tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48063147550079482202024-03-13T03:09:41.934-07:00TRACC Borneo VolunteersSighting, stories, reviews, and experiences from the diving and snorkeling volunteers with TRACC.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-84959275387947234852017-09-27T04:07:00.003-07:002017-09-27T04:27:35.990-07:00We're now blogging over at tracc.org!We're now doing all our blogging over on our new web site <a href="http://tracc.org/">http://tracc.org</a> ! Please check us out there...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-26481959642254179322017-06-28T08:39:00.001-07:002017-09-27T10:53:04.161-07:00Exploring a whole new world through scuba diving.<br />
My first week at Tracc was spent doing my open water dive course. Instructor Katie introduced me to all the gear, explained how to set it up and what each piece does. After self-study and knowledge reviews it was time to hit the water for the confined water dives. Being in a tropical location without a pool the confined water dives are done in shallow open water. After feeling comfortable with breathing underwater and mastering all the skills necessary it was time for the open water dives.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instructor Katie teaching a rescue course.</td></tr>
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The weightlessness you feel when you have mastered the ability to glide through the water is an amazing experience. Scuba diving is probably the closest to the feeling of flight. You feel absolute freedom, freed from gravity. The experience of calmness underwater were everything moves slowly is very relaxing. You become one with the sea and feel amazed by the truly beautiful natural environment.<br />
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Between admiring the beauty of the underwater world and advancing my diving skills, I have accompanied Tracc volunteers on work dives documenting with the camera the work that is being done. Tracc is a great place to learn to dive or advance your diving skills as it is combined with marine conservation (work dives). The work dives are hands on conservation work to restore the reef at Pom Pom Island which has been destroyed by bomb fishing. At Tracc you dive with a purpose.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving bottle reefs with liftbags.</td></tr>
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I have always loved the sea and am so happy that I've finally entered the truly magnificent world which is scuba diving. I am now a member of a very special community who feel at one with the sea. I am a scuba diver.<br />
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"We dive not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”.<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-74035147723369056522017-06-28T08:39:00.000-07:002017-09-27T04:31:04.204-07:00We Need A Wave Of Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I watched the movie “A plastic ocean” described by Sir David Attenborough as “one of the most important films of our time”. It features devastating and far reaching consequences of our addiction to plastic and the steps that must be taken to save our oceans, our planet and ourselves. The film’s message raises the awareness of plastic pollution and the existing solutions. <span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />Today, more than 8 million tons of plastic pollution enters our oceans every year and plastic production is about 300 million tons a year. About every 11 years the amount of plastic produced doubles. Over the last decade we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century. In 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. These are staggering facts. Plastic has become so popular because it is cheap, durable and can be used for a very wide variety of products. Unfortunately we have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and half the plastic produced is used just once and thrown away. This has become a major environmental issue. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<br /><br />The impact on marine animals is two ways. Entanglement in discarded fishing line, nets, plastic bags, balloons etc. is the biggest issue. The second issue is the impact of eating plastic. About 90% of seabirds eat plastic. When the stomach fills up with plastic they die of malnutrition or blockage/perforation of the gut. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for their natural prey of jelly fish. The plastic debris can kill the turtle by obstructing the oesophagus. Also large amounts of plastic have been found in the stomachs of whales.<br /><br />Plastic is forever and there is no way to dispose of it, you can’t make it go away. Every bit of plastic that has ever been produced still exists in some sort of form. Plastic is a material that the earth cannot digest. <br />
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<br /><br />Pom Pom island is a beautiful tropical paradise but also here the shore line is littered with plastic. Every day more plastic washes up on the otherwise pristine beach. At TRACC we regularly conduct reef and beach cleans which is targeting the plastic already impacting the local environment. But we all can do something in the fight to save our planet by simply reducing the amount of plastic we use and reducing our plastic footprint. We need a wave of change and choose plastic free and reusable products instead. We can turn the tide on plastic together, we all need to reduce, reuse and recycle!<br /><br />On Sunday we observed first-hand the effects of human carelessness as we spotted a turtle in distress, entangled in fishing line and attached to a mooring line and plastic bottle. We were able to free the turtle and it was taken into care. On Monday 2 vets from the Wildlife Rescue Unit arrived from Sandakan and treated the turtle for dehydration, administered antibiotics and performed surgery to remove the protruding bone. It is now a waiting game to see how the turtle recovers and it will require extensive rehabilitation as it lost its left front flipper.<br />
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“Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans" -Jacques Yves Cousteau-<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-71454267849322489002017-06-22T04:35:00.000-07:002017-09-27T04:38:57.826-07:00Returning to Pom Pom island, the place of magical sunsets.<br />
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Last December my daughter and I spent 2 weeks volunteering at TRACC. We had an amazing time and loved every minute of our stay. We snorkelled every day and observed a big array of marine creatures. We both don’t have a marine science background and learned so much. Everyday marine science officers Jo and Allia made sure there was a project we could help with/work on even as non -divers. We collected coral and made coral biscuits, cleaned bottles for the making of artificial reefs, we did turtle surveys, underwater reef cleans and the list goes on.<br />
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When in January TRACC was looking for a volunteer social media intern, my husband opted we should apply and share the role. (Unfortunately due to responsibilities at home we were unable to come to Pom Pom together) So now I am picking up the baton from Andrew and returning to TRACC and beautiful Pom Pom Island.<br />
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I am looking forward to the challenge and I am very excited to learn to dive. The great thing about volunteering at TRACC is that you are not only enjoying the beautiful underwater world but also able to help in conserving and protecting it.<br />
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Coral reefs are spectacular natural areas and they are vital for people and nature. Coral reefs cover less than 0.1% of the ocean’s floor, yet 25% of all fish species are dependent on them. Coral reefs are the nurseries of the ocean. Unfortunately coral reefs are threatened worldwide. The most important causes for coral reef degradation are climate change, destructive fishing methods, unsustainable and excessive forms of tourism and pollution. The coral reefs around Pom Pom island have been seriously damaged by blast or bomb fishing. TRACC’s conservation work includes coral planting and reef regeneration, a kind of underwater gardening. A healthy reef improves biodiversity and supports the healthy ecosystems on which humanity depends.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coral reef at Pulau Timba Timba</td></tr>
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“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-66850070481658717862017-03-19T20:19:00.000-07:002017-09-27T04:45:36.458-07:00Sunday - Fun DayThere is a tradition at TRACC to down tools on Sundays and just find fun things to do. It's always a bit of a surprise waiting to see what the crew will think up to entertain us with on Sundays. This week was a double treat as the dive masters chose two separate islands to explore from the water.<br />
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<a name='more'></a> The crew know the surrounding areas really well so it doesn't take them long to find us some great places to dive.<br />
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We started our morning with a quick trip in the boat known as the "Green Turtle".<br />
After a quick stop by at the police to let them know we were diving near by we headed to a dive wall of the coast of Kalapuan. The tides a creating a bit of cloud at the moment but it adds to the mystique of the walls which disappear into the darkness below, leaving us to ponder what lays beneath looking up at our silhouettes as we pass by.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cameron and Sonny exploring the wall at Kalapuan</td></tr>
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After our first dive we have morning tea to freshen up and allow our nitrogen to balance out prior to the next dive.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having morning tea on the Green Turtle between dives</td></tr>
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Just to give ourselves a little longer out of the dive gear we headed over to Timba Timba to do some jetty jumping.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew lining up on the Timba Timba jetty for some quick dives. </td></tr>
