TRACC Borneo Volunteers: amazing diving

Showing posts with label amazing diving. Show all posts

24.9.15

Help - divers or snorkellers wanted

TRACC is offering really cheap diving or snorkelling for Sept- Nov 2015 only. WE need help :-) with marine conservation on our beautiful tropical island near Sipadan in Sabah, Malaysia.

TRACC has received a grant to plant coral THIS YEAR. It must be done before we begin our larval fish project in 2016. We need to get a LOT of coral planted and we don't have anywhere near the time or people to do it.

Since the grant is covering the "construction", we are offering stays at TRACC at 50% of our normal fees. This is literally what it costs us to feed people and run boats so that we can get this done.

We can teach people to dive if needs be, but honestly, that takes the boat away from the work.

£255 1 week, no dive courses.

£510 2 weeks, no dive courses.

£670 2 weeks, 1 dive course (obviously I can't discount what we pay to qualify you).

Arrivals between now and November 16th. Snorkelling spouses and children welcome.

Please share this amongst your diving friends, it really, really is an amazing offer and with some help we can do some great reef restoration and conservation between now and December.

Remember this is for unlimited diving, we normally do 3-4 dives each day with about half work dives and half photography/ biodiversity surveys. Coral reef restoration is not exactly hard work but it will use diving skills you don't have yet!!!!

Pom Pom island is in the coral triangle and has warm clear water and amazing biodiversity.

For more information, please check our website or e-mail info@tracc-borneo.org

The main website is at http://tracc-borneo.org
Check out our posts on our activities
on fb tracc.borneo
on twitter tracc_borneo
on google + tracc

or simply #tracc or #traccblog on Google, Facebook, twitter or instagram

12.9.15

Ten facts to know about becoming a marine biologist

Dive surveys

Ten facts you need to overcome to plan a career as a marine biologist.
Start with more info - if you are still at school or pre U or working on a career change then a marine science course will help test your desires before you spend 3-4 years at Uni or college.

Becoming a marine biologist is fantastic in many ways but it is a hard choice. Jobs are few. From 10 people with PhD degrees only 1 will be working in their chosen field by the time they are 40 years old. Many more will work in the dive tourism industry.

Most marine biologists are part-time, they have careers in other fields. Sometimes teaching, sometimes aquaculture, sometimes fisheries, sometimes in aquariums. Not many get to be "Marine Biologists". The smartest people can work in Universities doing experiments, a few lucky people (like me) make marine biology part of another career (tourism management) and get to spend some days each month in the field. To succeed you need brains, hardwork, determination and luck (IMHO).

1 Not all your work will be glamourous, autopsy on turtles killed by plastic (conservation), measuring and gutting fish (fisheries) or working with sick, dying fish (aquaculture) will test your gag reflex and resolve.


Measuring sharks

2 It is not well paid and the career prospects are low. Jobs are hard to find - start as an intern. Biotechnology is a much better career choice or Fisheries or Aquaculture.

3 Lots of time is spent in the office writing reports, blogs or social media and lots more time is spent in meetings.

4 Studying, saving or simply managing any part of the planet is frustratingly slow, from species which need protection today to ecosystems that are changing slowly because of global climate change.

5 The weather is not always kind, a beach survey in January at low tide (= dawn) anywhere in the world is hard but cold places have more jobs than warm places so chances are it will be snowing.

6 Do you get seasick? Some of the best marine biologists avoid boats because of this. There are shore based jobs out there but there is more competition for jobs where you get to go home every day :-)

Pre dawn light on a rocky shore survey

7 Do you hate bugs? From jellyfish and stonefish to mosquitos and ants there is always something trying to bite, sting or eat you.

8 Life on a tropical beach for months at a time when diving every day is hard on your body. You need a strong immune system and a willingness to eat all the fruit and vegetables possible. Finding enough protein as a vegetarian is extra hard so carnivores suffer less from infuriating illnesses.

9 Do you love study and reading. The ocean is the underexplored 70% of the planet and we learn new things all the time. Study and reading are part of the process.

