Coral Reef Conservation – Education and Position Action in Borneo, Malaysia
Coral Reefs cover less than 0.1% of the sea bottom yet are home to nearly 33% of all known fish species – they are home to an incredible array of organisms and biodiversity (just like rainforests). Coral reefs are one of our planet’s most amazing natural ecosystems. The Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour provides an introduction to the Coral Reef ecosystem, helping you to appreciate the complexity of coral reef habitats and why they are important. You will also learn about threats impacting the existence of coral reefs and what you can do as an individual to help protect them.
The Coral Reef Conservation Tour activities will take place in the tropical waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, located in front of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. With Kota Kinabalu’s waters being located within the Coral Triangle, where better to highlight the importance of issues affecting coral reefs, such as the effects of global warming, the impact on fisheries and marine pollution. During the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour, you will learn about these issues and be encouraged to take action to protect our coral reefs by being environmentally responsible citizens.
Coral Reef Conservation – Snorkeling with a Positive Difference in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
During our Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour, you will join three snorkelling sessions, all guided by experienced PADI Professionals. The first session will introduce you to the vast range of life found on coral reefs and why they are referred to as the ‘Rainforests of the Sea’. The second snorkelling session will teach you basic fish identification skills – an important way of understanding the health of a coral reef over time. In the final snorkelling session, you will put into practice assessing a coral reef for both signs of good health and if it is under stress. These are complemented by educational briefings and a debrief at the end of your Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour.
At Borneo Dream, we offer a range of marine conservation-related activities, which start with this one-day Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour. We make sure with all our conservation activities are authentic and that any ‘direct action’ taken by the participants during our marine conservation activities has a positive impact on coral reefs and marine life, not a negative impact. As such, we endorse an approach of ‘Look, don’t touch’ and passive interaction with marine life during the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour, so we take away only positive memories and photos and leave the coral reef untouched.
If you are new to snorkelling and want to join the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour, we’d recommend you join our Guided Snorkeling Tour first to learn the basics of snorkelling and develop positive impact snorkelling skills. You will then be fully ready to get the most from the Coral Reef Conservation Tour with Borneo Dream.

Trip Itinerary – Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour, Kota Kinabalu
08:45: Meet Borneo Dream Dive Crew at Jesselton Point Jetty in central Kota Kinabalu
09:10: Transfer by boat to the local marine park.
09:30: Briefing 1 – An Introduction to Coral Reefs, the ‘Rainforests of the Sea’
10:00 – 11:00: Snorkel Session 1 – Start the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour with a short snorkelling skills orientation (for those new to snorkelling) followed by a guided tour of a tropical reef providing you with a glimpse of the vast range of life found on a coral reef and why they are referred to as the ‘Rainforests of the Sea’.
11:00 – 11:30: Briefing 2 – Fish Identification. One of the key ways of understanding the health of a reef over time is by performing fish or coral species surveys to collect data on the volume and variety of species found.
11:30 – 12:30: Snorkel session 2 – During this snorkelling session, you will learn basic fish identification skills, which will help you identify the characteristics of local fish families and species. During the lunch break, you’ll attempt to determine the identities of the fish species you see using a fish identification slate/books and with the help of your PADI Snorkel Guide.
12:45: Lunch at a cafe on an island in the Marine Park.
14:00 – 14:30: Briefing 3 – Coral Reefs in Peril. Learn about threats impacting reefs – natural threats and human-induced factors. Find out simple actions everyone can take to help protect our reefs.
14:30 – 15:30: Snorkel session 3 – How healthy is this reef? Positive signs? Negative signs?
15:45 – 16:15: De-Brief Of Days Activities and a positive action to take away from your Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour
~ 16:30: Arrive back at Jesselton Point Jetty, Kota Kinabalu.
Please note the timings above for the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour are indicative and can be flexed by your PADI Instructor on the day.
Trip Pre-requisites – Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour
The Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour in Kota Kinabalu is available to anyone who is comfortable with snorkelling. There are no age restrictions, but we ask that anyone under 18 yrs old is accompanied by a Parent or Guardian. For joining the snorkelling activities, you should be able to swim and be in good health. The price for the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour is based on a minimum of 4 persons per booking.
Trip Inclusions – Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour
- Return boat transfers on one of our Borneo Dream boats from Jesselton Point Jetty.
- Jesselton Point jetty fee and Sabah Parks island conservation fee.
- Free use of our rental snorkel gear (mask, snorkel, full foot fins, shorty tropical 3mm wetsuit and life jacket if required).
- Three (3) guided snorkel tours (subject to conditions on the day).
- Instruction by one of our friendly experienced PADI Professionals.
- Activities as per the Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour itinerary.
- Small group size per Snorkel Guide provides a safe, personalised experience.
- Lunch at a cafe on an island in the Marine Park (choose from a range of meal options).
- Drinking water, please bring your own container to refill.
Trip Exclusions – Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour
- Hotel transfers – as most Lodges/hotels in central KK are a short walk from Jesselton Point Jetty, it is often just a short walk for the team to the Jetty and is more environmentally friendly.
- We suggest you bring a small change for ice cream or a soft drink at lunchtime.
- A camera with underwater housing is available for daily rental (advance booking required).
Recommended Packing List For Your Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour
Swimwear, towel, dry clothes, suntan lotion, sun hat and sunglasses.
Notes
A PADI Liability Release Form must be signed by the participant before the tour commences. Any participant under 18 years is supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
Please note we do not include Coral Planting as part of our Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour. When coral dies, it forms a substrate on which new corals grow. If you remove a coral, shell or animal, you can disturb the delicate balance and add to the depletion of a coral reef site for future generations.
What are you waiting for? Book your Coral Reef Conservation Day Tour in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, today.
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