GHOST NET HUNTERS – THE NEW OCEAN HERO at ADEX Sabah Ocean Partnership Summit 2023

In conjunction with the ADEX SABAH OCEAN PARTNERSHIP SUMMIT 2023, a new type of ocean hero will emerge to actively seek and remove discarded, lost and abandoned fishing nets in the water.

On 20 August 2023, ADEX Ambassador for Ghost Net Hunters, HIDY YU, and Guinness World Record Holder and swimmer, BEN LECOMTE, will spend 23 hours in the waters around the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) collecting ghost nets with specialised equipment so they can be removed without causing further damage to the marine ecosystem. Once the nets are recovered, they will be properly disposed of, recycled or repurposed.

Hidy, Ben and their dedicated team of scuba divers, volunteers and environmental organisations will also raise awareness on the environmental impacts of ghost nets, and advocate for sustainable fishing practices through educational campaigns and support initiatives that promote recycling and responsible waste management.

HIDY YU

Hong Kong

In the 16 years she has been diving, Hidy has travelled extensively as an underwater model for various underwater advertisements, diving magazines, travel episodes and TV shows. She also premiered in a freediving film with sharks in the Caribbean to promote shark conservation. The Rising Star award in ADEX Beijing Ocean Week in 2018, and NAUl Outstanding Service Award in 2021 are the most notable among her many accolades. Advocating for ocean conservation, she launched a charter with Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department on micro-plastic beads in 2022. From 2016 to 2019, she was the mermaid ambassador at ADEX Singapore and was honoured as the  ADEX Ocean Ambassador at ADEX Ocean Mission 2023.

BEN LECOMTE

USA and France

Ben is a history maker, Guinness World record holder, author, speaker and an ocean advocate. In 1998, he was the first human to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a drift swim. Following that incredible feat a decade later, he embarked on a new world record expedition, swimming the Pacific Ocean through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch!

Ben uses his expeditions as a platform to collect valuable scientific data and bring

attention to ocean conservation. His advocacy was featured in Ocean Emergency: Currents of Hope, a documentary narrated by Prince Albert II of Monaco, and a full length film, The Swim, focused on his Pacific Ocean endeavour. Ben made it his passion to become a voice for the ocean for his children, and future generations.

For more information, please e-mail ellfrance@uw360.asia and check out www.adex.asia.