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Our next dive was off the coast of Timba Timba where dive masters Sonny, Alessio and Adam managed to find us another wall to explore. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonny, Cameron and Nathan exploring the reef at Timba Timba</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cameron after seeing a large groper swim by. </td></tr>
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Once back on Pom Pom Island there was still enough daylight for one final dive to my favourite dive site, a small wreck walking distance from the TRACC campsite. </div>
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Although the current was very strong which stirred up a lot of sediment and made the dive difficult it was still great to see the fish hiding from the current in the wreck. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweetlips and midnight snapper sheltering in the wreck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While Norma holds a rope against the current Katie uses her slate to ask if she is OK with the strong current</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A turtle passes us by while we were on the wreck dive</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-50421834366184231892017-03-09T16:28:00.001-08:002017-09-27T04:51:09.079-07:00Visit from Ross School - New YorkIt is not uncommon for new people to arrive at the TRACC campsite when the boat returns from Semporna with fresh supplies. New people are quickly assimilated into the TRACC community. However this week it wasn’t one or two new people arriving but 30 new people arriving as the Ross School stopped by Pom Pom island as part of their Borneo field trip. A video record of the Ross School visit is also on youtube. <a href="https://youtu.be/L03_9XmuwPM">Ross School Visit to TRACC</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boats arriving with students from Ross School </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students enjoying sunset on their first evening at Pom Pom Island</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I</span>t was a
vast change in dynamics because now the TRACC team were outnumbered
almost 2 to 1 with people new to camp life. Luckily the students and
teachers were eager to jump in and learn about life on a tropical
island. Traveling is always exhausting so we were impressed that at the
end of a long day the students managed to stay attentive through the
induction and some opening presentations.<br />
<br />The Ross school was with us for a total of 3
days and we managed to fit a lot into a short period with many
presentations covering things such as dangers to watch out for in the
marine environment, the importance of mangroves, the impact of palm oil
on the environment, issues caused by shark finning and many more. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alessio talking about palm oil. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cameron giving presentation on mangroves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting around campfire at night</td></tr>
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On the morning of their departure we managed to catch up with some of the teachers and students and it was great to hear that they took a lot out of their short stay with us. Everyone had a slightly different highlight although a common theme was that everyone really enjoyed their time at island of Kalapuan. We traveled in 3 boats from Pom Pom island to Kalapuan island and docked at the house of one of the locals there. The temperature seemed much hotter at Kalapuan than at Pom Pom island as we were sheltered from any wind. Despite the tropical heat the students and teachers jumped in with a number of activities including making cement to be used to build artificial reefs, a beach clean where the local kids helped out and a walk around the island. The highlight for many of the TRACC team was watching the students dance with the local children. Despite being very young or perhaps because of it the locals were amazingly fast learners and could instantly mirror the dance moves the Ross students where doing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing with the children at Kalapuan Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving some treats to the kids who helped with beach clean</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building bottle reefs to help restore the coral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ross school students helping out with beach clean</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fast learners local children dance with students</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TRACC team with Ross School team.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-280393531971973972017-02-27T00:37:00.001-08:002017-09-27T08:50:17.396-07:00Week of extreme trainingThis week the TRACC camp has been dominated by advanced training with 3 courses taking place throughout the week. These were the EFR (Emergency First Response) the rescue and the dive master courses. The TRACC Tech diver Iena has been kept extremely busy but so have most of the other members of the TRACC team who have been acting as either people needing rescue or people being hysterical because they know someone needs rescue. Of course it was all acting and nobody actually was in distress but the acting was very authentic and anyone walking past would have been forgiven for being a little confused about the all the action. <div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working as a team</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding a way to carry a person out of the water</td></tr>
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It was very interesting to see what some of these courses entailed and I have nothing but respect for the people who managed to complete them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final scenario</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen and Alessio realising they are now dive masters</td></tr>
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<br />During the week people have been working through a number of rescue and EFR scenarios. As the week progressed the scenarios got increasingly more manic, as the scenarios got more creative and the actors improved their improvisation until the scenarios became all but real. The final scenario can only be described as pandemonium. I had to marvel at how dive master Alessio held it together while trying to resuscitate a dummy while surrounded by people yelling at him that he was doing it wrong, pushing him and generally trying to distract him. I’m sure it must represent what first response people must sometimes have to go through being first on the scene with distraught friends and family surrounding a victim.</div>
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<br />Last night was a bit of a celebration for the outstanding performance of those people completing courses throughout the week and in particular a celebration of Helen and Alessio who became dive masters. Alessio will stay on at TRACC for a few months now as one of the resident dive masters and will help support Katie the TRACC diving instructor. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-75423159360642486952017-02-19T23:13:00.000-08:002017-09-27T09:00:18.298-07:00Week 1 in paradise for a new media intern. Well it’s been approximately one week since I arrived at the beautiful
tropical Pom Pom island to help out as part of the Tracc program. So
today I must ignore the lure of the water, the call of the marine world
just a short walk across the sand. Tracc is a very special destination
for many reasons, the camaraderie, scenery, diving, snorkelling and the
great food. However one thing above all sets TRACC (Tropical Research
And Conservation Centre) above any other holiday destination I could
think of. At best when we go to a reef resort all we can hope for is to
have zero negative impact on the marine environment. This includes not
touching the bottom, wearing marine friendly sun screen, and removing
all rubbish. TRACC takes zero impact one step further by it’s visitors
having a positive impact on the marine environment. It’s always great to
see a turtle relaxing on the sea floor but it’s that extra bit special
when you see the turtle sitting amongst a part of the reef which the
team has restored.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming to collect some blocks to take out to the reef.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P0R94Q6hVFY/WKqQelCLYbI/AAAAAAAADQ8/etmov2zRTfsnHnmZwy28hUBOpTqFKeeRgCEw/s1600/DSCN0041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P0R94Q6hVFY/WKqQelCLYbI/AAAAAAAADQ8/etmov2zRTfsnHnmZwy28hUBOpTqFKeeRgCEw/s320/DSCN0041.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crew collecting samples to be planted back on the sea floor. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kit demonstrating how the blocks will sit on the sea floor</td></tr>
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I can’t talk first hand on what it’s like to take part in one of the
work teams placing blocks on the sea floor as I don’t have my open water
certification. I can see that working as a team of divers placing
blocks would be pretty good fun and make the dive that extra bit
interesting. Not to mention the satisfaction you would get in seeing the
marine life revelling in a playground you helped create. <br />
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What I can talk about is what it’s like to learn to dive at TRACC as I’m currently working through my PADI open water course. Most of the current team here at TRACC are certified to dive at various levels. This might be a little awkward for pretty much the only none diver here but it’s quite the opposite. There is no aloofness from team only legitimate interest in how my course is progressing which under the experienced eye of my instructor Katie all the way out from California is progressing well. Katie doesn’t mention it but I know I’ve thrown the occasional curve ball in there when we are underwater but she is always right there in the blink of eye if something doesn’t go as planned. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dive Instructor Katie</td></tr>
