Diving into Conservation
I was that kid who spent most of his life underwater. I would spend hours swimming around the bottom of the pool, trying to see without the use of a mask, and testing the boundaries of a new world. Whether peering at it through chlorine-filled red eyes, or between winces trying to ignore another ear infection, I have always been fascinated with the underwater environment. I couldn’t wait to learn to dive and I decided at a young age that I would make it my life’s ambition to work with our seas and oceans. That kid is now a professional SCUBA diver and marine biologist working in international conservation focussing largely upon sustainable diving and marine tourism.
My first chance to learn to dive was in 2001. I found myself in Thailand, near the border with Cambodia, on a small and rather undeveloped island called Koh Chang. My instructor said I was one of his easiest students and I will forever be grateful for his dedicated tuition, which went above and beyond the constraints of just an introductory manual. Needless to say, I was hooked from my first breath.
Seven years later, I was in Thailand again; this time with my now wife as we began our new marine biology careers. Knocking upon the doors of numerous institutions we found the Phuket Marine Biological Centre where Khun Niphon Phongsuwan introduced us to Green Fins, an initiative that desperately needed our support. We were due to fly back to the UK in a matter of days but Niphon was resolute that the initiative needed significantly more time to make a real difference to the future of our coral reefs.
Chloë and I quickly began some life-altering research. We thought we would uncover countless programmes like Green Fins: initiatives that revolve around environmentally friendly diving and snorkelling. We were under the impression that it was already an industry standard anyway; with a code of conduct, educational posters, and lists of diver do’s and don’ts to protect the marine environment… we were wrong! There was nothing like it! Green Fins was the World’s only programme working on an international scale, to certify dive centres that were actively reducing their impacts on the marine environment. We tore up our tickets, missed our flights and stayed in Thailand for a few more years instead of the originally planned few more days.
That was in 2008. Now Green Fins is operating with over 400 dive centres, compared to the modest 20 at our time of discovery. Green Fins is now coordinated internationally by a UK-based charity, The Reef-World Foundation, on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme. The initiative has developed a lot, and not just in size, but in quality. Dive centres join for free and now, as standard, receive a pack of materials ranging from posters, to training guides, to the all-important waterproof stickers. Active members also receive annual training and certificates of approval signed by the national Government and the Coral Reef Unit of the United Nations. We have received awards, certificates of thanks and have been requested to present Green Fins at dive shows, international conferences and host training workshops all over the world (including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Jamaica, Philippines, Maldives and Vietnam)!
By JJ Harvey
38 - SEVENSEAS