One of our aims for a long time has been to get the staff at Crystal Dive and Eco Koh Tao more educated about the marine environment. Many of our participating divers have completed their Reef Check Ecodiver training but there were still many who had yet to delve into the underwater world in any detail.

As divers go through the PADI system of dive training from Open Water to instructor there is no course that compels divers to learn about the ecology of a reef system in any detail. Unfortunately this results in a lot of uneducated dive leaders who may know how to help you if you have a problem or be able to effectively navigate around a site, but not to introduce you to the specific details of reef life. We felt that more was needed to provide that bridge for our dive leaders.

In addition, one of the requirements for endorsement by the Save Koh Tao Group is that all staff must be trained in Koh Tao’s EMP course. From Crystal Dive

So with these goals in mind 5 instructors from Crystal dive and one from Big Blue took part in Koh Tao’s own EMP (Ecological Monitoring Program Course) conducted over the 28th & 29th of June.

With two mornings in the classroom and two afternoons in the water the course was pretty intensive even for people with quite a lot of dive experience. On the 2nd day our crew ventured to Mango Bay for their first survey of one of Koh Tao’s reefs to provide valuable data about the health of this ecosystem.

It was a huge step that Crystal has taken in conjunction with Eco Koh Tao, but an important one for the preservation of Koh Tao. Having informed, educated dive leaders is one way to hopefully ensure that all our divers go away with a better understanding of the reef ecosystem, thus a greater appreciation for it and will thus help to preserve it.