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In the meantime while I work through my open water there is always snorkelling. I love snorkelling over the sections of reef which the TRACC team have created as there is always so much more marine life there. There is a slight current running right to left as I look out to sea so I walk along the beach to the right and let the current drift me back to camp. It’s so bewitching drifting along the reef as the aquatic life pass by that quite often there is no other option than to walk back up the beach and do it again. In fact as there is so much diving going on at TRACC, the shallower reefs are a snorkelers dream as I quite often have the entire shallow reef to myself. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Snorkelers view of divers below. </td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-19313467436809030372017-02-02T18:53:00.000-08:002017-09-27T09:04:38.795-07:00An incredible intern experienceOn Monday I finally had to bid TRACC farewell. It was about the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to do. My days at TRACC have been some of my happiest and I am so incredibly greatful for the opportunity to be the social media intern at TRACC this summer.<br />
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The diving was unreal, and I feel so privileged to have been able to develop my relationship with our underwater world. I went from 8 dives to 85, and became certified as an advanced diver. My diving skills improved so much over this time. Under the awesome instruction of Gov, I learnt a huge amount about my buoyancy, navigation, and recovery of objects in the ocean. I was then able to use those skills in my conservation work- collecting and planting corals and sea fans, dropping artificial reefs, and conducting surveys and mapping underwater, and then passing on my newfound knowledge onto others.<br />
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I learnt about the marine ecosystems around Pom Pom, and was able to identify species and learn about the part they play in the ocean. If I ever had a question about science, I was able to immediately pick the minds of our talented science officers or interns and learn. I also learnt about the social aspects of marine conservation, and the issues facing local people- particularly the Bajau people from Kulapuan.<br />
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The greatest part about my time at TRACC has been the people. TRACC is a melting pot of cultures, all so different, but with similar ideas about the important responsibility we have to preserve our beautiful environment. I have made lifelong friends with people from all over the world, who beautifully all ended up stranded together on the desert island of Pom Pom.<br />
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I will not forget: Tent life, sandfly bites, rashy tan lines, naked final dive, grilled cheese late at night, sweaty Semporna shopping trips, late night girl talks, Jo's dance moves, ABC party, Allia's hugs, early morning dives, Aisyah's talks, Nathan's sass, Christmas diarrhoea, playing hearts while diving, Bohey Dulang views, Lilly's Cackle, dance partys on the Jetty, noodles and rice, Gino <3, finding pant legs with Cam, Hallelujah camp fires, Diniy and the trigger fish, Bujaaaaannngggg, the tooth brushing station, Australia Day, and so much more.<br />
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Thank you to each and every staff member, intern and volunteer at TRACC for your passion, willingness to share and learn, dedication to tracc and all it stands for, and most of all for your friendship. I hope our paths will cross in the very near future. Most of all thank you to Steve Oakley for creating something magical. I only managed to meet you for three short days, but be assured your legacy is shining bright on Pom Pom.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-7751621047219643682017-02-01T23:44:00.000-08:002017-09-27T09:04:08.713-07:00Local staff at TRACCDay to day life at TRACC is only made possible by the dedication and help of our incredible local staff. They are behind the scenes cooking, cleaning, filling our tanks, building, and maintaining our camp. We are so greatful for all that they do for us, and are proud to employ local to ensure money is going into the local economy to support local families. I had a chat to a few of our staff about their jobs and why they like working at TRACC.<br />
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Pak cik has been was TRACC since March 2016 as our boatman. He always has a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. This is his first job as a boatman for an organisation, but he has been driving boats for years. He knows the oceans in the area very well and keeps us safe on the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IyCNNi0fLGg/WJLjG2YV9tI/AAAAAAAADO8/6F2VNYmscHk6Tk2-IMzgoz4QnaEGfTFswCKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IyCNNi0fLGg/WJLjG2YV9tI/AAAAAAAADO8/6F2VNYmscHk6Tk2-IMzgoz4QnaEGfTFswCKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pak cik</td></tr>
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Miti has been with TRACC since 2011 as a boatman. He likes TRACC because it is close to his home island. TRACC also allows him to spend time with his family on his day off, which is not possible working at a resort.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MI0pRJuvxNU/WJLjDGawz3I/AAAAAAAADO4/ue87BGWCiQcOB2RpjlYS5_l-3ExDUU0uQCKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MI0pRJuvxNU/WJLjDGawz3I/AAAAAAAADO4/ue87BGWCiQcOB2RpjlYS5_l-3ExDUU0uQCKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miti</td></tr>
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Welman has been with us since 2013. He is our general all round camp go-to guy. He is a landscaper, boatman, and fix it man. He likes TRACC for its good environment, good wage, and friendly volunteers.<br />
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Jomoh has been filling and working on our tanks for the past 8 months.
He used to work in a resort but prefers TRACC for its more positive work
environment. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7bnLofUmQo/WJLi-mz6_dI/AAAAAAAADO0/nm3vr5OJFpksAIFA9lPa5iQ7yOSZN9ZaQCKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7bnLofUmQo/WJLi-mz6_dI/AAAAAAAADO0/nm3vr5OJFpksAIFA9lPa5iQ7yOSZN9ZaQCKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jomoh</td></tr>
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Dino has been at TRACC from the beginning. He met Steve a long time ago when an aquarium was being built in KK, and has been an invaluable part of TRACC since then, overseeing local staff and getting things done. He likes TRACC because he believes in the conservation, the people and the island life environment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LStR8IKJ8I/WJLi2IKzzNI/AAAAAAAADOw/jIxKCiPpqtkGOgSJOaEoXIGgK2N5Pr8aQCKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_LStR8IKJ8I/WJLi2IKzzNI/AAAAAAAADOw/jIxKCiPpqtkGOgSJOaEoXIGgK2N5Pr8aQCKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dino</td></tr>
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Kyryl had been at TRACC for four years. He was our compressor guy for three years, and now is a general maintenance guy. He likes TRACC because he can learn English, and because he feels happy and laughs here everyday. Oh and for the ladies (😂)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E64N-gMrj-4/WJLis5FIViI/AAAAAAAADOs/OYg0AU6co6Y3ifYvJxxR3oaPUNYLOyHsACKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E64N-gMrj-4/WJLis5FIViI/AAAAAAAADOs/OYg0AU6co6Y3ifYvJxxR3oaPUNYLOyHsACKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyryl</td></tr>
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Neng has been a cook here for seven months. Cooking has always been a hobby of hers, so she is happy doing it here. She likes TRACC for the happy people she would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet. Her favourite food is kek batik.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1kKbVlB8900/WJLcK0Tj9oI/AAAAAAAADOI/GpYiNqct40wKyFtnO13qRMM_WU4SlbREgCKgB/s1600/Snapseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1kKbVlB8900/WJLcK0Tj9oI/AAAAAAAADOI/GpYiNqct40wKyFtnO13qRMM_WU4SlbREgCKgB/s320/Snapseed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neng</td></tr>
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Rasma has cooked at TRACC for 4 years, and was based in Semporna before this. She likes to cook for volunteers and loves everything she cooks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWGiVFKCQi4/WJLcGI4ft_I/AAAAAAAADOE/fdvwJR0A7W04ccUZzNTwN6PLgncQ-hZRQCKgB/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GWGiVFKCQi4/WJLcGI4ft_I/AAAAAAAADOE/fdvwJR0A7W04ccUZzNTwN6PLgncQ-hZRQCKgB/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rasma</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-64013501656442956722017-01-30T23:14:00.000-08:002017-09-27T09:05:18.889-07:00Farewell DiniyDiniy (or Dinley or Dino or Gino or D Dawg) has been a science intern with us here at TRACC since September. This guy is radicool and has been absolutely bomb to work with here at TRACC along with all the other volunteers. He has a passionate, hardworking and reliable presence and will be sorely missed when he heads back home to Brunei. I had a chat with Diniy this week to get his reflections on his time here at TRACC. <br />
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Before I came to TRACC I was working at tshirt printing company in Brunei for a while but all the time knowing it was not what I really wanted to do. So I began to search for internship opportunities in Malaysia to do with marine conservation. TRACC was the first group that got back to me so I thought why not?<br />
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I had studied marine biology at Newcastle University (graduating in 2015) so have a background in marine science. At uni I had done a lot of theory work, but not many practicals, and zero practicals to do with marine conservation. TRACC offered me a way to put theory into practice. I also wanted to get more into diving. A lot of my friends are divers and were encouraging me to do more. I came to TRACC with only four dives but amped to get more experience.<br />
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TRACC has taught me a lot about barriers to conservation. I realise first off, that there is not a huge amount of support for conservation and it is really difficult to get funding unless an investment will be immediately profitable. I also learnt a lot about the bajau people. Sustainable fishing is a deep rooted problem for bajau. They have been forced into unsustainable fishing practices because of their lack of country status and ability to gain work anywhere. They resort to risking their lives and destroying corals through bomb fishing as it is the only way they can feed their families and make any sort of income to advance beyond subsistence lifestyles. Visiting the bajau people on Kulapuan, and translating between them and our volunteers has taught me a lot about the reasons behind the the conservation issues at TRACC.<br />
