With so
much going on, there’s barely been a chance for everyone to recover from the
festivities of Turtle Week. The diving around the Mabul and Sipadan area has
continued to prove itself as one of the best, and most diverse, areas to dive in
the world. Whilst on land we’ve been working hard with Dive Master Trainees
(DMTs), relocating Turtles nests, releasing hatchlings and reef and beach
cleans. It feels like we have had non-stop action in the last few weeks.
A few weeks ago we had a group of 5 DMTs ‘graduate’ from their Eco Divemaster
Course. Over the past 6 weeks these dedicated people have worked hard to prove
themselves as capable and professional members of the diving community. The
Divemaster course can be undertaken in either 4 or 6 weeks, and it one of the
most intense courses you will go through in your diving career. The weeks are
spent bringing your skills up to demonstration quality, assisting with courses,
practising briefings and helping set up boats with equipment and tanks –
gaining a true insight into the workings of our dive shop.
Assisting
courses and shadowing Divemasters and instructors is a truly eye-opening
experience. Of course, the Rescue course teaches skills that make you more
aware of those around you in the water, but assisting courses brings in a whole
new level of understanding. Shadowing and assisting allows people to see the
problems that divers face, and how you as a dive leader can overcome these
difficulties – ultimately helping someone become a better diver. Whilst assisting an open water course you
watch, and aid, someone in progressing from knowing nothing of the underwater
world and how to control yourself in it, to someone who can choose a buddy and
dive independently. Helping people overcome difficulties during these courses
is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a Divemaster trainee. And of
course, let’s not forget the look on someone’s face when they see their first
ever turtle!
Everyone
who took part in last month’s DMT course also signed up for the Reef Check
course. This fascinating course teaches students about how to identify the
health level of a coral reef system. They look at the ways to identify various
families of fish, and learn which of these fish are indicative to the health
status of the coral reef. The course teaches you about various substrates and
how to identify hard corals from soft corals. All the information culminates in
learning how to conduct a Reef Check survey. This process involves laying down
a 100m transect lines. Divers swim along this line and record the level of
indicator species, invertebrates, corals and substrates. This information, once
gathered and analysed, provides an idea of how healthy the reef system in that
area is. We have had several Reef Check surveys in the area in the past year,
and are planning more.
If you are interested in taking on the challenge of the Eco Divemaster Training course then just drop us as email at info@scuba-junkie.com, and we'll get back to you with all the information you need.
We can’t
discuss the events of the last few weeks without mentioning some of the
incredible diving we have been having. Around Sipadan we have been seeing
Schooling Hammerheads – the video of which can be seen on our facebook page. It
was the third dive of the day, and the divers dropped down at the famous
‘Southpoint’. Just a few moments into the dive, they turned to see at least
eight Scalloped Hammerheads cruising past them, with several more dark shapes
below them. So many people dream of seeing just one Hammerhead, many would be
happy with just a glimpse. These lucky divers saw a school, and it was not just
a fleeting glance! It’s not just Sipadan where we have incredible diving, the
Sipadan Barrier Reef also provided some incredible underwater encounters. In
just one day our divers saw a School of Spine Tail Devil Rays – over 80 of
them! And on the last dive the were luck enough to see the rare and beautiful
Hairy Frogfish. From graceful pelagics to intriguing macro, there is diving
here to satisfy everyone’s needs!