What is LMRT? LMRT stands for Liger Marine Research Team. LMRT is a group of eight students full with passion and desire for marine biology to come together and create this long-term project to protect the ocean. This project will last 3 years to make these eight students become their own marine ecosystems researchers. We are going to survey fish, invertebrates, and substrate; furthermore, we’re going to create our own data for those surveys. To do this, we have a good partnership with Marine Conservation Cambodia, MCC, which located in Koh Seh, Kep archipelago.
On the 28th of September-3rd of October, the LMRT journey began. This first week is about getting us to be an official scuba diver. Therefore, we need to get through these four intense days to be a diver. The purpose of doing research here is about the underwater ecosystem, so the most important part of the process is to be able to dive. We have divided into two teams of four and each of us has our own dive buddies. We started off one team at a time since we only get four people underwater at a time.
On the first day, I was really nervous because I understand all the dangerous, adventurous and risk-taking. We all understand the consequences of this if something goes wrong. Neither way, we already decided to choose to join this team; therefore, we need to put all the courage and determination to this no matter how dangerous we know it is. The dive that we’re going to do is pool session which means when we practice all the skills, but this dive will not count as a real dive because it’s just when we practice all the skills. On the first day, we practiced clearing our masks, finding neutral buoyancy and getting comfortable breathing underwater. We also have another pool session in the afternoon which we learned about taking off our BCD and regulator and put it back on. For some reasons, I’m panicking during the activities, but I’m still alive.
Second Day, in the morning, we do a little bit of pool session, then the plan for the afternoon is going to dive at Koh Angkrong which is near Koh Seh; furthermore, it is beautiful and satisfying, as well as, it’s way deeper. Since I love fishes and creatures underwater, that day I’ve completed my dream because I saw Double banded soapfish, Jellyfish, Diadema urchin, Clams, and many other life-worth seeing creatures. It was a big yet the best one so far with an immense smile on everyone’s face.
The rest of the day of this trip was just doing more skills as a lot as possible, especially, skills in emergencies cases. Then, another step that we need to do is the academic test about the whole scuba diving with 50 questions and multiple choices questions. Before dinner, we did the test and after dinner, we will check the answer. As a result, we all pass the TEST! I got 47/50 which is 94%. But, this isn’t determined 100% of the whole scuba system, what’s more, important is practicing and getting comfortable with scuba diving because it’s isn’t human nature to go and breathing down there underwater. Thanks to Karen and MCC for letting this opportunity happened. Thanks so much for fulfilling my dream.
