LMRT Trip To Koh Seh Island #1

I’ve been waiting for a very long time now. I always wanted to be able to go underwater, breathe, and enjoy the amazing world that Cambodia ocean has. I’ve snorkel and it was a fabulous experience for me. But this time, it was different. I got to stay underwater and breathe!

As part of the LMRT project, we have to learn how to scuba dive and be certified for the open water dive; so our team took a five days trip to Koh Seh. At there, we did so many exciting activities; our schedule was so packed. We have to start our first activities at seven and go to bed as early as we can, to keep up with the next day. Despite that fact, everybody has a lot of fun and gained a lot of knowledge. The main activities we did at the island were learning skills, practicing scuba diving, and doing the required-test. We divided into two equal teams. One of the team would learn the skills and scuba dive in the morning and spend their afternoon finishing work from school while the other one would do the opposite of that.

When I first put my scuba dive gear on, such as Buoyancy Compensator Device, gas cylinder, and wetsuit, it felt really weird and heavy; it got lighter once I’m in the water though. Being underwater as a scuba diver felt really scary. I have to control my buoyancy, equalize my ear, and continue to breathe. As days went by, I became more comfortable with my skills and enjoy the underwater world more than thinking about myself. By the end of the trip, we know how to navigate underwater, clean our masks underwater, maintain neutral buoyancy and communicate underwater. We also took many tests to qualify ourselves as a diver including: swimming and treading water and SSI course exam. Nonetheless, we evolved into a certified divers! 

Liger Marine Research Team (LMRT)

At the beginning of this school year, one of the facilitators offered a group of students an opportunity to do a long-term marine research at Koh Seh Island, located at the Kep Archipelago. I applied for this opportunity and was chosen to be one of the eight members of the Liger Marine Research Team (LMRT). Starting from this school year until the graduation of the first cohort, my team will do studies on part of the marine ecosystem and see how it recovers for damages. We will be collecting data and analyze it. Information will be shared among other people such as NGOs, governments, and schools. Our team has received a grant that will help us with the study, research, supplies, and transportation to the island. For this school year, we will be going to the island once every month. At there, we will be learning and working very closely to the Marine Conservation of Cambodia (MCC). We need to learn how to scuba dive, do reef survey, and other essential skills to help us with this long-term project. I am looking forward to learning and gain a lot of knowledge from this project!

The LMRT group with our banner