Shion’s Project
Week Three of the Thailand Expedition is well underway and project work has commenced. The 16th of June marked the beginning of pilot studies for Shion’s project “Exploring diver perception of coral health and diversity”. Along with two of the team members Nicole and Helen, pilot studies were conducted and overseen by our academic advisors Charlotte and Neil. During these pilot studies, Shion, Helen and Nicole had trained to become competent dive leaders, as well as navigating around selected dive sites. Each diver had an opportunity to lead a dive and advance their skill sets. This involved briefing the dive team prior to the dive, showing a map of the dive site, their selected route and safety precautions that had to be followed. Underwater navigation was also put to the test. The team had to use a compass to navigate the dive site and back to the dive boat, which took some practice but they managed successfully. The skills that the team learned during these days allowed them to conduct pilot studies both safely and competently, allowing them to improve their independence in the water.
Following this success, data collection could begin. Our core team of coral data divers- Shion, Helen and Nicole began data collection on the 18th June. They managed to work collectively as a team, laying a transect at each dive site and collecting data for later analysis! As days progressed, the team further improved their skill and managed to collect more data per dive site. Our other team member Abby subbed into the core coral team and learned the underwater logistics. Again, another successful day of data collection, with a total of 4 transects laid. Abby improved her underwater navigation skills and enjoyed collecting data for Shion’s Project!
Frasers Project
Following slight changes in methodology, Frasers project is beginning to take shape : “Investigating diver perception of fish diversity, and site selection”. Team members Abby and Fraser had the opportunity to improve their dive experience and work on buoyancy skills- a fundamental and key skill required for both diving projects. This was overlooked by our academic advisors Charlotte and Neil, along with Helen who had experience of dive leading and navigation being a member of the coral team.
Fraser and Abby vastly improved their bouyancy skills and also had the chance to work on dive leading and underwater navigation. These skills improved their confidence in the water, preparing for data collection. We conducted a practice data collection dive during these days, allowing the team to familiarise themselves with Fraser’s methods. The team conducted a point count of the fish falling within a 2- metre radius around the collection starting point- putting our Fish Identification skills to the test. This method worked successfully and Fraser is looking forward to start his data collection in the upcoming days.
Team members Emma and Gregor will also have the opportunity to improve their skill set and bouyancy skills in the water, in order to assist Fraser with his data collection. They are going out on dives to gain valuable dive experience prior to data collection.
Mel's Project
Melanie’s data collection for her project: “Shark Populations of the Andaman Sea Surrounding Phuket, Thailand and the Perceived Changes in Population Dynamics” is well underway. Along with other team members, she has been identifying participants and conducting interviews with key informants in the dive industry on their perception of shark populations, and how they may have changed over time. As well as this, she has been visiting local fish markets and landing sites, noting significant observations regarding the species of fish seen there, if there are any shark products being sold, and overall perception of each site she visits. She will also be conducting interviews with local fisherman and fish market sellers to understand the connections between the different groups and how they perceive the changes and why they think these changes are happening. Team members have enjoyed assisting Melanie in interviews, allowing them to deepen their interview skill as well as learning the opinions of interviewee’s.
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