10 Does a foreign culture excite you. There are more jobs scattered around the world but to survive the culture shock you need to be able to accept hardship because chances are; that where-ever you get to work doesn't have familiar fast food or supermarkets.

Underwater work

If this has not put you off - the benefits to being a marine biologist are many. Read what Natalie says about her Internship.

Read the 10 best reasons for studying marine science here.

or the 10 best ways to become a marine biologist here.
or How to get a job in Marine Conservation.

good luck

Lifting heavy objects - There are days when diving is just another job.

or simply #tracc or #traccblog on Google, Facebook, twitter or instagram

11.7.15

Whitneys project-soft coral and rubble planting

Today I went out with Tom and Helena to help out with Whitneys project.
Whitneys project is to see if soft corals can be used to stabilize a rubble reef slope and if they do, will this enable hard corals to settle, grow and create a coral reef.
I very much look forward following this particular project.

Tom's focused on attaching the cable tie

On the way to the control site we saw a octopus hiding in his hole and on the way back we saw a turtle resting.

The vizibility was, for Pom Pom, not that great, we have had a bit of rain and wind the last few days, which has been very much appreciated, we needed that.

Helena with things to plant

Octopus hiding in his hole

Green turtle resting

With his fellow sucker fish

or simply #tracc or #traccblog on Google, Facebook, twitter or instagram

6.6.15

Mapping the house reef

Last week a team went out to map the house reef, I the self proclaimed photographer in training went with them.

Don't mind me, I'm just scratching myself

I did get some photos of our great team working with the mapping but was also distracted from that by the natural beauty of marine life, what can I say.. diving at Pom Pom is so amazing that you just want to take photos of it all.
I mean who can resist a turtle scratching himself....it is no wonder that the structures that TRACC creates dont always grow in the way we expect. The turtles rearrange things to suit their itches.

More info about learning to dive or volunteering to help save the ocean with TRACC in Malaysia - Turtle Snorkellers - Divers

Jo carrying the heavy crate with sand filled bottles to be used for the mapping

Placing the survey line markers gently on the seabed.

The 3rd auditorium, our newest addition

Jo chilling out after work well done

Tom preparing one of the mapping bottles

For more information, about learning to dive or volunteering to help save the ocean with TRACC in Malaysia - Turtle Snorkellers - Divers

please check our website or e-mail info@tracc-borneo.org

The main website is at http://tracc-borneo.org
Check out our posts on our activities
on fb tracc.borneo
on twitter tracc_borneo
on google + tracc

or simply #tracc or #traccblog on Google, Facebook, twitter or instagram

3.6.15

Exceptional diving with barracuda school on Pom Pom Island

School of Barracuda at Magic Rocks,
Pom Pom Island

The School of Barracuda at Magic Rocks, were just amazing,
The diving on Pom Pom Island over the past few weeks has been exceptional, with every single dive being a stand out. The marine biodiversity is truly amazing and the variety of diving that can be done here needs a solid mention as well.
Yeah man!
It's gotten so much better here!
Maori Wrasse and Giant groupers are around, saw an eagle Ray yesterday as well.

Steve thinks the Mauri wrasse are the ones that TRACC rescued from fishermen in 2013 & 2014.

And then the macro life is as good as it always was!

Oscar
DM with TRACC - Tropical Research And Conservation Center
— at Pom Pom Island

More info about learning to dive or volunteering to help save the ocean with TRACC in Malaysia - Turtle Snorkellers - Divers

Search #tracc

29.5.15

Parrotfish survey at Magic Rock

Firstly let me apologize for the lack of parrotfish on these photos, they are not the easiest fish to photograph cause they are a bit shy and I am not the best of photographers yet.
But I did manage to capture thing for all you fish, nudi, inverts and turtle lovers.

Pom Pom is not only an abundance of fish, it's also a haven for all you seaslug, invert and nudibranch lovers out there.

More info about learning to dive or volunteering to help save the ocean with TRACC in Malaysia - Turtle Snorkellers - Divers