ADEX BLUEGREEN360 AWARDS

realise how lucky we are to be able to witness this extraordinary environment, and encourage behaviour that will ensure its conservation.

We abstain from serving seafood in our restaurant, because most of the seafood caught in this area is not done in a sustainable manner. We also believe that our guests would prefer to enjoy the experience of seeing these creatures rather than eating them.

Other activities that we have pursued in the past include an animal neutering programme whereby we have hosted trained veterinarians to come to Mabul and provide free treatment.

In 2014, we were assessed by Green Fins, and achieved number 2 status in their list of certified dive centres during our initial assessment.

Reef and beach clean-ups

Worldwide, humans produce 280 million tonnes of rubbish annually, with 20 million tonnes ending up in the ocean. Rubbish is not only a global threat to oceans, but is also an important local issue.

We try to be part of the solution by providing waste management facilities beside our jetty, by reducing the amount of waste we produce in our resort and by encouraging the local government to provide improved waste management facilities and services in the area. We also carry out weekly reef and beach clean-ups on Mabul, Si Amil and the northern islands. We have a Sponsor a Reef/Beach Clean initiative that offers our guests the opportunity to fund a reef/beach clean.

Once a year, we organise a Scuba Junkie Marine Week, held in all four Scuba Junkie locations, where we bring everyone together to work together on conservation and community initiatives. Beach cleans make up a huge part of this week and we work closely with the local conservation group, Green Semporna, and invite schools, colleges, government officials and guests alike to get involved.

Shark and ray conservation

The shark is an apex predator that has been on this Earth for over 400 million years. Sharks have shaped the marine ecosystem and are essential for maintaining the balance beneath them. Yet they have been systematically targeted and hunted, pushing many species close to extinction.

Shark conservation is where it all began for Scuba Junkie. From very early on we were pushing for the protection of sharks and rays in Malaysia through the Semporna Shark Sanctuary proposal and our work with the

Shark Education Awareness Survival (SEAS) programme. The proposal has now been added to the government’s agenda.

We abstain from serving seafood in our restaurant, because most of the seafood caught in this area is not done in a sustainable manner