This last week I’ve been teaching an environmental course Reef Check.  The students learn about the Reef check methodology as well as to identify key indicator fish, invertebrates and substrates.  With this knowledge they can join teams and assist in underwater surveys monitoring coral reefs and take part in surveys worldwide.  It’s a 4 day course and everyone who does it thoroughly enjoys it.

It’s classroom from 9 – 11am every day and then we have some long dives, practicing survey methods and identification and then on the final day, we actually do a Reef Check survey which gets submitted on line.

The girl on the right Julia, is also doing a 2 week, which might end up in a 4 week ECO internship, so after the Reef Check course, I’ve recently been teaching her different methods on how to transplant coral fragments.   We had a practice session on land with dead bits of coral, tying them with wire onto one of my new clam cages and then tightening them with pliers.  It’s pretty tricky and took Julia quite a few goes, but she got there in the end.     That afternoon we went out to our artificial reef, Junkyard to practice underwater with bits of rubble and then when I was satisfied, I gave her 3 small bits of coral to attach which she did very well.

Rebekah & Warren need to go through this additional training as well, which means we can transplant till the cows come home 😀

Simon has been out diving everyday surveying a couple of fishing boats that were sank a few months ago to see if they are safe for other divers. They are quite deep so may be hard for regular scuba divers to access, but Simon enjoyed the exploration of somewhere new.

Then yesterday, Simon joined the Free Divers to go and complete his Advanced Freediver Course. He had started a couple of months ago, but developed a painful sinus squeeze that had halted the course midway. After that, his chest infection… so now he is fighting fit he managed to complete the requirement of diving to 20m deep with 1 breath…

I LOVE YOU SIMON

XXX

Guess Who?!

We’ve not long been back from Koh Samui.
  We had to got to get both our Visa’s extended.  It’s always nice to get off the Island.  We decided to stay for a couple of nights. Simon had found this lovely little place in Lamai which is slightly more south of the island in comparison to where we usually stay Bophut.   Each morning we got up early and made full use of the pool, it was just lovely to be by ourselves for a change.  We did a little shopping, tried out a couple of new places to eat, ventured inland a little but thought better after the hills were getting rather steep and even full throttle 😀  We didn’t go to the cinema this time as there was nothing worth watching.

It was the first time Cuthbert had been away.   He thoroughly enjoyed himself, swimming, motorbike rides, restaurants.  He was living the dream

Simon’s cold/chest infection is slowly going.  He’s feeling so much better but still has a nasty cough. and his sleep has improved thankfully.
For the past couple of days, Simon has gone back to being a student. Learning both theory/ practical of how to captain a boat (Coxwain course)   Speeding up and down, frightening the life out of the other candidates  ..he loved the waterwork 😀
Cuthbert went along today and I’ve just received this picture of the newly certified Simon 😀

Love to all,
Jenny Wren
xxx