Miss Scuba participants take part in Sipadan Dive, WWF workshop
KOTA KINABALU: The 16 contestants of Miss Scuba International participated in Sipadan Dive and WWF workshop.
Miss Scuba International aims to promote safe diving practices through worldwide professional training organizations, and elevate international tourism and cultural appreciation.
The contestants witnessed shoals of colourful marine life while diving in Sipadan Island, such as barracudas, batfishes, green turtles, grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks etc.
Kuenga Lhaden from Bhutan has just become an open water diver. She was excited to witness such magnificent ocean phenomenon in Sipadan Island and hoped to have more chance in the future to embrace the oceans.
Miss Scuba International is produced not only to celebrate the inner beauty and courage of today’s women, but also to simultaneously advocate worldwide marine conservation.
During the WWF-Malaysia workshops from November 12 to 13, the contestants learnt that oceans support the livelihood of mankind on earth by offering free goods and services from the beginning of mankind.
In a sharing session, WWFMalaysia staff said that economic value of the Semporna Priority Conservation Area (PCA) is estimated to annually generate more than RM118.9 million in net value.
The most common problem faced by most of the countries in the world such as China, Indonesia, Philippines and USA is plastic pollution.
On average, micro plastic fibres are found in 84% tap water samples in the world.
Plastic debris kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals annually, as well as millions of birds and fishes.
WWF-Malaysia staff Hui Ling also shared that the highest garbage rate in beach-clean up is plastic bottles.
WWF-Malaysia has been working with the Sabah government to gazette Tun Mustapha Park, and school kids and local communities on reusing plastic bottles, utilising ecobricks in construction, conducting anti-straw campaign in schools and teaching local women to produce handicrafts using recycled plastics.
The WWF-Malaysia workshop session about Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs (CTICFF) has inspired the Miss Scuba International contestants to become better and stronger role models to improve marine and coastal management in their own countries despite any difficulty that they might face in the future.
Yesterday, they attended the Manta Trust workshop with Jamie Piyada, the project coordinator from Manta Trust Thailand to learn about collecting Manta Ray’s population in Thailand and about spreading awareness through education.
Manta rays are listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union and were added to Appendix II of CITES in 2013.
At n the Manta Trust Thailand workshop, Jamie advised the contestants not to consume any Manta Ray to stop its supply in the market or to chase after the fish in their diving experiences.
It is hoped that the Miss Scuba International contestantsfrom Bhutan, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Latvia, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the USA will continue their effort in promoting ocean conservation and safe diving practices around the world after the final of the contest at Magellan Sutera Resort in Kota Kinabalu this Saturday evening.