Redang Island Water Sports & Activities Walk
Experience Redang's full range of water activities — beyond the world-class snorkeling and diving that define Redang's international reputation, the island offers glass-bottom boat tours, kayaking, parasailing, and the semi-submarine tours that provide access to the marine park's spectacular coral garden for non-swimmers.
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Glass Bottom Boat Tour
The glass-bottom boat tour over Redang's coral garden provides the most accessible marine environment encounter for visitors who cannot swim or snorkel — the viewing panels in the hull of the specially constructed boat allow passengers to observe the coral formations, the reef fish, and the passing turtles from the comfort of a dry boat seat. The glass-bottom boat tour of the Marine Park coral garden is the most popular non-swimming activity offered by all the Redang resorts and is particularly popular with family groups that include young children or non-swimmers who would otherwise be unable to experience the underwater world that makes Redang famous.
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Kayak Coastal Exploration
Sea kayaking around Redang's coastline provides independent access to the island's less frequented sections — the kayak journey from the main resort beach around the northern headland (a 45-minute paddle in calm conditions) reaches the quieter northern beach with its excellent snorkeling and the absence of the resort boat traffic that populates the southern bay. The kayak approach to Redang's rocky headlands also allows closer observation of the sea birds that nest on the exposed rocks and the sea-level view of the jungle-covered hills that gives the island its dramatic visual character.
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Parasailing Redang Bay
Parasailing over Redang Bay provides the most elevated perspective on the island's landscape — the tow behind the boat at 100-150 metres altitude gives the parasailer an aerial view of the coral garden visible through the clear water below, the full arc of the Pasir Panjang beach, and the forested hills of the island's interior. The aerial view also reveals the extent of the marine park's boundary (visible as the line where the boat traffic and fishing activity outside the park contrast with the undisturbed water of the protected zone) in a way that is impossible to appreciate from the beach level.
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Semi-Submarine Tour
The semi-submarine (a surface vessel with a submerged observation pod) that operates at Redang's coral garden provides the most comfortable and most comprehensive below-water viewing experience available to non-swimmers — the passengers descend into the observation compartment below the boat's waterline and sit at eye level with the coral reef through large viewing windows, allowing them to observe the marine life in the same underwater context that divers and snorkelers experience. The semi-submarine tour is Redang's highest-capacity non-swimming marine activity and is widely used by tour operators to accommodate the portion of their package tour groups who choose not to snorkel.
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Windsurfing and Kayak Racing
The resort-organised water sports activities at Redang's main beach include windsurfing lessons, kayak racing, and the inflatable water sports (banana boat rides, inflatable island tows) that are staples of the Malaysian resort beach activity programme — the organised resort activities provide structured entertainment for the package tour guests who have exhausted the snorkeling programme and are looking for additional beach activities. The competitive kayak races organised by the resorts during school holiday periods provide the most sociable group activity available on the island outside the dive boats.
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Underwater Photography Redang
Redang's exceptional water clarity and marine life density make it one of the best underwater photography destinations in Malaysia — the combination of the colourful hard coral formations, the abundant and relatively unafraid reef fish, the reliable turtle and blacktip shark encounters, and the visibility (typically 15-25 metres in the core season) that allows wide-angle reef photography provides ideal conditions for both amateur underwater photographers using compact cameras in housing and professional underwater photographers using DSLR systems. The Marine Park coral garden's combination of coral coverage and fish density in shallow (3-8 metres) water provides the best opportunity for natural light photography without artificial strobe lighting.