At the end of October, Reef-World staff Charlie Wiseman and Lui Hepworth participated in the 9th Xiamen Recreational Fisheries and Aquarium Expo (XRFE). Having introduced scuba diving to the show last year, the XRFE showed their commitment to sustainability in the industry by giving their full support to Green Fins in their event. The aim of the event was to encourage divers in the region to “be the best diver”.
The mission was to inspire tourists to become more responsible divers and snorkellers and to learn more about the Chinese tourist market. Charlie and Lui ran a Green Fins Booth for three days and held a seminar on ‘Be the Best Diver – dive the Green Fins Way,’ which informed tourists how to make more sustainable decisions when selecting dive centres. Lui who is also a PADI Specialty Instructor gave tips on how be become the best diver with regards to protecting the reefs.
XRFE Event Co-ordinator Angeline Wang showed real passion for Green Fins with extensive promotion of the booth and seminar. This support lead to both being very well attended; tourist, dive centres and government officials saw Green Fins as a positive move for the industry and were keen to find out more. Government officials from coastal resource management departments of Samoa, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Iran and Myanmar, also attended the seminar.
It was encouraging to meet government officials from Taiwan working to protect the natural environment and also Mingo Lee, Director of Ocean Impression who makes underwater videos and courses about preserving the marine environment. Discussing Green Fins, Mingo said “We do the same”, “We are the same!”
With the help of volunteer translator Wendy Hochang, Charlie and Lui were interviewed by Xiamen TV as well a social media sitewww.fj.qq.com.Mr Lin, Vice Director of Xiamen Ocean and Fishery Bureau showed his appreciation for Green Fins by personally inviting Reef-World staff to come back next year.
The Reef-World Foundation expresses their warmest gratitude to XRFE staff and volunteers, who showed such zestful support for Green Fins.
