In April, our 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya Island hosted a day of conservation with our partner Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu in support of raising awareness for World Ocean Day, and recently Project AWARE awarded our combined efforts to protect our local environment with a poster of recognition!

Hyatt Regency arrived in a group of 26-strong nature-enthusiasts eager to volunteer in the global fight against marine debris.

The ‘silent killer’ plagues our tropical ecosystem because of improper disposal, but we need to do all we can to preserve our exotic paradise home!

In aid of raising awareness for World Ocean Day, our island staff team organized a morning session of beach cleaning. All participants collected a staggering 347kg of litter from the shorelines nearby our beach house and the tropical setting was its natural-self once again!

The unique education didn’t end there, as many of our team demonstrated the benefits of mangrove planting. It’s not as widely known a fact as it should be, that mangroves are essential ecosystems for the productivity of our seas and oceans! Nutrient recycling from mangrove systems continue the life cycle of everything we know about the marine world, and for this reason is shelter for a variety of species in their juvenile phase.

It was an overall triumph for both our companies and eco-tourism on the whole, to increase public awareness within our local community on the benefits of protecting our natural world. Our combined efforts also raised proceeds of RM1,250 (AUD$416), which was 100% donated to the environmental missions of Project AWARE!

We invite everyone to contribute any effort! Over time, a positive difference will be rewarded with perseverance!