Here we are, the final thoughts blog!
I know all you, our valued readers (and fans) have been asking why we have had so few blogs. Unfortunately, my highly detailed blog plan got thrown out the window pretty quickly as we were all just too busy juggling diving in the mornings, amphibian hunting in the evenings and data entry in between! Jennifer’s highly awaited terrestrial project update is still, unfortunately, highly anticipated...
Our six weeks have come to an end ((and another week or so have passed, apologies for that)) so we have asked the team to answer a few questions about the trip and how they found it. We have also included some photos of each person at their best so you can see exactly what we were up to!
This trip has tested us in ways that we were not ready for but overall most of us can agree that it has changed our lives, changed our outlook, or at the very least changed our favourite food. Before I give way to the chaos that will inevitably be the team's final thoughts, there are a couple of thank yous and comments I have to give on behalf of all of us:
First and most importantly, our first week here was perfect in every way thanks to the dedication, good humour and impeccable music taste of Oskar Brattström. Not only did he advise our project leaders on their scientific methods but he encouraged us in our exploration of the island, set us up with a visit at Koh Phangan Reptile Rescue, and gave us the excuse to eat and drink out more often than not. We missed you when you left Oskar, thanks for your support!
Next, the incredible people at COREsea, without whom our marine project would be unrecognisable. Their staff, Vicki and Stefan, couldn‘t have been kinder or more patient with us and their declaration that our diving skills were “pleasantly surprising” when we first arrived fuelled and will fuel our egos for years to come. They sat down with us countless times: helping with statistics, advising on scientific method, answering every question we could think of about marine life and diving...the list goes on! AND they have given our project leaders access to their data archive to assist with their research when they're back in Glasgow. We maybe could have done this without them, but certainly not as well or with half the success we had with them, so thank you COREsea!
Our last night: Dinner with Lauren, Vicki and Stef of COREsea
Our penultimate thank you goes to you, and all those who supported us while we were planning and fundraising in Glasgow. The money we raised and the support we received at home started this expedition in the right direction and was the reason we were able to get to Thailand in the first place.
The final thank you goes to everyone who helped, welcomed and befriended us during our time in Thailand: the wonderful check-in desk operator at Gatwick Airport who seemed to have limitless patience when handling our flight delay; Sail Rock Divers who allowed us to go fun diving; the interns at COREsea who kept us entertained; the various inhabitants of Chaloklum...a truly never ending list.
Thank you to everyone, we could not have done any of this without you!
Keep an eye on our Facebook page, it might take a few weeks but we will upload a full album of photos once they have been collated. In the mean time, enjoy the team's final thoughts...
Ashlynn - Project Leader
How have you found being a project leader on the expedition?
Despite having its challenges, being a project leader on the Thailand expedition was overall a very rewarding role. As someone who has dreamed of conducting marine research from a very young age, it was very exciting to not only be helping to collect data but to also be responsible for the planning and execution of the project. From the experimental design prior to the trip, hours of data organisation in the field and head scratching confusion of making graphs on R-studio, I finally got to experience all the aspects of being a researcher. Not all of it was as exciting as hunting for snails under the water but seeing the bigger picture and witnessing it all come together was incredible. It has completely enforced my love for research, and the fact that I am genuinely looking forward to going back to Glasgow to write up what we have collected here has shown me that I am in the right field.
What was your project and how did it go?
My project looks at the population abundancies of Drupella, which are corallivores sea snails. This means that they prey on coral, and thus play a crucial role to coral reef ecosystem health. No research has been conducted on them in Koh Phangan yet so we are mainly looking at how they're distribution around the island. Looking at 5 sites we have already seen noticeable differences between the population densities at each site, which could be due to several different conditions. One condition which we looked at is the coral coverage in the site, particularly that of Montipora. As Drupella are attracted to faster growing corals, past studies have seen preferences to this type of coral. As little was known about the Drupella in the area it was a bit of a gamble if we would be able to collect enough data, but fortunately the data collection was a success. The greatest challenge was regarding the difficulty of their identification as there are other types of sea snails which may also be present in the area. In the future I am thinking of conducting a master’s in research on these snails in the hopes of understanding their population even more. This is important to understand as other reefs have experienced outbreaks which can put already vulnerable reefs under enormous stress. With some evidence of previous outbreaks on Koh Phangan, it is important to increase our knowledge into the population. I have the hopes to even use genetics to properly identify them to a species level.
