The annual Kod Blue event brought together over 50 people for a beach and underwater cleanup at Kampung Mukut in Pulau Tioman, Pahang.
The participants included islanders, volunteers, Fisheries Department and Malaysian Civil Defence Force representatives, as well as Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) ambassador Baki Zainal.
Together, they removed 410.06kg of marine debris and 26 crown-of-thorns starfish (COTs) from the coastline and surrounding waters.
Every year, Kod Blue moves to a new village in Tioman, creating opportunities for participants to connect with local communities while bringing visitors to experience different parts of the island.
“Kod Blue aims to remove the disconnect that marine debris is only one person’s problem; it is a joint responsibility,” RCM programme manager Shahir Yaman, who is based in Tioman, said in a media statement.
For the local community, the event provided an opportunity to welcome visitors and cleanup crew to their village.
“Thank you for choosing Kampung Mukut for Kod Blue 2026.
“Even though we live on the island, not all of us can scuba dive and do the underwater cleanup,” said village head Afli Abd Karim.
The event also featured a food market, where members of the local community sold a variety of delicacies.
Siti Ansyathirah, a local vendor who sold fresh lemonade said: “This event not only helps locals generate extra income but also raises awareness about the importance of protecting our environment.”
While beach cleanups are familiar to many, not all divers get the opportunity to remove COTs during a dive.
COTs are coral predators that can cause significant damage to coral reefs when their populations reach outbreak levels.
Hariharan Rao, one of the underwater cleanup participants, said, “Now that we know it’s a yearly event, we will definitely come back.”
The Kod Blue event was held in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) campaign, a nationwide initiative coordinated by RCM that mobilises volunteers across the country each September for a month of beach cleanups.
