SPOTLIGHT CORAL TRANSPLANTATION – CHALOK BAAN KAO ARTIFICIAL REEF
In the month of April, Assava worked with Spotlight and New Heaven dive center to teach the process of coral transplantation on New Heaven’s artificial reef located in the heart of Chalok Bay. As a part of Spotlights ‘Eco Week’, the event was held to allow divers to learn about the importance of coral in our marine ecosystems as well as participate in the transplantation process. The divers were briefed on the different types of coral, artificial reef structures and transplantation techniques that exist in Koh Tao and beyond.
The students were then taught the coral translation process, starting with establishing good buoyancy. Having solid neutral buoyancy is crucial to coral transplantation, as it ensures the diver can properly complete the transplantation process without harming the surrounding marine life. Therefore, the divers are asked to hover neutrally buoyant at the start of the dive as an exercise before the transplantation process. After this, the students learn how to identify ‘baby’ corals or recruits that are suitable to be transplanted onto the artificial reef. Recruits can be characterized as fragments of still-living coral that are broken off and found in the sand.
Once the recruits have been collected, the divers use zip ties to attach the coral fragments to wire frames. The coral recruits are carefully positioned to give them the best chance of survival and growth.
Thank you to all of the divers who participated in the event, and to Spotlight and New Heaven for helping organize and make the event possible. We are looking forward to more opportunities to educate divers on eco programs throughout Koh Tao to help keep our reefs healthy!
The PADI Fish Identification Specialty is available to PADI Open Water Certified divers who are looking to gain more knowledge on marine life that is seen while diving. Fish Identification students will learn how to identify characteristics of fish, gain knowledge on survey techniques, and familiarize themselves with PADI Aware and how to protect marine life.
The day began in the classroom where instructors taught the theory behind coral transplantation and briefed divers on the techniques we would use. Our dive began with a short buoyancy workshop followed by a point-out, where instructors helped identify recent recruits (growing baby coral!). We then identified and collected viable coral fragments that would be transplanted using the various techniques learned. Some fragments, particularly of branching corals like Staghorn, are fixed to underwater structures using zip ties. Other fragments, such as those from massive corals, are fixed to hard concrete blocks using epoxy. We also practiced techniques for mixing epoxy underwater using air-filled buckets and lot of concentration.
During my DMT I had the pleasure of meeting some inspirational people and making some incredible friends. As I was working full time, Platinum Course Directors Natalie Hunt and Minni Vansgaard, helped to design a programme of study that kept me on track but accommodated my teaching job at Koh Tao International Primary. This meant that the majority of my diving was done on weekends, with meetings and theory during weekday evenings.
I was able to work with Connor Yamamoto, Kelley Houghton and Leigh White to achieve my MSD rating and help Assava Dive Resort win the worldwide MSD challenge!