No matter how many times I’ve been here before, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort has never failed to allure me to the tall swaying palm trees growing on the fringe of the beach. This amazing property has been built on its own private cove, away from any other development. Situated at the north of the island, Teluk Dalam is a bay that holds the romance for many a couple who chance upon the crystal blue waters in the Redang Archipelago. Every year since 2005, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort had been celebrating the seas held in conjunction with the Redang International Clean Up Day and Project AWARE. The dive centre has the PADI Gold Palm IDC Resort Centre status, which conducts regular Instructor Training Courses throughout the year.
Sitting onboard Berjaya Air’s Dash 7 Twin Otter plane, I was reassured with the cabin crew’s smiley face that the journey was going to be short and sweet and not bumpy as I had anticipated. Having flown in turbulent skies, I knew I could not fare that well above ground as I would be in water but Berjaya Air’s ground and cabin crew proved me wrong with the services rendered, making the experience from checking in my one ton equipment bag to boarding the plane, buckling up and landing, a very pleasant one that I forgot about my flying blues”¦. The flight took 1 hour and ten minutes as we sailed across the peninsula to the east coast through a patch of stormy clouds in Kuala Terengganu before breaking into blue and sunny skies. Summer is not quite over.
Anticipating the arrival of 90+ divers the next day, we arrived a day ahead of the crowd, making sure there was ample time to set up our underwater video and camera gears for the initial testing on the first dive. We did the first dive off the house reef, checking out both the reef and the underwater camera housings. Between us, there were about 60kg of dive and photographic equipment. The General Manager of Reef Check Malaysia, Julian Hyde and his assistant, Ummi Haslinda, joined us for the dive to see what the house reef was all about. Project AWARE, an organisational focal point for IYOR 2008, is working with international governments, environmental and educational organisations to support initiatives that increase awareness about the value of coral reefs and reef ecosystems, increase understanding about coral reef threats and possible solutions and help implement improved management strategies, conservation and sustainable interactions with coral reef ecosystems. Reef Check is a methodological way of conducting reef surveys through the participation of volunteers who have been trained as Eco Divers. The team was present to conduct a talk as part of the effort of Redang International Clean Up Day 2008.
The following day of the event proper, when the hoards of divers arrived, they were quickly ushered to the Beach Restaurant for briefing and distribution of gift packs before lunch. Much to the disappointment of many regular participants of this event was the absent of the colourfully-designed emblem of Project AWARE T-shirt, which was somehow substituted by a Berjaya Corporate Polo T-shirt instead. The T-shirt is one of the most coveted piece in an event like this one especially it’s in the fourth year running. Many still kept it unwrapped in the hope of exchanging it for a project T-shirt in the future.
The dive centre was overflowing with people gearing up and preparing for their first dive of the day. With four to five boats at the floating wooden dock just outside the dive centre, everyone was getting armed and ready to pick up the menace of the reefs called Crown of Thorns. It’s a starfish capable of devastating corals if left unchecked as it devours huge areas of living colonies in the reefs. With all the good intentions of getting rid of this animal, there is a serious need at various sites while at some others, none at all. Moving the participants to action wasn’t the hard part but giving enough net bags and thongs for each of them is!
Before we launched the event, getting these enthusiastic, sporty people together to get a group photo was a feat for small cameras. To get everyone into view, at least three shots were obtained from left to right to stitch them into a panoramic photo. Photographers with mightier lens would have contained everyone in a single shot and just as soon as the pictures were taken, it marked the start of the Redang International Clean Up Day proper.
As divers gathered for the launch, non-divers gathered to clear debris off the island. Not that the island is littered badly but the rubbish littered by passing boats that is washed ashore by waves on different parts of the island warrants its own attention. Shutterbugs on land as well as underwater were snapping away to win the coveted prizes sponsored by Sony Malaysia.
Last year, over 100 volunteers made up of a group of enthusiastic divers, professional divers and non-divers together with media groups from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, United States and Germany participated in the Redang International Clean-Up Day, successfully collecting and removing a total of 707 ”˜crown-of-thorns’ starfish (Acanthaster planci), 31 fishing nets, 20 non-biodegradeable plastic traps and 80kg bags full of domestic waste from major dive sites at Mak Simpang, Chagar Hutang, Turtle Bay, Berjaya Redang House Reef and Bahagia Wreck. Non-diving participants and volunteers cleared up the beach area at Chagar Hutang and collected over 75 plastic bo ttles, 45 food containers, 35 individual fishing lines, 15 shoes, 10 styrofoam crates and 2 buoys. The amount of trash and debris collected sent an alarming message that there is more to be done to educate the public on the importance of marine conservation. At the time of publication, the total amount of rubbish and Crown of Thorns collected was not documented yet.
Berjaya Hotels & Resorts has joined hands with Reef Check Malaysia to commemorate the International Year of the Reef 2008. The main objective of this collaboration is to strengthen the awareness on ecological, economic, social and cultural value of coral reefs and associated ecosystems. A ”˜Reef Talk’ was conducted by Julian Hyde to enhance the understanding of critical threats to reefs and generate both practical and innovative solutions to reduce these threats.
“It’s crucial for us to sound the alarm and send a message to the public on how easily humans can devastate the state of well-being of the environment. Aside from cleaning up Redang annually, we are also looking at promoting the island as one of the best diving destinations in Malaysia. There are more than 20 diving spots around the island; each spot with its myth and beauty to showcase. The resort houses a certified 5-Star PADI Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre which offers all levels of dive courses for both learning and advance divers. We believe everyone has a fair chance to experience the beauty which lies within the depths of the ocean.” says Mr. Sonny Lim, Assistant General Manager, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. And what a resort it was! The newly constructed Hillside rooms had a perfect view of the ocean, unobstructed even with the presence of native tall palm trees. The rooms are equipped with bathtubs and a separate shower cubicle plus ample space of a walk-in wardrobe that shares the counter wash basin too. And with a king sized bed, I had more than enough room to share with my big, fluffy travel companion called Choffster. A highly recommended place to unwind and experience tranquil, resort atmosphere on these slopes.
The three days package we were on included accommodation in a twin-sharing room, 2 breakfast, 2 lunches and 2 dinners, coupled with 3 boat dives and a welcome gift pack and T-Shirt. The event had been endorsed by Project AWARE (dive industry’s leading non-profit organisation) and Malaysian Sport Diving Association (MSDA), aimed to cultivate and promote the importance of preserving and protecting the environment and ecological systems of Redang Island for the benefit of the future generation.
The two days of activities came to a close with the voting and selection of the winners of the photography competition. Kenneth Leong and Reynard Shoon took home the grand prizes of a Sony camera, Marine Pack and vouchers. Though many came with no expectations of what they would get out of a trip like this, everyone went home with a sense of fulfilment and the knowledge of having contributed in one way or another towards the betterment of the environment.
