Reef Lover 1 at Redang Island Marine Park (Pulau Pinang) 2008
The agendas were as follows:
14th April
11.00pm - Departed from MMU
15th April
Arrived at Kuala Terengganu a bit late at 11.30am due to a lot of rests and stops along the way.
12.00 noon- Meeting with Jabatan Laut Wilayah Timur to get sponsor of boat. They sponsored us the boat to transfer our participants from Kuala Terengganu to Redang Island during RL1. But this time, due to lack of allocated budget they are not able to sponsor us...huhu.
The boat that Jabatan Laut sposored us during RL 1...very big boat
1.30pm - Stopped at Masjid Kristal to take bath (...hehe) and pray.
3.00pm - Headed straight to Kuala Besut. About 1 and half hour slow and steady drive.
4.30 pm - Finding the best quotation for ferry transport from Kuala Besut to Perhentian Island for 80 participants. We got RM50 per person for a return ticket. Normally, it costs RM70 per person.
- We also discussed about the cheapest accommodation and meal on the island. Wow... food is very expensive in Perhentian Island.
5.30pm - Took a speed boat to Perhentian Island. About 30-45 minutes I guess.
6.15pm - Arrived at Perhentian Besar (Big). Since, RL 2 is a collaboration program with Jabatan Taman Laut, we have to find accommodations for our participants which is near to the Perhentian Marine Park at Perhentian Besar.
Finding accommodation for the night. We chose D' Ayumni. RM 200 per night for a room with 2 queen-sized beds for 4 persons.
D' Ayumni resort...we stayed here for two nights
16th April
10.30 am - Went to Perhentian Kecil (Small) to meet local villagers to discuss about sport and education program. Boat transfer is RM5 per person for a single ride. So, for a return journey...it's RM10...pheww.
Perhentian Kecil (where the village is) view in the morning from Perhentian Besar
We didn't make any appointment. We just asked anybody. Lastly, we met the right people to discuss. They all were wonderful people.
1.30pm - Friday prayer at the village.
3.00pm - Discussion about rental of equipments with Seahorse Dive Centre for RL 2
3.30pm - Get ready for our first dive with Seahorse Dive Centre.
Seahorse Dive Centre at Perhentian Besar
We knew this dive centre since our divemaster at Mabul and Sipadan i.e. Nurul, is working here. Furthermore, the owner of this dive centre i.e. Nafie was my instructor for Open Water back in 2003 at Kembara Dive Centre, Perhentian Kecil. Time to test my newly-bought IST Talaria fin.
My new IST Talaria fin...tested at Perhentian Island...wonderful performance
- The dive site this time is Batu Layar. Quite interesting with a lot of blue-spotted stingrays and bamboo sharks. Also turtles and trigger fish. Abundance of variety multi-coloured fishes. Very satisfied.
17th April
8.45am - Second dive at Tokong Laut, one of the most popular dive site in Perhentian Island. After the dive, I really agreed that this is one of the best dive site. There are a lot of fishes, almost the same like Sipadan. We saw three-legged turtle called Tripod, plenty of blue-spotted stingrays and bamboo shark, trigger fish and a lot of tiny-miny creatures underwater. Unfortunately, none of us brought underwater camera to capture their photos.
Conclusion:
1. Perhentian has got a lot of wonderful dive sites. You must dive here.
2. Food at Perhentian Island is quite expensive. So, be prepared financially if you want to go there without any booking of meals.
3. Local people are very friendly if you're friendly towards them. At least, smile at them.
4. Conservation of the island and the underwater livings is very important. Do your part and if possible create activity that can raise awareness about the importance of conservation.
Some infos about the inportance of conservation at Perhentian Marine Park Jetty
