A Thorny Business

Located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia (just of the shores of Terengganu), Redang Island is one those many places we’re proud of. The island is famous for its clear blue water, sandy beach, a variety of marine life and beautiful reefs that host an abundance of aquatic life forms. Unfortunately, such holiday spots go through environmental trauma when it becomes too popular. Pollution, over-fishing, construction activities and ignorant divers can disrupt the natural balance of nature. Even the delicate reefs which house the underwater flora and fauna are threatened by reef-debilitating creatures like the crown-of-thorns. The crown-of-thorns is a type of starfish that is covered in spiky, venomous needles (hence the name). It preys on corals and within a year, an individual can consume up to 6m² of living coral.

Realizing the damaging effect of the crown-of-thorns, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort organized an event to curb the over population of these star fishes. That was three years ago, now an annual event called the Redang Island Clean-Up Day (RICD), this year, OK! and a few celebrity guests – Azura, Elaine Daly, Jehan Miskin, Hansen, and JP, were proud to say “we took part in”. Even if you’re not a licensed scuba diver, there’s the land clean up so you can still be part of this noble act.

It wasn’t always a hard work! The participants had the opportunity to sit through a reef talk to learn the value of coral reefs and threats to their sustainability. There was also a photography competition which Azura (with the help of Jehan and Hansen) managed to bag second place with her titled picture ‘Beach Carnival’. We didn’t just take home a certificate of acknowledgement, we also took home Facebook addresses of new friends, fond memories, and pictures to remind us of our fun and good times at Berjaya Redang Beach Resort!