Malaysia: first underwater police officers will protect Sabah reefs

Four underwater police officers protecting some of Palau’s most beautiful dive sites so far have become the first diving officers to protect Malaysia’s reefs. Their main task will be to inspect the sites visited by tourists in Sabah Parks, making sure they are not damaged. Sabah is famous for its magnificent mushroom-shaped reefs, while Sipadan is Malaysia’s only island.

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Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Ginun Yangus, hopes that the presence of underwater law enforcers will have a significant impact on the protection of precious coral reefs.

“The four officers are in fact to take on the role of underwater police. Their job is to protect our magnificent reefs from destruction by visiting tourists. We see this as a huge step forward. In the future, we plan to develop this formation and we will want to appoint more police divers to the service. We are also counting on the support of dive guides and divemasters who give underwater tours,” said Secretary Ginun.

According to the ministry, the overall condition of the coral reefs around the island is good, only the most popular locations, may be in slightly poorer shape. There are twelve main dive locations on Sipadan, and the most popular are: Barracuda Point, Drop Off Point and South Point. The Ministry urges people to visit other sites as well, for a balance and better recovery at those aforementioned.

In addition, all reefs within 1 km of the coast around the whole island are treated as a national park with a complete ban on diving. This currently covers an area of 16846.5 hectares, which is a colossal increase from the previous 13.5 hectares. Divers who break the law and damage the reef will be severely punished by the authorities.

Source: Straitstimes.com