many people come to the island to get their PADI. I don’t get that it would be fun to walk into the sea with your flashlight in the evening(!) when it is dark. Night diving also seems to be quite popular, but we kept it at a boat trip to the ‘turtle point’. It does not mean that you will also see turtles. It can just mean that a certain bay is named after it and that you won’t see any turtles.
Sharks
Arriving at the second stop, we saw a dark color underneath us. I didn’t feel like going into the water anymore, but according to our guide, you will find here a beautiful coral with thousands of fish. Before she jumped back into the water, she shouted: ‘If you are lucky, you’ll see sharks! Well, I do not call that lucky. We lay in the water for less than ten seconds, or we heard her shout again: ‘Shark, shark, look down! And yes, there came Mrs. Shark swimming by. From the boat, the sea was looking very dark, but once with our goggles on, we saw everything. Indeed thousands of fish in all colors, large and small, the beautiful coral and a few sharks.
Coral
After again floating around for half an hour, it was time to return to the hotel. It was perfect for the first time, and we didn’t need much longer. We found it very special to see the turtles from so close by and to see them moving very relaxed. And to my amazement, I secretly enjoyed watching the turtles fishing. Unbelievable how many different species there are and to see how they all swim between the corals. And those sharks… it took me ten years of my life, but I got rid of them without a scratch!
Snorkeling in Malaysia; turtles and sharks on Redang Island
For years I shouted: ‘I will never go snorkeling and certainly not diving! I’m still convinced of the latter, but that snorkeling turned out to be quite fun. How could it be otherwise on one of the most beautiful islands of Malaysia, Redang. Snorkeling on Redang, our first time between turtles and sharks.
Redang
I prefer to go on a sun vacation to an island where you have a beautiful view, a white beach and a beautiful sea to look out on. From Crete to Ibiza and Gran Canaria, I am having a great time here! And also here in Asia you have the most beautiful islands where there is plenty to do, including snorkeling. When we were on Redang last year, we saw hundreds of people every day in boats being taken to a small bay to voluntarily jump into the water. We couldn’t imagine that it would be fun as I don’t go any further into the sea than to my hips. No, let me sunbathe on the beach and cool off in the sea once in a while. That’s more than enough.
Decathlon
Since all expatriates stayed in Malaysia this year and went on vacation here, there were quite a few people who traveled to Redang. From them, we heard the most beautiful stories about snorkeling, and what they saw. Gradually we became curious and decided to just buy two snorkel sets at the Decathlon (so you have that store here too, very busy!) in case we were in a crazy mood. And in that crazy mood, we came!
Turtle point
Every hotel on the island offers a tour for snorkeling. These tours vary from once for two hours searching for fish (this sounded good to us) to fanatic snorkeling every day. Diving is also possible here, and many people come to the island to get their PADI. I don’t get that it would be fun to walk into the sea with your flashlight in the evening(!) when it is dark. Night diving also seems to be quite popular, but we kept it at a boat trip to the ‘turtle point’. It does not mean that you will also see turtles. It can just mean that a certain bay is named after it and that you won’t see any turtles.
Turtles
We put on our lifejackets and jumped into the boat. Five minutes later, we stopped in the bay where an enormous turtle came to take a look. What a luck we thought! Our tour guide jumped into the water with her flippers and started swimming around like crazy. So we went after her, snorkel in your mouth, and breathing as if you have asthma. But how beautiful it was! One turtle after another swam by and didn’t even seem to notice us. I asked in advance if they bite, the answer did not reassure me. Only if they’re incredibly hungry or when they think you’re a fish, they can bite you. The result: I lay like a frog in the water with my feet up to prevent Mr. Tortoise from thinking my toe was a fish.
Lifejacket
A lifejacket is such an invention! You don’t make any effort, and you can ‘calmly’ look underwater. Of course, I wasn’t that calm, sometimes the turtles came pretty close to us, and I was terrified that he would show me his teeth. Meanwhile, Jeroen was lying on his back enjoying the sunshine and saw me like a fool only with my head hanging down. I had to keep a close eye to see if I didn’t come across a surprise. After half an hour, it was time for the last stop.
Sharks
Arriving at the second stop, we saw a dark color underneath us. I didn’t feel like going into the water anymore, but according to our guide, you will find here a beautiful coral with thousands of fish. Before she jumped back into the water, she shouted: ‘If you are lucky, you’ll see sharks! Well, I do not call that lucky. We lay in the water for less than ten seconds, or we heard her shout again: ‘Shark, shark, look down! And yes, there came Mrs. Shark swimming by. From the boat, the sea was looking very dark, but once with our goggles on, we saw everything. Indeed thousands of fish in all colors, large and small, the beautiful coral and a few sharks.
Coral
After again floating around for half an hour, it was time to return to the hotel. It was perfect for the first time, and we didn’t need much longer. We found it very special to see the turtles from so close by and to see them moving very relaxed. And to my amazement, I secretly enjoyed watching the turtles fishing. Unbelievable how many different species there are and to see how they all swim between the corals. And those sharks… it took me ten years of my life, but I got rid of them without a scratch!
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