| Aziz Idris |
SHIPWRECK diving is a global multimillion-dollar industry, a sector which a few countries in the region such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines earn substantial foreign revenue from.
Brunei, by comparison, has vast untapped potential to develop the shipwreck diving tourism industry, an area the country has yet to fully promote to the world.
Speaking on the sidelines of a sharing session with local partners Poni Divers entitled ‘In deep with Peter Collings’ at Verve Café in Batu Bersurat yesterday, Peter Collings – an international shipwreck detective and author – said that he believes that the abandoned shipwrecks in Brunei’s waters hold “great tourism potential” for the country.
Collings concluded a five-week underwater exploration in Brunei waters recently, and has plans to publish his first comprehensive e-book about Brunei’s shipwrecks by June this year. During the session, he gave the audience a glimpse of what’s coming in his book.
While in Brunei, Collings has dived to between 16 and 18 of the country’s iconic wrecks, including the World War II wrecks SS D Klerk and USS Salute (commonly known as the Australian Wreck and American Wreck respectively), as well as wrecks not frequented explored by divers, such as the Southern Glory Wreck – which lies at a whopping depth of 70m below sea level – photographing and sketching them as never been done before.
He has even dove to unnamed wrecks and did his explorations in the coastal waters of Kuala Belait, archiving his findings while doing so.
Readers will find the accounts of these adventures inside Collings’ 150-page e-book, which will consist of detailed findings on Brunei’s shipwrecks including the full history of the explored vessels, archival photos, wreck sketches, diving reports and the marine biodiversity living around the wrecks.
Since the publication of his first book in 1985, the Briton has dedicated his career to underwater exploration, photography and shipwreck discovery. He currently has some 30 titles published to his name, and has been featured extensively in magazines and scooped up a number of international awards.
“The collection of corals and variety of fish are fabulous and amongst the healthiest in the world. The low currents underwater help keep the wrecks in impeccable condition,” Collings said when asked about his experience diving in Brunei. “I would love to come back to continue exploring Brunei waters. The book is just the tip of the iceberg – there is more research to do in Brunei.”
Poni Divers Managing Director Md Tahsin Wong, who also leads dive excursions to the Bruneian shipwrecks, noted that not a lot of research has been done on the sunken vessels in Brunei since the 1990s.
“I hope with Peter’s expertise, the information on Brunei’s shipwrecks can be updated accurately and standardised for future reference to help develop the country’s shipwreck diving tourism industry,” he said.
Also present during yesterday’s talk were representatives from Brunei Tourism, scuba diving enthusiasts, and underwater photographers.