Cleanup Dives — How Your Dive Habit Can Help the Ocean

## State of Malaysian seas Malaysia sits at the centre of the "Asian Plastic Crescent" — the world's worst-affected plastic pollution zone. An estimated 5,000+ tonnes of plastic waste flow into our waters yearly, including: - Fishing line and "ghost nets" (abandoned fishing nets) - Single-use plastic bags and bottles - Cigarette butts (the most underestimated pollutant) - Flip-flops (you won't believe how many we pull off Sipadan) **Worst hit**: coral reefs, sea turtle nesting beaches, filter feeders (whale sharks, manta rays). ## What a cleanup dive actually is Not just "picking up rubbish" — it's structured underwater conservation work: 1. **Route planning**: avoid re-cleaning same areas 2. **Categorisation**: photo + count by type (data feeds into marine research) 3. **Safety first**: always buddy-paired, gear simplified, avoid hazards (glass, chemicals) 4. **Specialised gear**: scissors (for fishing line), mesh bag, no coral grabbing ## 5 places organising cleanup dives in Malaysia ### 1. Langkawi — Reef Check Malaysia - **Frequency**: monthly - **Sign up**: reefcheck.org.my - **Feature**: free (only pay dive fees) + training provided ### 2. Tioman — Tioman Marine Park - **Frequency**: quarterly - **Feature**: government partnership + media coverage ### 3. Mabul — Scuba Junkie SEAS - **Frequency**: every Tuesday - **Feature**: resort-funded, dive free ### 4. Pulau Payar (Langkawi) — DOF Marine Park - **Frequency**: monthly - **Sign up**: marinepark.gov.my ### 5. Perhentian — Bubbles Dive Resort - **Frequency**: biweekly - **Feature**: also supports a turtle hatchery ## What you can do right now (no organisation needed) 1. **Bring a mesh bag every dive**: pick up 1-2 items, don't disrupt your dive flow 2. **Never throw anything overboard**: including biodegradables (orange peel takes 6 months) 3. **Check your sunscreen**: avoid oxybenzone + octinoxate (coral bleachers) 4. **Support local seafood**: avoid trawler catch (destroys seabed) 5. **Tell new divers**: "don't touch" is about whole ecosystem, not just coral ## Special note on ghost nets If you encounter a large net entangling coral/turtles: - ❌ **DO NOT solo-rescue** — you'll get tangled - ✅ **Photo + GPS mark** - ✅ **Return surface, report to dive op** (they have specialist teams + tools) - ✅ **Upload to Ghost Diving global database**: ghostfishing.org ## A thought experiment If you dive 50 times a year and pick up 2 items each = 100 items. If every active Malaysian diver did this (~15,000 active) = **1.5 million items cleaned per year**. It's not "saving the ocean" — but it's a start.