Meet Sian Williams, Trawangan Dive’s very own Éco Warrior’. Sian came to Trawangan Dive in March 2012 to
take part in a 2 week Biorock programme.
Naturally, she fell in love with the Island, the Dive Centre (and the
staff). She also saw Delphine Robbe , (Gili
Trawangan’s original Éco Warrior’), struggling to single-handedly maintain the
island’s growing Biorock, population, control the marine debris, while keeping
the island clean of rubbish, and more recently, being a mum.
Sian made the decision to dedicate her life, (or the next
few years of it anyway), to helping with the marine conservation of our tiny
island.
Sian is based out of Trawangan Dive. She is a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, and
can also teach the PADI ‘Introduction to Biorock process'speciality.
She dedicates her time to maintaining the Biorocks, running regular
beach clean ups, dives against debris, reef check, reef gardening, island clean
ups, and generally cleaning up after the thousands of people that pollute Gili
Trawangan and the surrounding reefs with non-biodegradable plastic, cigarette
butts, glass, flip flops, lighters, light bulbs, fishing line, and fish hooks.
This kind of work usually receives little recognition or
thanks, but carries with it a huge amount of frustration and stress. No sooner have you finished maintaining one
Biorock, then another one breaks, or gets unplugged, or is destroyed by a
storm. Moments after one beach clean up
has finished, another boat load of people wielding a fresh delivery of cigarettes
and plastic bags arrives. While most of us go about our normal day not giving a
second though about who will pick up that discarded nappy, or who will spend
hours unravelling the kilometres of embedded fishing line from the reefs, it’s
people like Sian who dedicate their time to tasks like this.
Sian has developed some eco alternatives for divers
interested in conservation, marine ecology or just wanting to give something
back to the ocean.
Introduction to
reef gardening – Single dive 470,000rp
- Learn how to identify broken, overturned live
corals that with our help, have a second chance of survival.
- Learn how to safely pick up heavy corals and to
find suitable substrate to transplant onto for the coral to attach to once
overturned and secured.
- Gain reef conservation skills you can take with
you travelling and diving around the world
- Dive includes all equipment including protective gloves and
briefing on identification of corals to focus on and present reef state around
the Gilis.
Dive Against Debris
- Single dive 400,000rp
- Equipped with protective gloves and a mesh
debris bag divers will go out in buddy teams to different reefs collecting as
much non organic waste as possible.
- Debris is separated, weighed and recorded onto a
Project AWARE debris data sheet to submit to Project AWARE
- Dive includes protective gloves and mesh bag, briefing and
Dive Against Debris ID guide to know what to look for and collect, data sheets
to analyse debris data.
Biorock Fundive
–Single dive 400,000
- Learn what a Biorock is whilst diving around the
world’s largest concentration of Biorock reef structures.
- Briefing includes why the Gili islands reefs
depend on artificial reef restoration. The basics of what a Biorock is and how
it is advantageous to Gili islands tourism, fish populations and reefs.
- Help our volunteers’ check the structures are
on, working properly and harbouring the correct corals.
- Bring along your underwater camera and get a
picture on our very own Deus motorbike Biorock.
- Dive includes short briefing on the Biorock technology, how
long our Biorocks have been established, the age and condition of each Biorock
you will see.
Introduction to
the Biorock Process, 1 or 2 day PADI speciality 2,000,000rp
- Learn about coral ecology and the importance of
coral reefs in the marine environment. The course raises awareness to the state
of coral reefs global and the need for awareness and responsible behaviour to
protect remaining healthy reefs.
- Divers will also be introduced to the Biorock
process and technology and why it is so successful.
- Take part in training to identify damaged coral
reefs, the causes of destruction and the use of Biorock technology for
restoration and erosion prevention.
- Learn how a Biorock works and why they are more
successful than other reef restoration techniques. Will also gain an insight
into how they are advantageous in preventing coastal erosion and eco tourism.
- Gain a PADI Distinctive Speciality certification
- Course includes 2 dives, at least one around the Biorock
structures. The divers will learn to identify species of coral and the status
of the corals on reefs and also on Biorock structures to compare. You will also
learn how to recognize coral bleaching, disease and predation with underwater
identification slates, whilst gaining a PADI speciality certification.
Firstly we welcome Deris who is from Indonesia and has been
working at Blue Marlin Dive Center here in Gili Trawangan. Deris took his
divemaster course at Blue Marlin and will be staying on with the company to
work as a PADI Instructor. Manon also took her divemaster course with Blue
Marlin Dive and hopes to be working here in The Gili Islands after her IDC.
Dragos is from Romania and is living in Lombok, where he also trained as a PADI
divemaster. After he becomes a PADI Instructor he wishes to work in Indonesia.
Julia took her divemaster course in Koh Lanta and has come to Indonesia to take
her IDC at Trawangan Dive. Once a PADI Instructor she will stay here in Gili
Trawangan to work as a PADI Instructor. Rizwan is Indian and from the Andaman
Islands where he has worked for many years. Once qualifies Rizwan will work
around the Gili Islands for a while before returning to the Andaman Islands.