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At TRACC I have learnt a lot about construction too. Before I came here I had never touched a power tool and now I can use a cement mixer, drill, single grinder. I know the process of planning, creating and dropping reefs. I had a science project, undertaking soft coral measurements of replanted coral. Whilst the project was not much of a success, we did learn a lot about the sedimentation rates at the north end if the beach, which is really useful for future projects.<br />
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The thing I like most about TRACC has been the people. Im constantly Meeting like minded people who want to give back to planet. It's so interesting hearing about how people got here and what drives them to come to a place like TRACC. I have also gained amazing diving experience.<br />
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I feel good about future of marine conservation. People often forget the ocean is teeming with life ands it's importance in the world. But more and more, oceans are gaining recognition. I would love to be able to start a similar project to TRACC in Brunei.<br />
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I'd like to thank TRACC, the workers, instructors, volunteers, DMs, interns, and Steve Oakley - for starting this incredible project, for making my four months here an incredible experience. I have met so many incredible people with interesting backgrounds - teachers, contractors, carpenters, wildlife officers, stock traders, lawyers, editors, a professional clown, etc. I won't forget my experience and the people I met. Finally, I'd like to thank my good friends, joey and monsoon the dogs, shov the instructors, tom and Christine the previous science officer and DM, Adam and basil the boss DMs, and Joachim and Allia the current science officers and Maddy for making me write this last paragraph for this interview 😂<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-54713796598804382542017-01-27T18:01:00.001-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.942-07:00Sunday funday trip to Kulapuan Last Sunday we went om our Sunday Funday trip, this week we chose to go to Kulapuan. The trip was a great opportunity to visit the local village on Kulapuan, as well as explore a new dive site. (See my post about the film crew visit to learn more about the Bajau people who live on Kulapuan). We have a lot of volunteers at the moment so it took quite a lot of coordination to get everyone from Pom Pom with food and dive gear- but we made it there and back, alive and in one piece!<br />
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The first boat left at 7.30 with seven volunteers who were undertaking a survey of the intertidal zone on the island, lead by our A Level teacher, Allia. They looked at the large reef flat at Kulapuan by walking along a 100m line perpendicular to the shore with a one metre by one metre quadrant. It was an excellent learning opportunity for the volunteers in marine science methodology. The group found low biodiversity in the tidal zone, but high mass of certain species such as perrywinkle snails and brittle stars.<br />
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Hanging out in the intertidal zone after the survey</div>
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The rest of the group arrived at about 10am. We split into two groups. The first group went walking around the island and to the local village. They were able to see the Bajau people, and buy things from the shop. TRACC has a strong relationship with the village and the people. One vary noticeable thing at the village is the huge amount of trash littering the ground and floating in the sea. Most of this trash gets washed up from the mainland daily. There is no ability to dispose of the trash on the island, as the people are unable to transport it to Semporna. It is a major issue, and we hope to have more clean up days throughout the year on Kulapuan.<br />
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Customer service at the village shop </div>
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The other group went out for their first dive of the day. We went right down from the newly built jetty. It was a lovely dive site with a lot of hard corals. There was a current we swam into to begin with, then we let it carry us back along the reef. We saw turtles, a few nudibranchs, and a white moray swimming along the coral. We came up from the dive and took our gear off. The air was very calm. Then, within about five minutes there was a shift, and the wind started howling and rain started pouring down. We made the decision to go back to Pom Pom and the next hour was spent packing up the boat in the pouring rain, and trying our best to keep warm with body heat and milo!! It was a crazy weather shift from the morning, but with patience and a good sense of humour we got everything packed up and headed back to Pom Pom, arriving just as the rain stopped..!<br />
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It was a full on and exciting day, and everyone sleeping extreamly well that night. Huge thanks to our amazing boatman, volunteers, and staff for the day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-8694446575518181272017-01-25T18:18:00.001-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.110-07:00A busy week of conservation at TRACCThis past week has been a busy one for conservation. We have had a lot of volunteers coming through with a huge amount of passion for undertaking conservation diving each day. The energy has been incredible and I am feeling very sad that my time at TRACC is so near to ending. But enough of that. I thought I would give an overview of the conservation we have been undertaking recently and how it is helping our reefs at Pom Pom.<br />
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To begin, last week we spent some time out snorkelling along our house reef, surveying the number and state of all of our bottle reefs. We split house reef into four segments so that we can rotate our conservation dives through each section to keep better track of our work over time. This information was then collated onto our data base.<br />
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We have done a lot of bottle reef maintenance this week. This involves snorkelling and collecting baskets of broken, but living coral from the sea floor. This is coral that has broken off due to stormy waters, or by tourists that have knocked coral and broken it. After collection we get kitted up in our dive gear and go back into the ocean. We take the coral and attach them with wire to the bottles on the bottle reef. Between six of us we attach about 60 pieces of coral in 30 minutes at a depth of about three metres. The idea behind the reef is that the bottles provide a stable base for the coral to grow from, rather than just dying on the sea floor. Having more coral helps the ecosystem in so many ways- providing new habitat for marine animals, and stability for the reef.<br />
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A time lapse photo showing the growth of branching coral on the bottle reef over three months</div>
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We also went twice to an area of the island called lobster wall to collect some soft coral. Here, there is an area where there is a lot of soft coral growing naturally. We collect pieces from this area that are loose and attached to rubble. We fill up the bottom of two crates with the coral. This only takes about 15 minutes and gives us the chance to go on a fun dive to see the beautiful wall (and our lobster friends!). We then take the soft coral to an area on our house reef where we have dropped some nets. We place the coral under the net. The coral will grow and create a new carpet of soft coral along the slope- an area that is otherwise made up of broken dead coral.<br />
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Our net of soft coral growing on the slope</div>
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We spent one morning at the wreck dive site collecting gorgonian sea fans. We cut off small branches of the fans, or broken pieces that are on the ground. The fans are beautiful and delicate, and when you see it above the water it has the most incredibly vibrant colours. We took them down to the igloo shaped reefs we have in house reef. We attach the pieces with zip ties to the structure. The fans grow well on this structure, and we even discovered one fan that had attached on its own.<br />
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Gorgonian sea fans growing on our igloo reef</div>
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Apart from these projects, we made and dropped about 24 bottle reefs, and did some mad jetty jumping! It was a really satisfying, busy week. I find it absolutely incredible how much I have learnt about different ways of creating reefs in the past two months and how much we have achieved. Planting corals has also been so awesome for my buoyancy in the water.<br />
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Dropping bottle reefs</div>
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Loading up the bottle reefs into the kayak</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-63643010481360382682017-01-20T18:11:00.000-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.979-07:00Semporna Shopping TripsTwice a week TRACC goes to the mainland to Semporna to pick up weekly supplies and new volunteers. Pom Pom island is very isolated, with no local village or town, so all food, drinking water, gas, reef making supplies, general camp and building supplies, and individual personal things must be brought over from Semporna.<br />
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Semporna is a chaotic little seaside town, and anybody who has been their knows that if you can skip a stay in Semporna, it's probably for the best. Doing the shopping is an interesting experience to say the least. Different people take responsibility for the job each week. In my time here I have helped out four times. The last time decided to lead the shopping trip rather than just helping out. I remember lying down to go to sleep the night before, and thinking " oh god. what have I done?"<br />
