KOTA KINABALU: A CALIFORNIAN reporter was crowned Miss Scuba International 2014 after beating 13 contestants at the grand finale yesterday.
Tabitha Eleanor Lipkin, who represented the United States, also walked away with the Miss Congeniality subsidiary title.
This is the 24-year-old beauty’s first pageant.
Tabitha said she had always been deeply committed to marine conservation and scuba diving.
“I have worked with Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego where they do a lot of projects and reports on conservation, whether it is about whales stranded off the coast or normal activities at sea.
“Winning this pageant is an opportunity of a lifetime. I get to travel the world and spread my love of marine conservation and scuba diving.”
Tabitha, who was certified as a diver in 2010, encouraged women to take up diving and contribute to conservation works.
Freelance model and TV presenter Cattaleya Schulze, 22, from Thailand secured the first runner-up spot, while account executive Amber Ryan Marie Gamble, 23, from Ireland was crowned the second runner-up and Miss Photogenic.
Malaysia’s contestant, Sabah-born Joanne Kimberley Majalap, 24, was one of the top five finalists, followed by Michelle Katie Paraskeva, 24, from United Kingdom, who also grabbed the Miss Talented subsidiary title.
Other subsidiary titles went to Jeraldine Phneah of Singapore (Miss Marine Conservation), Allison Pelletier of Canada (Miss Scuba Tourism) and Rima Demensah of Indonesia (Miss National Costume).