SEMPORNA: The Sabah Dive Squad Club urges dive centre operators to conduct refresher training courses on code of ethics and professional boundaries between staff and their clients.
Its charter president Sim Fui said operators must ensure all diving instructors and masters have valid diving certifications.
He said this after a viral posting on social media about a woman was kissed by a man believed to be a staff from a dive centre operator.
The posting, which was shared on a Facebook group also showed an alleged police report lodged over the case and screenshots of a conversation between the woman and the man.
The club also warned foreign diving enthusiasts to be careful when choosing a diving centre and to be firm when something goes wrong.
"We always support our local dive centres and Malaysia tourism sports. Most divers are professional, but this incident involved a dive centre.
"Although we understand that diving instructors and masters must be hospitable to their clients, they must still be professional.
"Therefore, dive centres should remind all dive instructors and masters of the code of ethics to protect the reputation of the diving industry and tourism sector," he said, adding that such precautions would also prevent legal suits against dive operators.
The club, also known as Deus Diving Club, was approved by the Registrar of Societies in November last year.
It aims to have divers join its programmes by looking after the marine environment and ecosystem, promoting diving and community-based tourism, and creating conversations for future generations.