If we have more people like Harris our world would be cleaner and even more beautiful! Check out the video Harris share with us.
T: A short bio about yourself, A 3-4 lines that best describe you, what you do for living and so…
H: My Name is Muhammad Nur Harris Bin Mohd Nor Hisham but known to people as Harris Hisham. Simple and short; people with long name know the struggle I’ve been through to fill up forms 😀 Born and raised in Petaling Jaya. I’ve started my journey as a professional Scuba Diver right after I finished my studies in 2013.
T: Where have you been?
H: Ever since I started scuba diving back in 2010, most of my travel destinations would involve the ocean, beaches, islands and mostly around Asia. I’m the type of guy who won’t move on from a place until I’ve seen it all. After years I’ve kept on coming back to the same place just to cover every tiny bit of the place. As a scuba diver, I’m blessed to be born in South East Asia because we are located in the coral triangle of the world (Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand) where the highest density of marine life and corals in the world is actually in our backyard.
T: What’s your favourite place so far? Why?
H: Choosing my favourite destination would be hard. Every place offers different feels and vibes. Especially when you include exploring the underwater world. I would say Egypt would be one of my best as I was there for my honeymoon with my wife for 12 days I even got the chance to dive the Red Sea. Tons of historical moments take place in Egypt including the start of some civilizations. That’s why it is one of my favourite place I’ve been as there were values and messages in everything we saw and touched.
T: What was the most challenging thing about travelling?
H: After years of traveling I have realized that everything we do even the tiniest one will leave an impact on the place itself. Literally! And I was referring to TRASH. Yeap. Of all the things. A lot of people do not realize that plastics specifically are a serious issue that we need to think about. We’ve produced more plastics in the last ten years than the whole century.
The Guardian UK quoted that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fishes in the sea and at the end of the day, whatever that you throw away eventually will go down to the ocean. Plastics will break into tiny pieces, fishes will mistake it for food and it goes back to who? Yeap you’re right. To us! There are about 1 billion people in this world that depend on the ocean for a living. 1 BILLION. The ocean is the core of our planet. 70% of the earth is covered by water and what MOST people don’t know is that most of the oxygen we breathe comes from the OCEAN. You can cut down all the trees in the world and survive but if the ocean eco-system fails, same goes for us.
Back to the main question, the hardest part about travelling would be to not leave any plastics. You go to a restaurant, order an iced lemon tea and finish it within 5-10 minutes. There goes the single-use straw and that’s just you. What about the other people in the restaurant? What about other restaurants? That’s why I’m urging you to travel smart. No point in travelling the world but leaving traces of our trash everywhere. You’ve got to understand that this is not about us. This is about our future generations, about our children!
T: One unforgettable travel experience or incident that sticks in your mind…?
H: Traveling moments that I could not forget is the people that I have met that made me a man that I am right now. Travelling is about sharing and experiencing the culture with the PEOPLE. It’s mainly about people. Places don’t teach you anything, it heals your body and soul but people can teach you a lot of things even if you’ve met a random guy by the street for 5 minutes. That guy could change your life forever.
T: What place is top of your bucket list?
H: I’ve always been a huge fan of sharks and apparently the most concentration of sharks in the world is in Galapagos, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The population of sharks is declining rapidly for the last 50 years. They’ve been on earth for around 20 million years and have survived 4 massive extinctions but because of our greediness, our children/grandchildren might only see it in the museum one day. They are important to the ecosystem in the ocean as they act as a doctor in the sea.
Did you know that sharks only eat sick fishes so that the disease won’t spread? Yup, it’s a fact. That’s they are important to us as they will keep our food clean and healthy. They’re not dangerous, they are just curious. A lot of shark attack mostly because they mistook us for seals. You are more likely to die falling off your bed than to get bitten by sharks! 🙂 I want to learn more about them while I still have time and Galapagos Island will be one of my dream travel destinations!
T: One advice to travellers?
H: It was becoming a culture for millennials to travel around the world but one thing that we lack is environmental awareness. Like I said earlier, no point of travelling the world if we leave our traces behind. Some eco-tips I could share is to always bring your own water bottle with you WHEREVER you go. A tote bag would be handy if you need to buy things or food and try to visit the environmental NGOs around the area to learn more about the current issues in the specific place. Make friends! Share your stories, opinions, experience with other people. Search for eco-accommodation just to support the local movement in the area and last but not least, travel SMART and leave nothing but your footsteps! 🙂 #ecooverego