SEMPORNA: World renowned freediver Sahika Ercumen has mailed a postcard to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and First Lady Emine Erdogan from Malaysia's first underwater postbox here.
With one breath Ercumen, 37,recently dived into a wreck site where the postbox is located at a 20-metre depth off Mataking island here.
The 11-world record holder posted the postcard with a message penned by Turkish Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Merve Safa Kavakci.
"As Türkiye's Kuala Lumpur Ambassador, I sent our President a message via the post box under the sea.
"In my message I used the postcard to draw attention to Sabah's universal values.
"With [Ms Ercumen] diving underwater, we sent off this postcard to the Presidential Complex," according to Turkish news agency TRT.
Located about an hour from town, Mataking is known as a honeymoon destination and has more than 30 dive sites for those seeking underwater activities.
Ercumen, who came to Sabah for the first time recently, is promoting tourism and sports in Sabah as part of the Republic of Turkey's diplomacy efforts.
During her seven-days trip to the state, which was facilitated by Sabah Tourism Board, she will also be diving at Kapalai and Sipadan among other spots in the east coast.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman said the state is rich in marine biodiversity, making it an ideal destination for ocean tourism.
"Killer whales, whale sharks, and dolphins are known to use Semporna's waters as a migratory route, and these incredible sea creatures have been sighted numerous times by divers.
"Academicians have also been drawn to Semporna's seabed to research marine life, and the potential for discovering new macro species is enormous.
"We do hope to get scuba divers in Turkey excited about new places to dive when our international borders reopen," she said.