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We leave Pom Pom at around 8.30 in the morning with our amazing boatman Pak Cik and any volunteers that are leaving TRACC. When we arrive at Semporna we sadly farewell our volunteers, before getting down to business. First up is remembering how to drive stick in a big white people mover van. After a few deep breaths we were off. I had been given a map marked out with places to go and my amazing sidekick Aisyah directed me on our way. We dropped off empty water bottles, filled us petrol canisters, found bags of cement and wheelbarrows, brought pillows and fans for new volunteers, found fresh local fruit and vegetables, bargained over fish and ice, dropped off the TRACC laundry, and flew through the supermarket with two trolleys buying our groceries. At about 1.30 we stopped for roti for lunch at Bismillah, before continuing on with the jobs. In the afternoon we met up with the new volunteers who all offered a hand at loading and unloading the van and generally being in awe at the madness of Semporna. Of particular help on the last trip was an Australian joker by the name of Owen Jones-Hawke.<br />
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By the time 4.30 swung around and we were back at the jetty with all volunteers safety found, I was well and truly ready to sit down. And with everything loaded onto the boat i relaxed into my seat and let the wind dry my face from the sweat of Semporna, as we drove back to our happy place.<br />
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The return the the island is definitely the best part of the day. We come into view of the jetty and see volunteers waving, and Monsoon howling at us to get onto dry land. The boat is unloaded and I relax into a chair with a cold beer.<br />
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Shopping day is chaotic, but the satisfaction of navigating a foreign town, and providing the camp with all we need for the week is secretly very satisfying. It is another necessary and important part of life at Pom Pom- fist pump to the volunteer who takes up the challenge next week.<br />
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Check out this clip I made of one of our tips on facebook- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/tracc.borneo/videos/" target="_blank">Semporna Shopping Video</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-11981833320094362002017-01-12T02:36:00.001-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.760-07:008TV Film Crew VisitThis week TRACC hosted a film crew from 8TV, here to make a series of documentaries. The three episodes will focus on the bajau people who live on and around the nearby island of Kulapuan, spear fishing at Kulapuan, and TRACCs involvement with marine conservation. I was lucky enough to be able to join in with the different aspects of filming at Pom Pom, on Kulapuan, and in Semporna. The trip to Kulapuan was a huge highlight for me and is something that will stick with me for a long time to come.<br />
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We arrived in Kulapuan in the late morning and were greeted by the chief of the village, Chief Ibnu. He was our guide for the day and was a delight to meet. We began by checking out the resort that is In the process of being set up. The resort is being lead by one of the bajau people who returned to the island with the idea to give back to his community. The hotel will be staffed and built by local bajau and will have the potential to bring in much needed incomes to the people.<br />
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We were then taken to the burial ground in the centre of the island. This is a tomb where one of the first settlers of Kulapuan is buried. The bajau settled on the island and feel safe living there because they believe that this ancestor will protect them. The bajau are stateless people and are in a vulnerable position with no recognised country to belong to. They are usually seabourne people, so the Kulapuan settlement is unique.<br />
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We were then taken to the centre of the island to view the well that has served the whole island (without drying up) for the past 50 years. The water is clean to drink and locals (both land and seabourne) come by too fill up canisters and bathe.<br />
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We then went back to the village and we taken to Ibnu's house for an interview with a local spearfisher. His family were incredibly hospitable and showed me around their home. After this we headed out on the boat to get some footage of the spear fisherman. Jo and I were there to keep an eye on the crew while they were diving. The spearfisher was incredibly strong in the water and it was a<br />
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Kulapuan was incredibly welcoming to both TRACC and the film crew. It was so valuable to be able to learn about the bajau way of life and to be able to share their stories to promote the need to be recognised in Malaysia.<br />
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The following day the crew filmed us conducting a reef survey, dropping a net to preserve our reef, and working with our shark holding cage. They were a lot of fun to have around and we are really looking forward to seeing the finished documentaries! Thank you 8TV!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-37540640378751901312017-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.893-07:00Introducing....Allia!!!Allia is one of our superstar science officers. She is from Kuala Lumpur and has been at TRACC since September, bringing sunshine to Pom Pom everyday. I sat down with her to ask her a few questions about her TRACC experiences and how she came to be here.<br />
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<b>How did you end up at TRACC? What does your role involve?</b><br />
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<b>I</b> actually found TRACC through google. I had just finished my marine biology and ecology masters in Townsville, Australia and was looking for a marine science experience that would give me hands on work. I found TRACC and learnt about the internship, and the opportunity to stay on as science officer beyond that, so I applied. My dream job is to work in marine conservation to improve marine parks in Malaysia.<br />
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<b>What is your role at TRACC?</b><br />
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My Job is to lead the conservation dives, and scientific projects, and to work with the head dive master on planning conservation dives. I train new volunteers in scientific methodology, and explain why and how we do things at TRACC. Jo and I supervise science interns with their projects. We will also be helping teach some of the topics in the A level course beginning this month. Beyond this, I also help with general camp maintenance.<br />
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Allia doing the TRACC introduction</div>
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<b>What are the science projects you are undertaking at TRACC?</b><br />
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I conduct Biodiversity surveys. So every week I focus on one or two marine families and go to different dive sites to ID every species I see from that specific family. My project is part of a larger long term project to create a database for TRACC that shows which species are here, and where they are located.<br />
In the future we hope to compare diversity in species here with other islands in the area, particularly the islands within the nearby marine park. If we can show that we have similar numbers and species there is potential to push for Pom Pom to be protected as a marine park in future.<br />
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Allia and Jo </div>
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<b>What do you like most about TRACC? </b><br />
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The People. There are so many different types of people from different backgrounds here. You wouldn't expect us to all get on, but we do. We learn from each other. Ultimately weare all here for same goal- to protect the marine environment and to help our environment. It's an amazing place to be.<br />
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<b>What sort have experiences have you gained here that are unique to TRACC?</b><br />
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So many. Everything here is so hands on. I have learned how to use lift bags, how to lead Conservation and recreational dives. Before I came, I had learnt in theory why we do things but had never done things in practice. You learn how to problem solve here. We run on limited resources and in an isolated environment so you have to be resourceful and learn that there are many things you cannot control. You have to work around issues.<br />
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<b>Spirit animal?</b><br />
Nautilus - because I am an introvertabrate 😂Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-74352136604458705112017-01-03T02:03:00.000-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.071-07:00Sunday Funday!!Once a week at TRACC we have a day dedicated to getting out and exploring other islands and reefs close to Pom Pom. Our funday usually falls on a Saturday or Sunday, after we have spent the week creating and maintaining reefs, and doing PADI coursework. In the four weeks I have been here I have to say my favourite was our Sunday funday trip to Bohey Dulang.<br />
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Bohey Dulang is an island that is part of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park and is a 20 minute boat trip from Pom Pom Island. It is well known for its beautiful panoramic views over the island and ocean. We organised permits and headed off on our trip early on Sunday morning. We wanted to be the first ones to hike up the hill so we made sure we arrived just as the park opened at 9am. We arrived on time and immediately started our 600m ascent. Bohey Dulang is home to monkeys, lots of bird life, and cicadas. Unfortunately we were only able to hear the animals- they liked to keep hidden away from the track! It was a steep climb- made even harder by the heat, but after about 30 minutes we had made it to the top. And boy was it worth the hike. The photos only partly capture how stunning the view was. Plus we had made it up first, so got to experience the view uninterrupted by throngs of tourists. What. A. hike.<br />
