Kota Kinabalu: Following the incident at the Mengalum snorkeling point last month, a second drowning of a Chinese tourist at Mamutik Island in three months raises serious concerns about the strict observance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by both tourists and their guides.

Netizens and the public have expressed growing worries about the apparent loopholes in tourist safety measures.

Some questioned the professionalism of the so-called tour guides and dive instructors and that tourists seeking such services should be warned whether they were involved in previous incidents.

A 25-year-old Chinese tourist drowned while diving around Pulau Mamutik at 2.30pm last Saturday.