Pontianak — The 79th Independence Day of Indonesia was commemorated by various communities across the country. Celebrations took place not only in offices and open fields but also on beaches and even underwater.
One such unique ceremony was held by Orca Diving Club and Orca Dive Center. They organized the 79th Independence Day commemoration underwater in Teluk Melano, located in Lemukutan Island Village, Sungai Raya Kepulauan District, Bengkayang Regency, West Kalimantan, on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
Dionisius Endy Vietsaman, the Head of the Marine and Supervision Division, who represented the Head of the Marine and Fisheries Department of West Kalimantan, stated that the 79th Independence Day celebration, apart from its maritime significance, also served to promote the Regional Marine Conservation Area.
"Thank you to the West Kalimantan Marine Partners for their contributions, which will be considered in the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Management of the West Kalimantan KKPD," said Dionisius Endy Vietsaman.
Meanwhile, the Head of Lemukutan Island Village, Muhammad Yusuf, warmly welcomed this annual event in Lemukutan Island and its surrounding waters.
"All residents of Lemukutan Island are obliged to commemorate the 79th Independence Day both on land and at sea, as the only village located on a small island in West Kalimantan, which is also within a marine conservation area. Therefore, activities should be sustainable," he said.
The underwater flag-raising ceremony took place at 10:00 AM local time with a total of 79 divers forming the letter "U".
"The purpose of raising the flag underwater is to instill a love for the homeland by fostering a spirit of partnership that cares for the marine environment," explained Hermanus Irwan Dirgantara, Chairman of the Orca Diving Club of West Kalimantan.
In addition to the underwater flag-raising ceremony, a series of activities were held over four days, from August 15 to 18, 2024. These activities included beach clean-ups, coral reef transplantation, and the promotion of Conservation Areas.
These activities also included the dissemination of coral reef health monitoring results, monitoring and estimating carbon storage in seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, as well as the results of community perception monitoring in the Randayan conservation area as part of the USAID Collective Program in West Kalimantan.
This event was conducted in collaboration with the Indonesian Diving Federation (POSSI) West Kalimantan, the Department of Marine and Fisheries (DKP) West Kalimantan, along with diving teams from Satbrimob Polda Kalbar, Ditpolairud, Ditsampta, the Indonesian Navy, the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Agency (BPSPL), UNOSO, MSP Untan, IPB Marine Sciences, Pontianak State Polytechnic, Makumpala Untan, Basarnas, POSSI Mempawah Regency, POSSI Kayong Utara Regency, POSSI Bengkayang Regency, and POSSI Sambas Regency.
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