Redang - Terumbu Kili - Perhentian Islands
Terumbu Kili, tucked away from the main Perhentian thoroughfare, feels like a proper discovery. We love it because it’s a bit of a gamble, but when it pays off, it really pays off. The site is a shallow reef, starting around 5 meters and sloping gently down, perfect for longer bottom times. You’ll see extensive beds of staghorn coral here, sometimes so thick you can barely make out the reef floor beneath them. Look closely and you’ll find pale-edged stingrays settled in the sand channels, occasionally kicking up a cloud as they glide off. Our favourite find here has to be the whipfin ponyfish, small and iridescent, darting in and out of the branching corals. The schooling blotched grunts also make a grand entrance, a wall of silver stripes against the blue. It’s a calmer dive, usually with mild currents, making it ideal for photographers or divers who just want to drift and absorb the details. We’d suggest going earlier in the morning for the best light, it really brings out the subtle colours of the galaxea and smooth cauliflower corals.
- Location
- Perhentian Islands, Malaysia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 5.731868, 102.997470
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Pulau Pinang Marine Park
Best Time to Dive in Perhentian Islands
The warmest water temperatures in Perhentian Islands occur in June, averaging 31.2°C. The coolest conditions are in January at 28.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.3°C
- February: 28.4°C
- March: 29.1°C
- April: 30.6°C
- May: 31.1°C
- June: 31.2°C
- July: 31.1°C
- August: 30.9°C
- September: 30.8°C
- October: 30.4°C
- November: 29.8°C
- December: 28.7°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Perhentian Islands
- Angel Diver - 10-25m (reef)
- Anti Gravity Divers
- BATTY 3 - 52m (wreck)
- Batu Berendam - 22m
- Batu Bulan - 14m
- Batu Chaping - 18m
- Batu Chipor
- Batu Kapal - 18m
- Batu Kuching - 19m
- Batu Layar - 10-25m (pinnacle)
- Batu Layar
- Batu Nisan
- Batu Nisan Laut - 14m
- Bidong Jetty - 15m (reef)
- Big Seamount (pinnacle)
Nearest Dive Centres to Redang - Terumbu Kili
Marine Life in Perhentian Islands
Home to 169 recorded species including 105 reef fish, 39 hard corals, 11 sea cucumbers, 5 seagrass & algae, 3 sharks & rays, 2 other.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) - Reef Fish
- Common Ponyfish (Leiognathus equula) - Reef Fish
- Yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Citharid (Brachypleura novaezeelandiae) - Reef Fish
- Blacktip Ponyfish (Eubleekeria splendens) - Reef Fish
- Lattice monocle bream (Scolopsis taenioptera) - Reef Fish
- Jack (Selar crumenophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Silver Sillago (Sillago sihama) - Reef Fish
- Flathead Sleeper (Ophiocara porocephala) - Reef Fish
- Silver moony (Monodactylus argenteus) - Reef Fish
- Three Banded Razorfish (Iniistius trivittatus) - Reef Fish
- Golden rabbitfish (Siganus guttatus) - Reef Fish
- Deep Body Silver Biddy (Gerres erythrourus) - Reef Fish
- Triggerfish (Aluterus monoceros) - Reef Fish
- Blue-banded wrasse (Xiphocheilus typus) - Reef Fish
- Grouper (Epinephelus areolatus) - Reef Fish
- Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) - Reef Fish
- Banded-Tail Glassy Perchlet (Ambassis urotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Estuary Cod (Epinephelus coioides) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Redang - Terumbu Kili
Based on average water temperature of 30.0°C, currents 5 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories