conservation

2024: Turtle Conservation Awareness with Sabah Parks, Sipadan Sabah

We organised for a group of our friends from China, comprising of divers and non-divers of diverse age and backgrounds, to come for a visit to Sabah's underwater haven: Sipadan Island. Here they not only had the opportunity to explore some of the world's most famous dive sites, but also gained an insight into the turtle conservation work by Sabah Parks at the newly renovated turtle hatchery. We were also lucky to have seen an albino baby turtle at the hatchery.

2022: Coral Restoration Project with Sabah Parks, Kudat Sabah

The Ark Team was tasked to film the process of a coral restoration project funded by the European Union that was a collaborative endeavor by multiple organizations which included Sabah Parks, WWF Malaysia, Kudat Turtle Conservation Society, Banggi Coral Conservation Society, Green Semporna and many more.

2022: Coral Restoration Project with Sabah Parks, Kudat Sabah

To support the ongoing efforts of Reef Guardian in turtle conservation, The Ark Team adopted a nest of turtle hatchlings. Reef Guardian sent us the following details about our turtle hatchlings:

• Nest no.: 43

• Species: Hawksbill

• Incubated since: 23rd February 2022

• Number of eggs: 94 eggs

• First emergence: 2nd May 2022

• Total babies produced: 83 baby turtles (89.2% hatching success)

2022: Answering the Call of the ocean 2.0 Lankayan Island Dive Resort

After the successful Answering the Call of the Ocean 1.0 program of the previous year, another collaboration with Reef Guardian took us took us to Lankayan Island Dive Resort, the home base of Reef Guardian where we gained a better insight into Reef Guardian's daily operations and ocean conservation efforts. We also had the rare experience of witnessing coral spawning during the night dives, under the guidance of coral expert Assoc. Prof. Dr. James Tan.

2022: International Coastal Cleanup Day with OCEAN MALL

Ocean Mall is a social media platform founded by the creator of Watakala in conjuction with International Coastal Cleanup Day to draw attention to ocean trash and it's effects on the environment. The idea was to invite scuba divers to take photos or footage of the trash that they encounter during their dives and post them to this social media platform. The aim is to highlight how common it is nowadays to encounter human litter in the ocean today, and to encourage a change in how consumers view their purchases and waste, while also push for manufacturers to take responsibility for their part in contributing to the ocean waste problem.

The Ark Team assisted in gathering the necessary footage for a promotional video for Ocean Mall. The video can be viewed here.

OceanMall Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/oceanmallorg

OceanMall Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oceanmallorg/

2021: Answering the Call of the Ocean 1.0 Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort

After pandemic restrictions have been lifted, we finally returned to the sea - this time to give back. We invited over 80 participants to join the Answering the Call of the Ocean 1.0 Marine Conservation and Awareness Program at Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort. In collaboration with marine science experts from Reef Guardian, and sponsors Hypergear, Watakala and Green Nirvana Resort, the program aimed to raise funds for the marine conservation efforts of Reef Guardian and provide an educational dive experience to participants in the hopes of encouraging scuba divers to become the ocean's ambassadors who can make a positive impact in ocean conservation.

Activities include evening talks and workshops where divers learned about sharks, the negative impacts that the marine environment is facing, the importance of marine protected areas, coral spawning and more. Divers also had the chance to learn about fish bombing blast detectors and and how to conduct underwater cleanups safely.

2020: Learning about turtle conservation from Reef Guardian, Lankayan Island

We were fortunate enough to gain insight into the daily efforts that go into turtle conservation conducted by Reef Guardian during our stay at Lankayan Island Dive Resort. Mr. Abdul Rashid invited us to follow him on one of his morning rounds as he scouts for turtle nests. After finding one, he proceeded to carefully collect and count the eggs before transferring them to the nursery where they are incubated under the care of the Reef Guardian team. We were also very lucky to witness baby turtles hatching during our stay, and the Reef Guardian team invited all the guests to join them in releasing the hatchlings into the ocean, making the experience meaningful and educational.

2017-2019: Layang-layang Island Ocean Needs Us Program

The Ocean Needs Us Program was spearheaded by The Ark Team in collaboration with Layang-Layang Island Resort and the Malaysian Fisheries Department. This conservation awareness program aims to provide an opportunity to divers and corporations to actively engage in coral conservation. The program, which consists of hands-on coral planting and classroom sessions, is guided by experts from the Malaysian Fisheries Department and conducted at Layang-Layang Island Resort.

2017: Annual Conservation Day, Tioman Island

Tioman Island Conservation Day (TICD) 2017 Together For Planet Earth! An annual conservation program by Berjaya Tioman Resort to restore the beauty of the sea and to preserve the splendid marine sanctuary at Tioman Island. There were 130 participants from Malaysia and Singapore at this event. This year, TICD provided a bigger area of conducive environment for corals and marine life by submerging 2 units of coral nursery tables and 5 coral structures. The Ark Team joined other divers in collecting trash on the ocean floor, while the non-divers contributed in building the coral structures and coral nursery tables. Read more about the event here.

2014: WWF Marine Program, Kota Kinabalu Sabah

A program that ran for 12 years in establishing the country’s largest marine protected area, i.e. Tun Mustapha Park.

The Ark Team and other divers assisted the park rangers to place racks around Maliangin Island. It was the first demonstration site for a fish sanctuary, established in 2006, through which such rewards as improved biodiversity, spillover and improved fish catch, and a better standard of living for the community.

Read more about the Tun Mustapha Park here.

2010: International Cleanup day, Terengganu

Project Aware - International Cleanup Day organized by SR Marine Services S/B to clean up marine debris at Pulau Bidong, Terengganu. Back then, there was no development in the island except for a jetty. The site was full of trash and divers volunteered to participate in Diving against Debris as an effort to establish a new site as part of marine park.

2007: Project Aware at Berjaya Redang Beach Resort

Project Aware – Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education by Berjaya Redang Beach Resort. The program was an annual event. Redang Island Clean-Up Day, which was endorsed by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), Project Aware (Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education), Malaysian Sport Diving Association and Tourism Malaysia. Six dive sites were identified as “needing clean-ups” and to remove harmful crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci) from the coral reefs. 65 divers, including seven instructors, joined in to do their bit for the environment. Collectively, the divers found 35 fishing lines, 15 shoes, 31 fishing nets, 707 crown-of-thorns. Read more about the event here.

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