Local Cop Makes His Mark in Diving

By Kurniawati Kamarudin KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Sub-inspector Mohd Dalila Mansor learnt to scuba dive some 20 years ago as part of his job after he joined the elite special operations tactical unit of the Royal Malaysian Police. He grew to love the activity so much that, on his own initiative, he attended courses to improve his diving skills. Today, he is not only a licensed dive instructor but is also an instructor examiner, which is the highest-ever qualification one can attain in the industry. Mohd Dalila, 49, who is deputy head at the Cheras district police station, obtained all his training and certifications from Rebreather Association of International Dives (RAID), a reputable international diver training organisation based in Sweden. In fact, currently he is the only RAID-certified instructor examiner in Malaysia, and possibly Southeast Asia. As an instructor examiner, he is qualified to evaluate dive instructors in all parts of the world who wish to upgrade their competency level. "I grew to love scuba diving only after learning how to dive," he told Bernama, adding that his job as a trainer for the special warfare training section at the police special operations tactical unit (Commando 69) required him to know diving. "My fascination with the US Navy's Seal (Sea, Air and Land) team pushed me to learn more advanced dive techniques, especially those related to rescue operations." He was part of the team that established Commando 69's diving unit. POPULAR RECREATIONAL SPORT Besides discharging his police duties, Mohd Dalila also runs his own dive centre called DM Skuba, stationed at the Police Training Centre at Jalan Semarak, here. Opened five years ago, DM Skuba comes complete with classroom and swimming pool where beginners can learn to scuba dive. The test to enable learners to obtain the diving licence is conducted in Pulau Perhentian, Terengganu. So far, over 3,000 people have learnt basic diving skills at Mohd Dalila's centre. About 400 divers from all over the world have trained under him to become dive instructors. He said diving is becoming a popular recreational sport among Malaysians as he has been seeing an increase in the number of people keen to learn diving in the last five years. "Earlier, it used to be an expensive sport to learn as most of the instructors were foreigners. Now, however, we've more local dive instructors who run their own centres and offer far more reasonable rates," he said. DIVING LESSONS IN BM Local instructors also have the advantage of conducting their lessons in Bahasa Melayu, thus encouraging those not proficient in English to take up diving, he said. To make it easier for them to understand scuba diving better, Mohd Dalila has published a book in Bahasa Malaysia titled, "Penyelaman Perairan Terbuka" (Diving in the Open Seas). Using simple language and giving detailed explanations, the book is a good guide for beginners and experienced divers alike, and it also addresses safety concerns. "Compared to other extreme sports, diving is a safer activity, provided that one has gone through proper training and sticks to the rules," said the seasoned diver, who has done 8,785 dives to date. "It's not at all dangerous underwater but people have the wrong perception due to some of the Hollywood movies they had watched featuring killer whales, etc," he said. IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP COMPETENCY LEVEL Mohd Dalila, who is currently training eight Malaysians to become dive instructors, said Malaysia was still short of dive professionals who possessed higher levels of competency. In Malaysia, he is RAID's sole instructor trainer as the organisation only certifies one instructor trainer for every country. It took him 10 years to take the various courses necessary to upgrade his competency levels before he was certified as an instructor trainer by RAID. He attained instructor examiner status two years ago, and since then he has certified one instructor trainer each in Indonesia, the Philippines and Maldives. Pointing out that diving was not merely a recreational activity, Mohd Dalila said having diving skills was also very useful for people working in specific areas such as search and rescue operations. He said his 21 years of experience with Commando 69 have shown how vital it was for members of elite teams to possess more advanced diving skills and know-how. "Most of them know how to scuba dive but their level of competency is limited, which I think is a pity. "They should possess at least an international divemaster licence to enable them to carry out their underwater tasks more effectively," he said. He also urged divers working for the shipping, port and marine industries and involved in underwater photography and even forensic investigations to upgrade their expertise in line with their job requirements. "I've observed that many companies and security forces are now sending their employees or members for courses to upgrade their diving skills. This is a good sign," he said. Mohd Dalila, meanwhile, is giving back to society in his own way by selecting 16 islanders from Pulau Perhentian and training them free of charge at his dive centre so that they can earn better income as a dive guide after completing their course. "Once they become certified divers, they can work at the island's dive sites and get to earn about RM5,000 a month. Without the certification, they can only earn about RM2,000," he said. -- BERNAMA