Redang Island, Tropical island in Terengganu, Malaysia
Redang Island is an island in Terengganu, Malaysia, stretching several kilometers and covered in tropical forest that reaches down to the shoreline. The beaches are distributed along the eastern and western coasts, with the eastern side offering longer stretches of sand and calmer waters, while the western side is rockier and less accessible.
Merchants from China and India used the island as a stopover on sailing routes across the South China Sea during the 15th and 16th centuries. During World War II, the bay served temporarily as an anchorage for smaller military vessels before the island opened to tourism in the 1980s.
The island takes its name from the Malay word for red clay, which appears in patches along the shoreline. Fishermen from nearby villages still land here to mend nets and sort the day's catch, as their families have done for decades.
Boats run from the mainland mainly between March and October, as crossings during other months are often made difficult by wind and waves. Visitors who want to swim at different beaches can walk along coastal paths or hire a small boat that shuttles between the bays.
Schools of barracudas pass near the northern reefs, forming silver spirals that snorkelers can watch from a short distance. At the southern tip lies a small sunken vessel from the 1970s, now overgrown with coral and serving as shelter for schooling fish.
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