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MARINE CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP

Interested in doing a marine conservation internship? At 3W Dive, we understand that without our precious coral reefs, the diving world we know and love would be non-existent. And while many divers are extremely knowledgeable around the act of diving itself and even identifying fish, many are unaware of the foundations of a coral reef ecosystem, how to identify coral species, and the potential dangers corals can face from ongoing human contact.

A complex living network, this critical habitat provides food and shelter for creatures great, minuscule and everything in between. Up to 25% of all marine species make their home in coral reefs. Not to mention the sublime beauty they offer that we as divers are lucky enough to be able to explore! Coral colonies are the foundation of these reefs and the survival of our oceans.

Although to many divers, corals are just colourful underwater plants, they are living, extremely vulnerable animals. The role these living, breathing organisms play is one of the most crucial and one that the entire reef’s survival is based upon. Without corals, a reef would not exist. As divers that are exposed continuously to coral reefs, we must be well educated to ensure their survival and all of the incredible life they support.

The Marine Conservation Internship equips our divemaster interns with the skills necessary to dive further into coral farming and restoration throughout the internship, and apply the techniques we use to contribute to the welfare of our local eco-system.
Sustainable scuba diving is totally the way to go when you want to explore the underwater world responsibly!

At 3W Dive, as an established dive center in Gili Air, Indonesia since 2011, we get that our tourism activities can have an impact on the ocean. But we are taking action! We teamed up with a NGO called “Indo Coral Conservation” to run a coral farm around the Gili Islands. It’s a full-on marine conservation project aimed at growing and planting corals back onto the reef.

The mission is all about safeguarding the long-term health and resilience of marine ecosystems. As well as educating local communities on the importance of these underwater wonders. So, if you’re ready to dive into an unforgettable adventure while making a positive impact, 3W Dive tribe could be the place to be for you.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE CORAL FARMING?

Sustainable Coral Farming is the practice of farming using the principle of ecology, the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment.

It helps coastal communities receive income for maintaining and gardening the ocean the same way they do on land. Part of the coral harvested is used to restore other parts of the reef.

The impact of this work is that they’ve given a livelihood to thousands of coastal families, while preserving and restoring their reefs.

WHO IS OCEAN GARDENER?

Ocean Gardener is an NGO dedicated to coral reef education. It was founded in 2016 by Vincent Chalias and Nicole Helgason, combining extensive years of experience to create the first mariculture farms in Indonesia, allowing coastal communities to live sustainably and provide a solution to restore damaged reefs.
Visit Ocean Gardeners website for more information on all their restoration activities.

VINCENT CHALIAS

Coming from a background in marine aquaculture, Vincent Chalias has over 20 years of experience in coral farming and reef restoration.

Following the 1997-1998 ecomomic crisis in Indonesia and the extensive loss of income for coastal communities, Chalias saw an opportunity to transform live coral collection for aquariums into a farm-based solution, which would in turn give these communities another form of income.

Through coral mariculture so that corals didn’t need to be taken from the reef anymore, he was also able to provide a solution to produce corals to replant, thus restoring damaged reefs.

The first trial was made in Nusa Dua in 2000 as the licensing and legal aspect was overcome, we quickly installed new farms in North-west Bali, and moved away from resort rich area to less developed place such as Serangan.
Vincent Chalias - Ocean Gardener
Nicole Helgason - Ocean Gardener

NICOLE HELGASON

Nicole Helgason is a coral educator dedicated to teaching people about coral diversity. She started scuba diving in 2006, and as a stroke of luck or destiny her very first dive was at a coral restoration project. Being an avid gardener on land before learning to dive she became obsessed with the idea that you could grow corals underwater just like a garden. After this first dive she knew that is what she needed to do with her life.

Nicole started working as a dive professional in 2007 and being in love with coral she continued to notice recreational and professional divers pay very little attention to coral diversity.

After years of diving and searching for information online about coral diversity she founded the website www.ReefDivers.io as an outlet for scuba divers to seek advice and reference coral diversity in a fun engaging format. Here she published a Guide to Caribbean Corals and is currently working on a one for Indo-Pacific Corals.

Nicole can be seen giving presentations at conference and dive centers around the world about her coral identification guides.

What is the coral diver course?

During the three-day Coral Diver Course, interns learn about the basics of coral biology, how to identify the six most common coral growth forms, and how to tell soft and hard corals apart.

After learning to spot coral growth forms, interns then learn to identify the most common coral genus, including five small polyp corals, five massive polyp corals, and five soft corals. Then once you’ve mastered these coral spotting skills, you will learn about coral farming you’ll be introduced to coral restoration, visit a coral farm and plant you own coral fragment.
The Coral Diver course will teach you how to identify different types of corals, which will enrich your diving experience and expand your understanding of ocean conservation. The Coral Diver is a three-day certification course designed to teach you to determine the most common coral genus found thought the Indo-Pacific.

If you have an interest in marine biology and conservation and want to improve your knowledge of corals, this is an incredible program. You’ll have 5 beautiful dives and learn more about what you’re seeing in the ocean, all while contributing to the health of our reefs and our marine conservation efforts in the Gilis.
Coral Diver Theory Session

Course breakdown

5 Ocean Dives:
  • Dive 1 – Discover Coral Diving, exploration general reef awareness, identifying growth forms
  • Dive 2 – SPS Coral Identification
  • Dive 3 – LPS Coral Identification
  • Dive 4 – Soft Coral Identification
  • Dive 5 – Coral fragmentation and coral farm maintenance
3 Academic Sessions (Video/Classroom):
  • Session 1 – Discover Coral Diving
  • Session 2 – Corals Identification
  • Session 3 – Coral Fragmenting Techniques
  • Six knowledge reviews
  • One final exam
  • Professional Instruction
  • Set of 3 Coral identification slates
Price: 5 750 000 IDR

MARINE CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP

As a Marine Conservation Divemaster Intern, after completion of the course, you will then dive even further into coral restoration and the different conservation techniques we are using in Gili Air.

During the Marine Conservation Internship, interns will help in monitoring the ongoing coral restoration project, learning even more about the ocean and ocean conservation. Interns will help fragment and care for corals throughout the internship at our nursery, applying their new conservation and reef restoration skills and contributing to our local ecosystem.