KETAMA - Redang Island
Ketama is a gentle old girl, and we’re quite fond of her. This 92-meter cargo vessel, built in 1949, went down in a typhoon in 1975 carrying cement. It’s a shallow dive, maxing out at seven meters, which makes it perfect for a long, relaxed exploration, especially for those newer to wreck diving. Even after all these years, you can still make out the superstructure, the hull, and some of the cargo holds. We’ve spent many a dive poking around, imagining the ship's last moments. The visibility here can be decent, usually 10 to 15 meters, allowing light to filter through, illuminating the schools of yellowtail snapper that swirl around the deck. Look closely and you’ll spot resident lionfish tucked into crevices and the occasional turtle grazing on algae. It’s a really accessible piece of maritime history, not a deep dark imposing wreck, but a living reef that tells a story. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light is softer and brings out the colours of the corals starting to grow on the metal.
- Location
- Redang Island, Malaysia, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 4.792083, 103.439370
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 7m
Marine Protected Area: Rantau Abang Fisheries Prohibited Areas
Best Time to Dive in Redang Island
The warmest water temperatures in Redang Island occur in May, averaging 30.5°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 28.0°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.0°C
- February: 28.0°C
- March: 28.8°C
- April: 30.2°C
- May: 30.5°C
- June: 29.9°C
- July: 29.5°C
- August: 29.4°C
- September: 29.5°C
- October: 29.9°C
- November: 29.6°C
- December: 28.6°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Redang Island
- Amazing Grace
- ARISTAIOS - 9m (wreck)
- Batu Tokong Kamudi
- Bina Marine 32 - 25m (wreck)
- Coral Garden (reef)
- Five Sisters - 10-25m (pinnacle)
- Gua Rajawali (cave)
- HATSUTAKA (POSSIBLY) - 27m (wreck)
- HOCK HAI LEE - 15m (wreck)
- LAT DA - 50m (wreck)
- Maju Laut - 9m (wreck)
- MEISUN G7 - 11m (wreck)
- Moonraker
- NANSHIN MARU - 30m (wreck)
- NICHIEI MARU (POSSIBLY) - 1m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to KETAMA
Marine Life in Redang Island
Home to 153 recorded species including 101 reef fish, 34 hard corals, 7 sea cucumbers, 3 other, 3 seagrass & algae, 2 sharks & rays.
Notable Species
- Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Common Ponyfish (Leiognathus equula) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Citharid (Brachypleura novaezeelandiae) - Reef Fish
- Lattice monocle bream (Scolopsis taenioptera) - Reef Fish
- Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) - Reef Fish
- Blacktip Ponyfish (Eubleekeria splendens) - Reef Fish
- Silver Sillago (Sillago sihama) - Reef Fish
- Yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis) - 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
- Blue-banded wrasse (Xiphocheilus typus) - Reef Fish
- Jack (Selar crumenophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Banded-Tail Glassy Perchlet (Ambassis urotaenia) - Reef Fish
- Estuary Cod (Epinephelus coioides) - Reef Fish
- Green chromide (Etroplus suratensis) - Reef Fish
- Butterfish (Scatophagus argus) - Reef Fish
- Flagfin Mojarra (Gerres filamentosus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for KETAMA
Based on average water temperature of 29.3°C, currents 53 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins (stiff blade recommended for strong currents)
- 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