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
Spending so much time under the water. The relaxation and clarity I feel when being underneath the waves is quite an indescribable feeling. Some of the people I met here call it underwater meditation. This clear mindlessness doesn’t seem like it would work in tangency with the brain power required to hunt down Drupella, but somehow the combination of the two work hand-in-hand. The relaxation of diving in combination with the concretion of the science always made me shocked when my dive computer stated that 60 minutes had gone by. Recognition also has to go out to the boat rides to the site, and the captain that always managed to get us there. The feeling after a successful dive of lying back on the longboard watching the coast of Koh Phangan pass by never got old.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
We were climbing up a river rock jumping along the way with Jennifer, Oskar and Kerry. Peanut Butter [the dog that lived at our villa] couldn’t get to us so she started crying. Minutes later she is leaping over the rocks with us helping us to hunt amphibians.
What was your highlight of the expedition?
Time in the water, the community of Chaloklum, Singah my bike, Schweppes manao, top rock, hiking 16km through a storm on the highest peak of the island, Peanut Butter, nights at chalok bar, Sunday night market, sail rock (dive site + bar), incredible food, San Mig light, Jens mask that doesn’t fog, frog kicking
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
Green Curry with tofu from Saba Dee after a night of a few too many drinks.
Anything else you want to add?
"Drupella believe it!!!”
Laura - Leader and Project Leader
How have you found being a leader/project leader?
It was hard and stressful. It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s constantly switching between the I- and We- perspectives. But it was also amazing because I was surrounded by a wonderful team.
What was your project and how did it go?
My project was the marine fish project. It had an incredibly rocky start, a somewhat rocky middle, and an abrupt end (due to weather), but can I complain? Not really. I am happy with how we managed to adapt to all the surprises we encountered with this project, and I am so grateful for my team for making it possible. Seeing other people get interested in reef fish ecology because of my project made me so happy!
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
Fish. They’re friends, not food.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
My favourite part of the terrestrial project was exploring the river near our villa on both the night and day surveys. It was one of the most beautiful places I saw on the island, and it was our office!
What was your highlight of the expedition?
Being greeted by the whale sharks of Sail Rock on my third ever diving day during my Open Water course. How can they be so magnificent and silly at the same time is beyond me. I will never forget that dive and place!
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
My favourite food on the expedition were the two cakes Jennifer baked. Picking a winner is hard because they were both incredible, but Kerry’s birthday cake takes the ultimate title, as it was also complimented by amazing birthday vibes!
Anything else you want to add?
Koh Phangan is magic. They say it and you laugh, and then they say it again and you start to understand. I don’t know how I’m supposed to say goodbye to this place. But maybe I won’t. Stef said we don’t say goodbye, we say see you tomorrow. And that’s what I will say.
Jennifer - Project Leader
How have you found being a project leader on the expedition?
Leading the terrestrial project has been so much fun – I’d do it again in a heartbeat! I have
been challenged in new ways, especially pushing me to be more organised. This usually
meant organising equipment before each survey and making sure I input the data correctly
afterwards. It is a miracle that I remembered to turn the GPS on for every night survey – I
have the worst memory!
I was also given the opportunity through project leader to spend quality time with all the team members, whether that be talking through my methods for the project and adapting it
together, or just having a giggle because I’m holding binoculars the wrong way up and
shouting ‘Canopy cover – 0%!’ at the clear sky.
Finally, leading the terrestrial project and starting up an amphibian project has ignited a new
passion in me. I was genuinely just as excited to find an amphibian in the last week as I was
for the ones right at the start of the trip. I soon became accepted as ‘the frog lady’ in
Chaloklum!
What was your project and how did it go?
The amphibian project was set up this year as the first terrestrial project to ever be carried
out on the Thailand expedition! This was a really exciting prospect back at the start of the
academic year when we were setting up the projects, and I am so glad it came together on
Koh Phangan this summer.
Amphibians are amidst a conservation and biodiversity crisis, which is in part driven by
undiagnosed diversity and the understudy of amphibian species. This is particularly
problematic in Southeast Asia where information on their diversity, distribution, and
conservation status remains limited and unclear. I scoured the internet for information on
amphibians in Thailand, and Koh Phangan, and found much less than I expected. This was
the driving rationale behind the project, as we worked to understand the amphibians of
Thailand better and in doing so contribute to conservation efforts. We aimed to do this by
embarking on night surveys which involved us setting out with headtorches and searching
for frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians at different pre-selected sites.
Individuals we found were pictured and sometimes a DNA sample taken. The latter required
attempting to get frogs into our net which proved difficult at times! We then returned to the
sites during the day and sampled the vegetation that the amphibians were found amongst.
