REEF CHECK
REEF CHECK WITH EDA
ECODIVER TRAINING FOR EDA MEMBERS FEATURE RANIA SHAWKI MOSTAFA UNDERWATER PHOTOS GORDON T. SMITH
Rania Shawki Mostafa laying the transect line at the beginning of a survey in Dibba.
I’ve always been fascinated by the underwater world, and after years of diving for fun, I wanted to take my passion to another level. I had memorised all the fish guide books and knew the names of most of the things I would see while diving. During one dive, I started to notice some bleached and damaged coral, and wanted to learn more. If anyone has seen bleached coral underwater, you know that it’s a very sad, sobering and scary sight. What made them bleach? Will they survive? Is there anything I can do about it? Luckily, at that time, Rita Bento who was EDA’s marine biologist back in the day, was running the first Reef Check EcoDiver certification course and I signed up. Together with a few other EDA members, we learned how to identify the indicator fish which represent a healthy reef in the Indo-Pacific region. We also learned about corals, bleaching, and how to identify the different types of corals, substrates and invertebrates. I was impressed at how relatively easy it was to follow the methodology of Reef Check, not yet having a formal marine biology education, I could still contribute toward collecting the data for the survey. And it was really interesting to learn more about the underwater world. 18
DIVERS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT | JUNE 2022
After the theory part of the course, (and a really fun exam), we spent one day in Dibba, Fujairah to do our first underwater survey. Rita jumped in first and laid the transect, which is like a long measuring tape, along the dive site. We split into pairs and formed 3 teams: one group was counting the indicator fish which they saw (Fish Transect), the second pair was focused on any invertebrates along the transect (Invertebrates Transect), and the third was looking at the types of substrates along the line (Substrates Transect). We also recorded if we saw any damage from boats, fishing activity, or trash. We had slates to note what we saw during the dive, and at the end of the dive, we sat together and shared back the numbers and our observations. All the information we collected was then collated into a report which Rita prepared and sent to Reef Check as part of the global efforts to monitor coral reefs all over the world. After participating in a few more surveys with Rita, she asked if I wanted to become a trainer and help others discover more about reefs. I thought, this is great! I can combine my experience as a trainer/facilitator, and my passion for diving to make a positive contribution to the community in the UAE,
and to the environment. I also started to notice that I would see things on my dives about corals, and I would recognise the fish from what I had learned in the EcoDiver course. It gave me a different perspective on reefs, as if I was wearing a completely new mask. It also helped me practice my buoyancy underwater, and become a better diver! As a Reef Check Trainer, I now get to train other divers and lead surveys together with you, our EDA members. Now that I’m back in Dubai, I’m really excited that we can offer more Reef Check EcoDiver sessions, and also to restart the monthly surveys in Fujairah. WHAT CAN YOU DO NEXT? If you were previously trained in Reef Check and would like a refresher to join one of our upcoming surveys, please reach out to us. We can arrange a virtual or in-person session to get you back into the water and ready to go. We’re looking forward to seeing you over, and under water! ABOUT REEF CHECK If you are interested in knowing more about our marine environment, collecting data from our local reefs and getting more out of your
