KOTA KINABALU: Contrary to the usual sights of bountiful and colorful underwater scenes, scuba divers are now encountering the severe discoloration of corals off the Kota Kinabalu waters due to rising sea temperatures.
The unpleasant sight was reported and photographed by one of the volunteers involved in ghost net removal activities on Monday.
Marine Research Foundation senior conservation officer Liyana Izwin Khalid said the sea temperature at a depth of 15 meters was recorded at 30 degrees Celsius during the observation, exceeding the ideal range of between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius for Malaysian waters
Sabah Parks director Dr. Maklarin Lakim said the department is aware of the coral bleaching occurring around the state.
"As for the severity of the bleaching, we are still in the initial stages of collecting monitoring data.
"We will take necessary actions, such as reducing human activities, including scuba diving, especially at the severely affected coral sites," he said.
GaiaOne Restoration Project founder Noortasha Devi, who has been replanting corals for almost four years, has also temporarily halted her programme due to the rising sea temperatures.
The corals planted at their nurseries, she said, are still surviving.
"Since the sea temperature has reached 33 degrees Celsius, collecting fragments (from the nurseries) and replanting them would stress their growth.
"That's why we decided to suspend planting. It is pointless when the likely outcome is that these young corals would perish.
"It is better to wait until the water cools down before resuming planting. Typically, this takes at least two to three months."