Students from the University of Cardiff in the UK are currently immersing themselves in training at our PADI 5 Star IDC Centre on Gaya Island. As part of their Bachelors, Masters & PH.d Degrees they must go out the field and learn specialised skills they will need later on in their careers as Marine Biologists, Ecologists & Zoologists.
During their two week program with the Downbelow Instructors the students learn to scuba dive by completing the PADI Open Water Course. We then move on to fine tune their bouyancy skills underwater which is a critical skill required to protect the coral during any underwater evaluation. Coral identification, fish sizing, mapping & underwater surveys are also some of the skills the students must learn during this training program. They even had the opportunity to assist with a net removal dive experiencing “real World conservation” :)
Overall this is a very interesting & rewarding program for everyone involved. We love to see the group’s enthusiasm for the underwater world. These young individuals are key future ocean & wildlife ambassadors!