It was nice to see some familiar faces again during the Project AWARE International Reef Clean Up Day hosted by Borneo Dreams for the 6th time on 2 Oct 2010 in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Sabah, Borneo.The weather was clear, zero current and perfect for some underwater clean up action!
This cause was a success with the help from 50 divers, both internationally and locally alike. We had Diverse Borneo came down for extra support on tanks, gears, boat and professional guides. The Sabah Marine Park management and its diving division were great - both waiving the diving permits for this purpose and assisting the participants on collecting marine debris. I can see that the Marine Research Foundation also provided a great dive boat. To top it all again, the Sutera Marina also waived boarding permits and allowed boats from Diverse Borneo and Sabah Parks to board their boats so they can picked some of the divers from there.
James of Borneo Dream
Mark's team in action - Diverse Borneo
Marine Research Foundation's boat. Freaking huge!On that day, we had successfully collected a total of 129kg of marine debris . Beer bottles, plastic bags, fishing line, helmet, diapers, mask, snorkels, book, to name a few. Half of the marine debris we've collected were 60kg of plastic bags!
And do you know that plastic bags always mistaken as jelly fish by turtles? If they eat them, turtles could die. This is not good consider that sightings of sea turtles are very rare in TARP. Some of the things I saw while cleaning up at the Manukan Island house reef was that, there were too many empty water bottles (your daily mineral water bottle) being dumped underwater. Some of them were even impossible to be picked up as it was too deep inside the coral reefs. Have you tried to bring a bottle full of shredded bread to feed the fishes underwater? And where do you think it will be left once the food has run out? So you get the point now. It's sad that there are still some water sport operators out there does this - have their staff to provide this food bottle to make the sport more enjoyable or use it to boost their sales.
The great Gaya Island
"When entering a protected place where the fish are bountiful and fearless, we react by wanting to do something nice for them, like feeding. This gesture is well understood as a token of friendship by many species, and is gratefully accepted. Inside a marine reserve, however, it may create conflict with those people who want the fish to behave naturally, like ignoring us."
Some people think that feeding is unnatural and can cause sickness in fish. Too much food in the water can cause bacterial growth. The fact is, this naive act can actually disturb the dietary of underwater lives. It can create problem on the eco system. It can make the fishes to depend on us, waiting to be fed.Nonetheless, this event was great. I had fun for the second volunteering myself in this cause and hopefully there are more to come in the next future.
Love your sea, protect the environment, because the backyard is our treasure too!
Ten Ways a diver can protect the underwater:-
1. Dive carefully to protect fragile aquatic ecosystems
2. Be aware of your body and equipment placement when diving
3. Keep your dive skills sharp through continuing education
4. Consider how your interactions affect aquatic life
5. Understand and respect underwater life
6. Be an ecotourist
7. Respect underwater cultural heritage
8. Report environmental disturbances or destruction
9. Be a role model for other divers and non-divers when interacting with the environment
10. Get involved in local environmental activities and issues
If you happen to be in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo and fancy learning about our underwater world or how you can contribute in protecting the underwater environment, contact our local dive operators now!
Till next time.
Forever blowing bubbles & be active in scuba diving!
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