KOTA KINABALU: Local dive instructor Roihan Ang has his name etched in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) by being the first person to dive at a depth of 164m in Sipadan recently.
The 31-year-old managed to set a new record with his dive on May 28 this year under the intensive training and supervision of his mentor Ahmad Gabr.
He took over a year to train for this dive with the aim of setting a new record in the MBR.
Ahmad, who is a Guinness World Record holder himself with a 332m underwater dive record, said this achievement was not only a personal pride for Roihan, but also for himself as a coach.
“We trained using the open circuit trimix dive method. During Roihan’s attempt to set the record, he took three and a half hours to reach the required depth and was assisted by a total of 18 crews,” he said in a statement.
He said they used a total of eight mixture tanks throughout the dive, and Roihan set a new record when he reached 164m in depth.
“We hope this achievement will open more opportunities for the diving industry in Semporna, making it a hub for technical, recreation and macro dives,” Ahmad said.
He expressed his appreciation to Sabah Parks and the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry for their support and assistance throughout the record setting preparations and attempt.
Programme manager Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar said Malaysia, especially the Sipadan island in Semporna district, has an amazing environment for deep diving.
“However, the country still lacks knowledge on deep dive techniques and we hope such programmes would serve as a pioneer in creating more divers in this aspect,” he said.
He said they will continue to train divers to break this newly set record, with the hope of achieving a 200m dive record by January next year.
Ahmad Zaki urged for more people to come forward to be the sponsors to this effort.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