All these efforts seek to understand the species present on the island and their habitat
choices.
I am so chuffed with how the project was carried out over the 6 weeks and am really
interested to see what comes from my data analysis back in Glasgow!
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
I was not as involved in the marine project as I would like to have been, as unfortunately I
got an ear infection on the second week and had to take a break from diving until it cleared
up. However, I loved doing my buoyancy dive and an live coral cover survey with COREsea before then.
Taking photographs of the coral under the transect was really good fun and challenged my
diving skills to take good pictures. I also enjoyed joining the team dive out at Sail Rock
where I cheekily watched them all do the work whilst I swam around admiring the marine life
on my day off the terrestrial project!
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
My favourite part of the terrestrial project had to be seeing the caecilian! I wasn’t expecting
to encounter one as they tend to stay underground, so it was a really special moment.
What was your highlight of the expedition?
What was your highlight of the expedition?
My highlight of the expedition was the moment we descended on our first dive excursion at
Sail Rock. Being surrounded by just pure blue on all sides was extraordinary. It was also my
first encounter with a boxfish, which I now have a soft spot for!
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
I was really impressed with all the meals that were prepared by the team. If I had to choose
a favourite, it would have to be the lentil dish that Paula prepared. Strangely, it paired really
nicely with the cold spaghetti in the fridge! We also had lots of delicious meals outside of the villa in Chaloklum, with some of my favourites including yellow fried noodle and tofu noodle soup. The World’s End café deserves a special mention too for their absolutely delicious dishes and scrumalicious cookies.
Anything else you want to add?
I would like to take the opportunity to say a massive thank you to the team of Thailand 2022
for their incredible hard work in not only making the expedition a reality, but the amphibian
project too. Everyone was so patient with me as I worked things out, and really gave their all
in the field work.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to my advisors Dr Oskar Brattström and Professor
Roger Downie for their support and advice on this project, I really couldn’t have done it
without them!
Dylan - Leader
How have you found being a leader on the expedition?
As a co-leader you get to experience a mix of everything and it taught me many things, I feel blessed to have experienced leading an expedition and in a wonderful country, especially with a great team. I admit there were some expedition challenges on which we improved on and they were overcome. I hope with our advice and new found contacts and knowledge future expeditions will benefit and keep growing. However, I’m thrilled to say I think we ran a successful expedition and collected important data.
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
Working in warm tranquil waters and being weightless.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
The excitement of chasing crazy jumping toads and frogs with a net.
What was your highlight of the expedition?
There’s to many to say but to list a few I would have to include diving at sail rock with crystal clear water beaming with life and not to mentioned the 25-30 m visibility. Another would the gruesome but rewarding 5 hour round jungle hike of Khao Ra mountain. Last but not least to mention would be the people I met along the way, all seemed to be good spirited.
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
Again I couldn’t choose a favourite but I would shout-out the Mexican food, a café called “the worlds end” there wasn’t anything there I didn’t like, fake fingers (our own name as we confused it for another restaurant) with their pad mama dish and fruit shakes, my go to lunch spot after diving as it was so close. Lastly shout-out the the banana muffins that fuelled me daily from 7-11.
Maren - Fundraising Officer
How have you found being fundraising officer on the expedition?
Fundraising officer was a rewarding job. I learnt a lot when it came to event creativity, how to reach out to and engage the public. Along with the Guyana and Remote Scotland teams we organised a hugely successful Ceilidh in March and a Bingo in May! It was a rewarding role, but definitely came with hard work!
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
My favourite part of the marine project was the opportunity to advance my diving skill! By joining this team I was able to trial what it would be like to work within marine conservation and research, it was an invaluable experience. Being able to go underwater and understand what I'm seeing is truly amazing.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
My favourite part of the terrestrial project was the new skills I learnt. Before I joined this trip I knew very little about amphibians, but the novel research we conducted here will show an induction of the exciting amphibian life the lives here and is yet to be fully discovered!
What was your highlight of the expedition?
My highlight this trip, aside from the projects and the experiences from them, would be Koh Phangan itself. The people here, the culture, the nature and everything else the island has to offer. I feel as though we were incredibly warmly welcomed and had such great experiences we'll definitely remember for the rest of our lives.
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
Favourite homemade meal: Massaman/Pad Thai curry, although the fried rice at 'fake fingers' is a close second.
Anything else to add?
And a special thanks to Peanut Butter the dog, who put a smile on our faces every time we came back home!
Paula - Grants Officer
How have you found being grants officer on the expedition?