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We walked our way down, and were followed by some adorable stray puppies in the last leg. Drenched in sweat, I immediately jumped off the jetty into the water. We then took the boat to the nearby island of Mantabaun, where we set ourselves up with some music and lunch (cooked by Neng that morning- Thank you!!). We chilled out for a couple of hours on the beach, some of us walked around the island, and some of us played cards in the shallows. After we felt we had been cooked enough by the sun, we headed around the corner by boat to go diving. It was a nice dive, with very little evidence of bomb fishing. The highlight would have to be Diniy bringing the pack of cards with him, and managing to get a game of hearts in during our safety stop at the end.<br />
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It was an all round epic day - One that will stick with me for a very long time to come!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-22958669755163770202016-12-31T21:48:00.003-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.841-07:00Welcome 2017!!!New Years at TRACC was a reasonably low key affair here on Pom Pom. We spent the last day of 2016 over at Mataking Island doing some fun dives and playing cards in the sunshine. The dives were beautiful- but there was the usual evidence of bomb fishing in the area too. There were some nice areas of coral where we spotted a blue ribbon eel (we also saw one swimming- a very rare occasion as they mostly stay in their holes!), and a huge amount of turtles, among plenty of fish. At one spot there was a group of about 8 mammoth green turtles chilling out- it was quite a sight. By the time we got back to Pom Pom, everyone was pretty tired. We had dinner, then a group of us sat around the table chatting into the evening until our clocks hit midnight, then off to bed for some well earned sleep. It was a perfect way to spend the last day of 2017.<br />
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In the lead up to New Years, TRACC posted on facebook four Eco resolutions. These were to encourage our followers to think about our planet as we come into 2017. The new year is always a good time to reflect on the year that has been and also on what is to come. Whilst the resolutions are basic ones to do with reducing, reusing, and recycling, they form part of a bigger picture about each of us taking responsibility to take actions in our lifestyles to combat environmental issues. Every act has an impact and if we can reduce our environmental footprint in some way, it will make a difference.<br />
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At TRACC We see first hand the impacts of climate change and humans everyday. While Pom Pom is a stunning white sand tropical island, we see plastic bottles wash up on shore by the hundreds, crabs choose bottle tops over limited shells, sea levels creep up each year, corals noticing the temperature changes and bleaching, and on the 29th we had tar wash up on our beach, presumably from some sort of oil spill, or boat disposal. Human impacts are inescapable, and need to be lessened if we want to continue to enjoy our beautiful planet for generations to come.<br />
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Coconut crab in a bottle top</div>
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So when you are thinking about your resolutions for 2017, don't forget to include ideas about our environment, to make less of an impact, and to encourage good habits in others. Our resolution ideas included stopping using plastic bags, not buying bottled water, investing in a moon cup (for the ladies), and of course- coming to volunteer at TRACC! There are many more small and large changes an individual can take- feel free to comment on the post if you want to share your own Eco resolutions.<br />
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On a positive note- this article highlights some environmental wins for 2016. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/2016-environmental-legacy/)<br />
Let's have even more in 2017!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-88703533373965238982016-12-30T01:45:00.000-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.140-07:00Bye Bye Basil! <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We recently sadly said goodbye to our favourite Swiss potato Basil. Basil has been with TRACC for around 12 months as a dive master, underwater photographer, and reef making extraordinaire. He is now heading off to work in New Zealand for a while. Before he left we got him to talk about his time at TRACC. We also managed to steal some of the incredible photos he took while at TRACC (He has only been taking photos for a short while!). We are already missing you Bas!</span></span><br />
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Our Potato, Basil</div>
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Diniy, Jo, Bas and Allia</div>
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What brought you to TRACC?</b>
I worked as a Carpenter for 7 years in Switzerland. My friends and I decided to spend 3 months travelling through South East Asia. While in Singapore we were convinced by a friend to head over to Lombok in Indonesia. I fell in love with the Gili islands in Indonesia. I then returned home,but only lasted 6 months before I went back to Indonesia train as a dive master. While I was training I met someone who had been to TRACC and recommended it. I decided to head there for 6 weeks to see what it was all about. I was then convinced by Steve to do my A level, so I stayed another 3 months for that, and then extended my stay till august. After a break travelling in Asia I came back for another few months until now.
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Most memorable TRACC moment?</b>
It's hard to think of just one moment- there have been too many- so many silly dive stories. I like the freedom of TRACC- you can just grab a tank go diving without being constrained like you would be at a resort.
It also made a difference having a great team- being on Pom Pom you can't really escape people, but the team and people were great and we really got on. We had similar ideas and would smash out hundreds of bottle reefs to fill house reef.
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A memorable, hard, but rewarding time was when we had a group of 30 Chinese students join us for a short time. It was chaotic organising everything but it brought the team together into a little family.
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Best dive at TRACC?</b>
North tip. Or over at Timba Timba island.
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Favourite marine animal?</b>
Coral
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Any departing words for future TRACC volunteers?</b>
You will not want to return. Go to TRACC and make a difference. It's about doing good.
You also have freedom to do what you want- Thomas made an octopus reef.
TRACC is about volunteers taking things on and learning. You will be surrounded by people who want help you and show you how to create things. Go to TRACC.</span></span><br />
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Coral growing on a bottle reef (Credit Basil)</div>
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Please contact TRACC if you wish to reuse Basil's photos</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-87649183272117619132016-12-26T21:33:00.001-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.118-07:00A Very Merry TRACC Christmas<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The number one question I was asked by my friends and family before I left to TRACC was "what will you do for Christmas?!".</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I had worried looks and concerns about my orphan status on a tropical island with no one I knew yet. I wasn't overly concerned about what my Pom Pom Christmas would hold- a perfect Christmas to me is about being relaxed and happy around family and friends, and sharing delicious food. The three weeks I had had at Pom Pom had already exceeded my expectations. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nevertheless, when I arrived I couldn't help asking my dive instructor Gov in private- what does TRACC do for Xmas? He responded (in a classically Gov way)- well what do you do in New Zealand? I said, we eat food, go to the beach, eat more food, and pass out in a food coma. And he said well that's exactly what we'll do. Perfect! </span><br />
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Christmas Day began in the lazy Pompom way, with people awaking one by one with a "merry Christmas". We then pulled out the Christmas hats, dive tanks, and set up for our Christmas dive. On Christmas Eve, Allia and I had made a badass driftwood Christmas tree. We decided to attach some weights to it and take it into the ocean. At 30 metres a group of 10 of us met up with our beloved concrete octopus (made by past volunteer Tomo). After attaching a Santa hat to its head we took our seasons greeting TRACC Christmas photo (and plenty of selfies!) before checking out house reef. We had a little bit of trouble bringing the Christmas tree back to land after it became waterlogged- but it was all part of the Christmas fun. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the dive we had a light lunch and lazed around in the sun. Around 3pm everyone started preparing a dish to share for our feast. We made a bonfire and shared some pina colada (with real fruit and coconut- thanks Vanessa!) before digging into an eclectic meal consisting of duck, baked potato, portagese rice, garlic bread, soup, green veges and more piña colada! We then hung out playing games and sharing laughs into the evening
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My TRACC Christmas was one to remember, but in all honesty had everything a kiwi Christmas needs- sunshine, beach, great food and my fantastic TRACC family. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-88183895881446830002016-12-23T19:10:00.003-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.125-07:00Reef Check Malaysia<br />
