Wong (left) currently teaches Chinese officials and soldiers basic diving techniques in Hainan, China.
MIRI: Miri’s underwater world, which boasts more than 30 dive sites that are said to be absolute gems, never fails to fascinate scuba divers.
The well-known ones include Azam’s Reef, Seafan Garden, Anamone Garden, Tukau Oil Rig, and Barracuda Point while the lesser known ones include Kenyalang Artificial Reef in Baram 8. In recent years, the state government has been working hard to promote Miri’s eco-tourism, particularly reef diving, but its initiatives lacked one element – conservation.
Martin Wong, a scuba diver cum diving instructor with over 30 years of experience, said conservation was very important.
“In comparison with what’s happening in China, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina and other countries that have similar natural resources, our government doesn’t seem to have a good master plan to develop diving as an eco-tourism attraction,” Wong told The Borneo Post.
“Manpower, for instance, is a major problem. We need experts like marine biologists and aquaculture experts. There is a need to identify the right people to do certain jobs because this is no nine-to-five jobs.” Wong said there were also no special diving teams for reef checking or laboratory research, for instance.
“The government needs to recognise the fact that there is little return from eco-tourism and sea exploration, but it should be viewed as a long-term investment.”
Wong, who was one of a handful of divers to be certified as a member of the Australia-based National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) back in the 80s, said there were lots of obstacles that were holding divers back.
He described as a major obstacle the difficulty in obtaining permits. Then there is the lack of specific jetties or harbours and expensive boat rentals.
“Recreational divers like the wonders of being underwater and observing the living creatures down there. The satisfaction is beyond what words can describe.
“The authority should show support by developing required facilities for the public’s convenience.” Wong is a among only a handful of people to be awarded a CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) three-star scuba diver in the country. CMAS is an entry-level diving certification for recreational scuba diving.
Wong (in front of the wreck) at the Luconia Shoals in 2004.
He currently works as diving instructor in Hainan, China where he teaches Chinese officials and soldiers basic diving techniques.
“Every now and then, I come back to Miri not only because it’s my hometown but because I miss the sea. Although I have dived in some of the most beautiful places around the world, Luconia still holds a special place in my heart because of its pristine natural beauty.” Wong said he became a diving instructor to promote scuba diving in Sarawak.
“Back in the 80s and 90s, scuba diving was quite a new thing here, and many people were reluctant to take up this sport due to lack of knowledge and understanding.”
Wong suggested that marine life studies be included in schools’ co-curricular activities to expose children to this field. After all, he argued, Miri’s underwater world has over 3,000 species of fish and coral reefs spanning over 100,000km. The knowledge that could be learned from down there is not something that can be obtained from books.
On another matter, he noticed sands from the seabed had been taken out for embankment purposes, and this had damaged the seabed.
“Take the area near Miri River mouth, for instance. If we look carefully underwater, it is actually damaged, with many residuals that aren’t supposed to be there. In the long run, it could ruin the sea and the creatures down there; hence, environment conservation is of utmost important.”