As a grants officer, my job was to find grants and make sure we apply for them before the deadline. At first it was a bit difficult and out of my comfort zone because I’ve never dealt with grants before, but pretty soon I got the hang of it.
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
Fish surveys because actively looking for fish makes you see a lot more interesting fish than when you are just diving. Also, I got to learn 19 different fish families and be able to recognise them under water.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
Frog surveys during the night hiking up the stream.
What was your highlight of the expedition?
Waking up at 5 am to watch the sunrise from Bottle beach view point.
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
I loved most meals on the expedition so I can’t pick a favourite.
Anything else to add?
This trip was life changing. Koh Phangan is an amazing place filled with beautiful beautiful people. I will definitely go back one day.
William - Treasurer
How have you found being treasurer on the expedition?
Treasurer has been challenging at times - what with the tight budget we were on - I’m glad that part is nearly over!
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
Diving and finding Drupella with everyone was so fun as you had to get so close to the coral to see the little bastards. Being able to identify the coral while they were underwater, was fantastic.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
Catching the amphibians for DNA sampling was one of the most frustrating things I have ever done, I think my catch rate was 1 in 5! However it was really good fun too!
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
Favourite meal was definitely myself and Dylan’s curry it was by far the best (biased).
What was your highlight of the expedition?
Diving at sail rock and getting to know the locals was definitely the highlight of the expedition, we met so many great folk and feel like we’re welcome to return!
Anything else to add?
Cheers :)))
Kerensa - Social Media and Publicity
How have you found being social media and publicity officer on the expedition?
Overall, I have enjoyed running social media and publicity immensely! It's one of the few roles on the expedition that continues from the planning stages in Glasgow into the expedition itself so it required planning and patience. I loved having an excuse to always take photos and videos of the team. Unfortunately, blog writing ended up having to take a back seat and I am genuinely sad that I didn't get the chance to write more (and make the team write more).
What was your favourite part of the marine project?
I enjoyed every part of the marine project, particularly the opportunity to dive, but my favourite aspect had to be getting to be a part of the Drupella team. Hunting for the cryptic snails and having to really learn coral id so I could identify the corals while diving was very rewarding.
What was your favourite part of the terrestrial project?
I had the best time hunting for amphibians! Our close encounter with a king cobra is definitely a highlight but, after careful consideration, I think my favourite part of the project was the vegetation surveying. I loved recording details of the amphibian's habitat, throwing quadrats and watching Jennifer look through the wrong end of her binoculars (which apparently is a genuine part of the methodology), stare for a few second at the clear blue sky and then declare "Canopy cover: 0!" as if the act of looking through the binoculars was what made it clear to her that there were no trees over head.
In all seriousness though, I got to watch the project and Jennifer's love for amphibians grow over the 9 months of planning at in Glasgow and seeing her incredible hard work pay off while we were in Thailand was a great privilege. I am so proud to have been part of it!
What was your favourite meal on the expedition?
Green curry! Anything and everything green curry! My go to was green curry fried rice with pork but really anything green curry.
What was your highlight of the expedition?
I have written, and then deleted, my answer to this question four times now as every time I think I have chosen a highlight, another moment comes to mind...diving in 20m+ visibility, having the whole team sing happy birthday to me while Jennifer handed me a home baked cake, many many games of pool, chats on the beach, diving, the night markets, countless evenings filled with live music, seeing the coral for the first time, getting a tattoo with William and Ashlynn, finding my first amphibian on a night survey, hiking, swimming, that first taxi journey from the pier to our accommodation with the jungle flying past, floating in the ocean holding hands...it would do the expedition a great injustice to narrow it down to just one highlight. The only moment I maybe wouldn't want to repeat would be getting stung by the anemone - I could do without a big scar on my knee - but other than that, everything was a highlight!
Anything else to add?
Although we all knew it wouldn't be, this expedition wasn't easy. It wasn't handed to us. It required serious hard work from everyone on the team and the only reason it went ahead is because we worked hard. And, for most of us, the hard work hasn't quite stopped yet: our project leaders will be analysing the data we collected over the course of the next year (technically, their work has barely started); the leaders have loose ends to tie up and reports to write; there is money that needs to be allocated to unpaid fees and equipment; this blog needed writing, editing and formatting; there are photos and videos to be sorted and put in to albums...What I'm saying is this couldn't have gone ahead without the input of all eight of us, which means I'm eternally grateful to Maren, William, Paula, Laura, Ashlynn, Dylan, and Jennifer for making this happen. Thanks lads, I had a blast xx
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