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Earlier this month we were lucky enough to have Alvin from Reef Check Malaysia join us for 3 days of training with our science team to enable them to conduct reef check surveys on Pom Pom Island. I sat down with him to talk about Reef Check and the valuable work they do.<br />
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<b>What is Reef Check?</b><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uhQLOWIl8S8/WFyTQvMB6xI/AAAAAAAADAI/4SuTI-g3QwMaMSFxgZQXQzkusr1ZqSQ8ACLcB/s1600/DSC_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uhQLOWIl8S8/WFyTQvMB6xI/AAAAAAAADAI/4SuTI-g3QwMaMSFxgZQXQzkusr1ZqSQ8ACLcB/s320/DSC_0210.JPG" width="320" /></a>Reef Check's core programme is basically monitoring the health of reefs around the world. Its head office in California and there are 92 different offices around the world.<br />
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In Malaysia we have gone a bit further than just monitoring reefs. We had the data, then asked ourselves- what are we going to do about it? We have been closely involved with the local communities close to the reefs.We operate education programmes in schools, and offer building resilience programmes by identifying threats to the reefs and trying to find solutions. Examples of threats include trash, tourism and lack of education. To target these on Tioman Island (where Alvin is based) we have done a range of things. For example there was no recycling for an island of about 3800 people, with 60 resorts. Trash was just being stacked in one village then sent on a barge to the mainland. The barge was like Hansel and Gretel- dropping bits of trash all the way back. so we set up recycling so we can send out plastic and cans. Paper is still an issue as it has to be dry and it costs a lot t recycle. Glass is an issue too- as it is cheaper to make new glass than recycle old ones. And set up better sewage on the island, when before then there was nothing. <br />
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Tourism is another issue, with bad snorkeling and diving habits. People standing on the coral and breaking it. The Malay word for coral is actually very confusing. It means rock. so many people do not see coral as an animal- they see it as a rock so it is ok to step on.<br />
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Another programme we have is training up locals to work in the dive shops and resorts. Owners prefer to hire westerners and mainland people, which is stupid, because the locals know the area, the marine life and know how to find the good sites. Reef Check funds local dive master training and link people up with jobs. Next year we are introducing a course together with a university to train locals in the hospitality industry, so that they have a qualification and are more employable in the resorts. It is all a big task and habits are hard to change. The good thing is that we are seeing change.<br />
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We have corporate sponsors and a little bit of government funding at the moment, but it will only last us another 2 years so we are currently looking for more sponsorship. It is hard to make our work sexy, to attract sponsorship, as people often want to make tangible things such as coral replanting- but Tioman has really good coral- the need is more in community education and training.<br />
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<b>How did you come to work at reef check?</b><br />
I currently manage the programme on Tioman Island. I started diving in high school, which got me interested in marine science. I did my degree in marine science, then continued my masters. At the time I was volunteering for Reef Check. after i finished my masters a job popped up in KL. I worked there until we expanded to Tioman three years ago.<br />
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<b>What is the training you have been conducting with our science team?</b><br />
I was doing the EcoDiver course. Basically this is teaching volunteers how to do the reef check survey. One of the biggest problems in collecting data is that we never have enough marine scientists around, especially in Malaysia. Reef Check was designed to use your average diver with good buoyancy skills and train them about how to identify things in the sub-straight so they can conduct surveys and collect data. The information Reef Check gathers is accessible by anybody that asks- universities, government departments. We use the information to lobby governments to protect marine areas.<br />
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<b>How many volunteers and dive sites does Reef Check have in Malaysia?</b><br />
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In Malaysia there have been about 500 divers trained. Out of those 500 divers we probably have about 50 active volunteers.<br />
We have about 200 sites around the country. Every year we will organise to go to each of these sites and then come out with a calendar where volunteers can sign up to conduct surveys. Very seldom do volunteers go out on their own and send data. This will only happen with organisations like TRACC.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-ddSDGHqEY/WFyUE793JEI/AAAAAAAADAQ/apkejevNgBEewGWkvxcTquI2sCEDalTKQCLcB/s1600/DSC_0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-ddSDGHqEY/WFyUE793JEI/AAAAAAAADAQ/apkejevNgBEewGWkvxcTquI2sCEDalTKQCLcB/s320/DSC_0204.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alvin teaching our science team </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reef check survey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trained EcoDivers!</td></tr>
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<b>Thank you Alvin for bringing your valuable knowledge and training to TRACC!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-69754191406906294802016-12-19T17:30:00.001-08:002017-06-28T20:29:52.033-07:00Our Canadian FriendsTRACC was recently joined by a wonderful family of four for a few days as part of their round the world adventure. Astrid is a teacher and Andrew is a computer developer. They decided to take a year out with their children, Sebastian (11) and Nicolas (9) to see the world. Along the way they have tried to volunteer and participate in the places they go to as much as possible. We have loved having them around, bringing new questions, mad monkey climbing skills, and creative ideas to TRACC. Malaysia was their first stop in Asia, after coming from South America. You can follow their adventure here- YouTube.com/adriftcanada<br />
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<b>What made you want to leave your lives in Canada for the year?</b><br />
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<b>Nikolai</b>- mum and dad travelled round the world when they were younger and decided when they had us that they wanted to do it again so that we could have the same experience.<br />
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<b>What is it like travelling with children compared with your previous travel experiences?</b><br />
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<b>Astrid</b>- With kids it is very different. To begin with we are taking care of another persons welfare- so we have been a lot more reserved about things such as transport, accomodation, safety etc.<br />
I think the most interesting part is to see the children's experience of it. They have a much different view- they are open and flexible, less attached about how things should be- so long as somewhere to sleep (even if it's the floor) they are happy. They are open to new experiences, more so than adults. They have unique interactions with locals that adults not have- they give hi five to other kids and get their hair touched all the time!<br />
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<b>How did you find TRACC? And what made you want to come here?</b><br />
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<b>Sebastian</b>- we came here to volunteer- and I am definitely coming back.<br />
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<b>Astrid</b>- we actually found TRACC 3 days before we arrived here through the web. Knowing what we know now we would have planned to stay longer, but we have more booked for after this so can't be as spontaneous as we would have liked.<br />
We have done some volunteering in South America (an animal rescue centre in Peru and a dog rescue centre in Ecuador). We tend to seek out places where we can be useful with our travel- the kids get bored of sight seeing, so going somewhere we can do something is great! The first time traveling<br />
it was about being a tourist, seeing museums and temples. Now we are doing experiences to learn, and meet people.<br />
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<b>What have you done while you have been here? What was your favourite activity?</b><br />
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<b>Sebastian and Nikolai- </b>we have been Snorkelling, paddle boarding, coral BISCUIT making, eating, patting dogs, and doing monkey bars.<br />
BISCUIT making was our favourite! Because we got Collect coral, make concrete, and put the coral plants underwater. The water is super clear but it is sad to see dead corals.i like the chillness of TRACC- we have structure but free times to go what we like too.<br />
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<b>Astrid</b>- the whole thing is a big learning experience. I had no idea you could garden underwater and grow coral. To be able to go see how it is grown and used by underworld world. It is great Snorkelling with a purpose- and seeing results of what is being done.<br />
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<b>What is your favourite marine animal?</b><br />
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Sebastian: Sea lions, but here- turtles- and there are lots!<br />
Nokolai: sharks or turtles, and Otters!<br />
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Thank you Andrew, Astrid, Sebastian, and Nicolas for sharing your experience with us!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-63780707115003582432016-12-19T17:18:00.002-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.987-07:00Social Media Volunteer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Kia ora! Hello! Hai!</b><br />
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Maddy here, I am a social media volunteer at TRACC- here until the end of January to share with you what the TRACC experience is all about. Every few days I will be posting up interviews with people at TRACC, explanations about what we have been up to during the week and lots of photos!<br />
