Dubai's sea lovers paddle for a cause

The inaugural Paddle for the Planet initiative kicked off in Dubai on Saturday morning, with dozens of the city's sea lovers paddling for a cause - to conserve the world's oceans. Paddle for the Planet (P4P) is a one-day global relay event, which aims to raise environmental awareness and give back to the oceans, Nick Hando, co founder of P4P said. "P4P brings together the paddling community for the cause," he said. From children to those over 60, the enthusiastic participants took to the sea on surf skis, paddle boats and dragon boats at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel's North Beach. The paddlers went around the Burj Al Arab to Pierchic and back, which took most of them around 30 minutes. It was organised by the Al Shamal group. Elsewhere, the event is set to happen on Sunday on World Environment Day, however, it was organised in Dubai on Saturday since Sunday is a working day here. Thousands of paddlers from 50 countries will join the initiative on Sunday. The synchronised global paddling will raise funds for a nominated marine conservation project - this year being the Daram marine reserve in the Raja Ampat Islands in Northwest Papua, Indonesia. Steven Carter, a paddling enthusiast and Dubai Diggers dragon boat team member, said: "It was a fantastic event, with an amazing turn out and of course for a good cause. It makes people realise that this is our environment and if we ruin it then it is not there anymore for us to enjoy it in future. " If more and more people participate, events such as this can make a very big difference, said Carter, who first started paddling a year ago. The initiative was conceived by Wayne Randall. "It all started after Randall and his daughter watched the movie 'The End of the Line' and was asked questions by his daughter about the fate of our oceans," Hando said. Randall joined hands with a group of paddling enthusiasts including Hando and another co-founder Scott Clephane to set the initiative in motion. "Next year, our aim is to bring together a million paddlers," he added. Dubai-based Colombian-born singer, Fatiniza, also extended her support. She performed at the event and sang Today, a song she wrote for the cause. She wrote the song about a year ago with the objective of raising environmental awareness in mind and when she was approached by the P4P, the song felt ideal for the theme, she said. "I became concerned about the issue after a diving trip when I witnessed plastic bottles and garbage contaminating the waters." Claire Brugirard, a participant, said that people, especially those who are active in water sports, must take more action towards conservation of oceans. "Because this is also our way of preserving the sport we love." Another participant, Jeanine Firtz, a first time paddler said that she joined the initiative because she felt that it is a good cause to stand up for and make a difference. Daram is an archipelago of islands in a far-flung corner of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. This region, located off the North West coast of the island of New Guinea, is known to be the most biodiverse tropical marine region in the world. In an area the size of a football field, there are more species of coral than in the entire Caribbean. Over 70 per cent of the known species of coral in the world and 1,200 species of fish live in these clear blue waters. The islands of Daram are in imminent danger. Their remote location and great distance from the rightful landowners make them an ideal base camp for illegal operations. Without protection, Daram will be decimated by shark finning, reef bombing, turtle harvesting, live fish trade, and illegal logging.