A deep, sheltered bay on Redang's quiet north coast. Calm, glassy water most mornings makes it the easiest place on the island to snorkel straight off the sand — shallow coral heads and reef fish begin just metres from shore.

Redang's signature encounter. Green turtles graze the seagrass beds here almost daily, and boat guides know exactly where to drop snorkelers. Keep a respectful distance, don't touch or chase, and let the turtles come up for air undisturbed — this is an active conservation area.

A dramatic rocky point where giant granite boulders tumble into the sea, forming channels, overhangs and a small cave that gives the spot its name. Parrotfish, damselfish and schooling fusiliers work the rocks. Mild currents can wrap the headland, so it suits confident swimmers on boat trips.

A cluster of five islets off the east coast and the site most divers rate first. Staghorn coral gardens, big schools of snapper and fusilier, hunting trevally, and regular sightings of blacktip reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish. Snorkelers stay over the shallow reef crest while divers work the slopes.

Kerengga Besar and Kerengga Kecil sit just off Redang's southeast corner. The shallows between them hold dense anemone patches packed with clownfish — a guaranteed crowd-pleaser — while divers circle the boulder slopes for moray eels, boxfish and the occasional turtle passing through.

The photo stop on every boat itinerary. At low tide a strip of blinding white sand rises out of water so clear and shallow it earned the nickname Little Maldives. Wade the sandbar, watch for baby blacktip sharks patrolling the ankle-deep flats, and save this one for your camera.

A lone islet to the southeast where enormous submerged boulders stack into canyons and swim-throughs. Expect schooling snapper and sweetlips in the channels, reef sharks cruising the deeper edge, and turtles resting under ledges. Depth and mild current make this one for certified divers.

The official Marine Park jetty on Pulau Pinang, with a buoyed, current-free snorkel zone where clouds of sergeant majors greet you the moment you step in. Toilets, shelters and rental gear make it the easiest stop for families and first-timers. A marine park conservation fee applies, and fishing is strictly prohibited.

A low-key bay on the sheltered western side, usually included as the relaxed stop on island-hopping loops. A shallow fringing reef of brain and table corals sits close to shore with parrotfish, wrasse and butterflyfish — and far fewer boats than the marquee sites.