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<b>About me:</b><br />
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I am a 23 year old kiwi from a little place called Nelson. I grew up loving the water- spoilt for choice in New Zealand. I spent the past five years studying at Otago University and decided that at the end of it I wanted to take a break, to challenge myself and to see a bit more of the world. I came across TRACC while searching the internet for dive volunteer opportunities. I got my open water dive licence in 2014 in Nicaragua- it was here that my eyes were opened to the incredible world that lives in our oceans. My first time diving brings back childish feelings of new discovery, of feeling like a true alien in an environment so different from our on shore world. Diving also made me recognise that there is so much vulnerable life beneath our waters that deserve protection. Being in a privileged position to be able to observe the underwater world brought to me a sense of responsibility. This was always niggling in the back of my mind throughout my studies, but I had little opportunity to get out and dive. TRACC offered to me a way to learn more about the oceans and to be proactive in their protection. I signed up as soon as I found it.<br />
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<b>The arrival</b><br />
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After spending 1 week on peninsula Malaysia enjoying the sights and sounds (and food!) I took an early morning flight from KL to Tawau. I arrived at the small airport to be met by TRACCs "fixer guy", Ujang, who introduced me to three other volunteers before putting us in a shuttle headed for Semporna. We arrived in the bustling seaside town of Semporna and were dropped at the tourist jetty. We met a couple of TRACCs long term volunteers and then waited a couple of hours while the shopping was finished and the boat was loaded up.<br />
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The boat trip was spent observing beautiful surrounding islands, stilt house villages and flying fish, enjoying the breeze, and trying to figure out which island was PomPom! After about an hour we arrived in paradise. I had seen photographs, but in the early evening light PomPom exceeded my expectations. White sand beach, crystal blue water, and a rustic wooden jetty leading up to my new home. We were warmly greeted by the other volunteers and given a tour of the site- the classroom, the communal dining/living area, the kitchen, the longhouse, the bathrooms, and the tents. I put my bag down in my tent (surprisingly spacious, with a bed, power and a fan!) and already felt at home.<br />
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We had a delicious meal together (see the picture!). After a round of introductions we were then given an induction by the science interns aboutTRACC, how it operates, and what we could look forward to seeing in the water. We sat around chatting a bit longer before I took myself to my tent- knackered and content.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-14452231337120116382016-11-23T00:30:00.000-08:002017-06-28T20:29:51.768-07:00Horse Shoe Crab Release<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">A short stop in Lahad Datu for breakfast around 6am today turned into another Marine-life Rescue Mission for TRACC. Two Pala'u ladies arrived at the morning market with 3 horseshoe crabs. Both of them hardly speak any Malay so couldn't find out the exact location where they caught these pre-historic looking creatures. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwjWs2gXzAc/WDPJ4sK7pdI/AAAAAAAAAE0/waTxGiT33xkMA73aPaDxVeL07_IDSRPtgCLcB/s1600/15107350_10154472564265342_7974741978032742621_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zwjWs2gXzAc/WDPJ4sK7pdI/AAAAAAAAAE0/waTxGiT33xkMA73aPaDxVeL07_IDSRPtgCLcB/s320/15107350_10154472564265342_7974741978032742621_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjhBZM5B6Tg/WDPJ4nLiYcI/AAAAAAAAAE8/oueviFqydNkv6Yn3yhiOrBLz2OoV0P5BwCLcB/s1600/15079074_10154472564750342_6272674709062733635_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FjhBZM5B6Tg/WDPJ4nLiYcI/AAAAAAAAAE8/oueviFqydNkv6Yn3yhiOrBLz2OoV0P5BwCLcB/s320/15079074_10154472564750342_6272674709062733635_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Anyway, bought all 3 horseshoe crabs and took them to Pom Pom island. I personally have only seen one here last year but w<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">e have seen many small ones in Kulapuan. Hope the release of one big female and two smaller males will bring back the population of horseshoe crabs around Pom Pom island. Our staff and volunteers were so excited to have this rare opportunity to handle these living fossils and releasing them back into the sea! - Gon</span></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Horseshoe crabs are easy to catch and are often found in the fish market. They don't have any "meat" to speak of and taste a bit like fresh seaweed (salty, rubbery, cold and disgusting).</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cPdhZBC4HBU/WDPJ4sGjyKI/AAAAAAAAAFI/j9UyFP_4wsEgPH2y4dAXpSty0aDaZVPMwCEw/s1600/15171196_10154472564570342_4283168767327377660_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cPdhZBC4HBU/WDPJ4sGjyKI/AAAAAAAAAFI/j9UyFP_4wsEgPH2y4dAXpSty0aDaZVPMwCEw/s320/15171196_10154472564570342_4283168767327377660_n.jpg" width="176" /></a><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Horseshoe Crabs are often called "living fossils". The earliest record of them is in the Ordovician period 450,000,000 years old and they haven't changed much since.</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">They're more closely related to spiders than crabs but have 10 legs rather than 8 and external gills like a prawn.</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">They also have a peculiar number of "eyes". There are two compound eyes where you might expect them to be, but then there are five additional "eyes" that have different resolutions and functions - two of them respond to visible light and three to ultraviolet. There are also light receptors along the tail that helps the Horseshoe synchronize its body clock with light and day. Finally, there are two ventral (on the underside) eyes near its mouth.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4806314755007948220.post-88256526565670633292016-11-05T11:18:00.001-07:002017-06-28T20:29:52.134-07:00WINNER -- for the Energy Globe World Award 2016<a href="http://tracc.org/">TRACC.org</a> working on <a href="http://coral-conservation.org/wp/community-reef-restoration-projects/" target="_blank">coral reef conservation</a> in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia has been chosen as WINNER in the Water category for 2016. We were nominated in 2016 as one of the three finalists in the category water for the Energy Globe
World Award 2016. Thanks to the judges who had the difficult task of chosing between coral reefs and water shortages in Africa.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iydu-xbfA6U/WCPRPlnOxJI/AAAAAAAAC7s/A8ZUNboPnTk5KRgttkVx-l2TR7yYBy9xACLcB/s1600/Water_TRACC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iydu-xbfA6U/WCPRPlnOxJI/AAAAAAAAC7s/A8ZUNboPnTk5KRgttkVx-l2TR7yYBy9xACLcB/s320/Water_TRACC.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The Energy Globe Award is an important award for
sustainability worldwide.<br />
<br />
This year, EGA have received about 2000
applications from 180
countries. Out of the many great projects and inventions, the
international jury has selected OUR project “ <a href="http://www.energyglobe.info/awards/project/awdid/204927/year/2016/#.WB4fvCQmQ0B" target="_blank">Restoring coral reefs to survive climate change</a> ” as one of the 16 most outstanding projects
worldwide. Our nomination in the final 3 projects for the category water was announced officially on 24th October
on Energy Globe World Award 2016 website. <br />
<br />
The award ceremony will be
part of the UN Climate Change Conference on 10th November in Marrakech,
Morocco.<br />
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THANKS TO ALL OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITIES, WE MUST BE DOING
SOMETHING RIGHT BUT WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP.<br />
<br />
Saving coral reefs is what we do – with your help – so please pat
yourselves on the back if you have helped TRACC and send a great big
thank you :-) to all our supporters.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you want to visit and volunteer to help with any <a href="http://tracc.org/book/marine-conservation-5/" target="_blank">marine conservation activity</a>, please check our website <a href="http://tracc.org/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://tracc.org</a> or email <a href="mailto:info@tracc-borneo.org" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">info@tracc-borneo.org</a></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>updates on TRACC <span style="font-family: inherit;">activities, </span></span></span><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/traccborneo">Tumblr</a> <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+TropicalResearchandConservationCentreSemporna/posts">Google+</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tracc.borneo" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/traccborneo/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QZF0WgHbP7otjrvUz4BIw" target="_blank">youtube</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/TRACCVols" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If visits to <a href="http://tracc.org/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tracc</a> are not possible then like us and share our projects on Social media.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Donations to <a href="http://tracc-borneo-volunteers.blogspot.my/2016/09/community-coral-planting-on-kalapuan.html" target="_blank">community projects</a>, or support / sponsor an <a href="http://tracc-borneo-volunteers.blogspot.my/2016/10/end-of-intern-experience.html" target="_blank">Intern</a> or <a href="http://tracc-borneo-volunteers.blogspot.my/2016/11/best-marine-science-student-in-world.html" target="_blank">Marine science student </a>are always welcome.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01702860558353448202noreply@blogger.comPulau Pom Pom, Sabah, Malaysia4.5951382 118.863664400000064.5872242 118.85357940000006 4.6030522000000005 118.87374940000007