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Paddle kings set off on The Lantau Island Paddle Challenge

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Tai Pak Wan was buzzing with excitement this morning, as DBIS teachers Jonny Haines and Tim Tait set off on their epic five-day challenge to paddle 75 kilometres around the whole of Lantau.

Students, staff and DB residents all joined together to cheer the duo on and give them an extra boost of support as they took take to the water.

Speaking to Around DB, Jonny said, “We’re mega excited. It’s nice that the day has finally arrived! It’s been months and months in the planning, and with all the kids that came down to share this morning with us, we couldn’t be more thrilled. The challenge is really just maximising the chance to raise awareness for plastic pollution.”

Increasing awareness of Hong Kong’s ongoing battle with excess plastic is what the Lantau Island Paddle Challenge is all about, with Jonny and Tim aiming to raise HK$100,000 for local community group Plastic Free Seas.

“We can’t wait to get in the water now,” Jonny enthused, “even if it’s a little windy out there! But hey, that’s the challenge, and the show must go on!”

Day one of the course will see the pair paddling as far as Tung Chung. “Well that’s the aim,” said Tim, “starting off here in Discovery Bay, to the north and around Tsing Ma. It’ll take time, but we’re estimating around five hours today.”

Jonny and Tim will be collecting water samples along the way for analysis, and a dolphin detector has also been attached to Tim’s board to help map the dolphin population in Hong Kong.

Senior Scientist Lindsay Porter, an expert in managing marine mammal populations in compromised environments, spoke to students at the launch about the importance of the pair’s challenge for Hong Kong’s dolphins. “They’ll be able to map where the dolphins are and see how close they are to the pollution,” she explained. “This is important information to us so we know what threats the dolphins have in Hong Kong waters.”

Jonny and Tim are also very excited to see how their challenge is inspiring the children. “It’s so great that the whole school is involved,” said Jonny. “The event is almost the flag in the sand to raise awareness to our students. It’s amazing how we’ve managed to make all of this purposeful yet relevant to their learning.”

To see more photos of this morning’s big event, check out our photo gallery here: http://www.arounddb.com/gallery-category/the-lantau-island-paddle-challenge-2018

To support The Lantau Island Paddle Challenge, head to www.simplygiving.com/the-lantau-island-paddle. You can also stay up to date with Jonny and Tim’s progress over the next five days via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lantaupaddle.

Good luck, guys! The whole of DB is rooting for you!

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