Another notch

Fan Canyon, Tioman Island June 2009

I was in Tioman again last weekend but this time, it was for a better purpose. I went to complete the island-based survey training to become an eco-diver under Reef Check Malaysia and boy, it wasn't easy!

The whole course involve one pool session (mainly to check our buoyancy skills), 6 open water dives on the island which cover buoyancy skills, fish, inverts and substrates identifications as well as the actual survey methods training and exams in between dives. It was a whole new experience for me because:

1. I was too occupied and worried about the identification exams that I didn't even bother to bring my dSLR camera to the island as I would normally do nor did the underwater housing for my G10 had the chance to get out of my luggage. It felt weird being in the water without the camera at first but I soon forgot all about it as I was too busy on getting the names of the marine creatures right!

2. Before this trip, I would only be interested in the weird and wonderful creatures to capture on camera but after going through the course, I am more aware and appreciative of those 'common' creatures such as groupers, snappers, parrotfish, all sorts of algae and coral types since they play such an important role as marine health indicators. I would never look at them the same again!

3. Also, instead of seeing fish just as 'yellow fish' or 'colourful fish' I am now more aware of their characteristics such as their shape, tails and dorsal fins in order to identify their types. Looking at damaged corals would also now make me think of the causes and diseases. There are so much more things to learn though..

Anyway, what does it means to be an eco-diver? It doesn't mean that I have suddenly become a full-on conservationist nor would I have a perfect buoyancy... it takes alot of practice to master buoyancy, any divers would agree with me on that. But as an eco-diver, it means that I would now dive more responsibly and would hopefully take extra efforts to ensure that I will not cause any damage to the coral reefs, especially while taking photos underwater. I think, I am now more appreciative of the valuable treasures we have in our waters and by joining Reef Check's survey trips, I hope to give a hand in the conservation efforts as a way of giving back to the community.

So......the practice of leaving my brain cells in my holiday gerobok at home whenever I go on holidays has now officially ended. I will now need to bring my brain cells on diving trips, the least!


The students slogging it off in the dive centre while the rest of the world were having fun outside. Thanks Ummi (RC Trainer) for her patience in teaching us and dealing with our antics!


The trainees, the trainer and err... Mr Chotty..