Press

RED SEA: May 11-18, 2006

Experience the Red Sea in the best way possible. A one week liveaboard safari with the “Ghazala  I” in the Northern Red Sea. Enjoy the colorful soft-corals, fascinating variety of fishes and with some luck even sharks and manta rays may be encountered. A special extra on this safari is that you will be accompanied by marine biologists. Under their supervision and using the system of “Reef Check” the divers will learn how to estimate reef damage and growth, fish population and the connection of the reef, their inhabitants and the influence of men. The information gained is important to estimate the coral reef situation around the world. Scientists, the skipper and the participants coordinate when and where to schedule the  dives. During the first two days you will be introduced to the methods of Reef Check. After that the actual screening of the reefs will be done. At the end of each day the Reef Check biologist will comment on the results of the dives and give a closer look into the complexity of the coral reefs. Even with one or two Reef Check dives each day there is still plenty of time for fun-dives and relaxation. The famous dive-sites in Ras Mohammed and Tiran are part of the itinerary. Sinai Divers will donate 10% of the earnings to Reef Check.

Bookings: Sinai Divers
Tel: +20-(0)69-3600697
Fax: +20-(0)69-3600158
Web: www.sinaidivers.com
Email: info@sinaidivers.com

Sinai Divers Europe
D-TEL: 0049-(0)761-7077538
CH-TEL: 0041-(0)31-7441510 Date 11. – 18. May 2006

Experience the Red Sea in the best way possible. A one week liveaboard safari with Ghazala I. Enjoy the colorful soft-corals, fascinating variety of fishes and with some luck even Sharks and Manta Rays may be encountered. A special extra on this safari is that you will be accompanied by marine biologists. Under their supervision and using the system of Reef Check the divers will learn how to estimate reef damage and growth, fish population and the connection of the reef, their inhabitants and the influence of men. The information gained is important to estimate the coral reef situation around the world. Even with one or two Reef Check dives each day there is still plenty of time for fun-dives and relaxation.

Sinai Divers will donate 10% of the earnings to Reef Check to support this very important organization.

For more information, check out http://www.reefcheck.de/ or book directly at http://www.sinaidivers.com/.

Click Here for PDF Version

Reef Check Volunteer Expedition to Myanmar (Burma) in February/March 2005

In 2005 Europe Conservation Switzerland will have a Reef Check-Expedition to the Mergui-Archipelago. We will sail on Marinasia’s Catamaran SeaNomad to the islands offshore Southern Myanmar and survey the reefs, snorkel from golden beaches, and anchor in tranquil bays. We will visit remote fishing villages and cities in Myanmar.

Programme: Departure: February 21, Ranong (Thailand)
Return: March 6, 2005, Ranong (Thailand)

The programme of the trip is to sail from Ranong (Thailand) to the North. Weather permitting, we will reach Mergui City. The main goal of the expedition is to try to survey as many coral reefs as we can on the way, according to the Reef Check methods (for details see https://reefcheck.org). In the first two days we will have a short training session in these methods, later we will carry out the actual surveys. We will also have the chance to visit islands, coastal settlements and cities in Myanmar.
Besides the surveys, we will also have fun dives. There is no preset daily schedule; we will make plans on the way, as many things are unforeseeable. We intend to make two dives per day, some days more, some days less. We assure you that all this will be great fun, and even the Reef Check “work” dives are exciting.

If time allows, we will enter data collected during the surveys and make preliminary analysis of the results during the cruise.
The Andaman Sea is a great place for underwater photography, particularly for close ups. There will be enough time for pleasure dives.

Contributions: Total: 2000 Euro for 14 days/13 nights Included:
• Transfer to and from the boat
• Stay on boat
• Food, drinks (non-alcoholic beverages)
• Taxes to Myanmar authorities
• Reef Check training and materials
• Dive tanks, compressor rental, filling of tanks

Not included:
• Personal diving equipment
• Travel to Thailand
• Travel from Bangkok or Phuket to Ranong
• Hotel
• Visa fee (Myanmar) for participants; 20 US$ + 5$ handling

If you are interested to join this exciting trip, please respond soon by e-mail to 2005@reefcheck.de.
Space is limited, we will accept volunteers on a “first come, first serve” basis.

Find more information about this trip and previous Reef Check expeditions to the Mergui Archipelago in 2001, 2003 and 2004 on http://www.reefcheck.de/en and http://marinasia.com

Introduction

Coral Network is planning to hold Training Workshop for Coral Reef Monitoring in the main island of Okinawa, Japan, following the 10th International Coral Reef Symposium to be held for the period of June 28 – July 2, 2004.  Target participants of the workshop are both domestic and international coral reef researchers and others, mainly the participants of the symposium.  The workshop seeks, by demonstrating two types of simple monitoring methods and socio-economic monitoring method, to help the regions with coral reefs but without such monitoring system established to construct their monitoring system by selecting a suitable method for each region.

In Workshop I, “Spot Check Workshop”, we will focus on the Spot Check which is expected to be employed as a standard coral reef monitoring method for Monitoring Site 1000 by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.  The workshop is held in one day on July 3 and consists of lectures and training by snorkeling.

In Workshop II, “Reef Check/SocMon Workshop”, we will focus on the Reef Check which is the standard method employed by Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)/Reef Check. We will also focus on the Socio Economic Monitoring in this workshop. The workshop is held in four days for July 4 through 7 and is consisted of lectures and training by snorkeling and scuba diving.

Objectives

In order to monitor coral reefs on the crisis globally, GCRMN/Reef Check has spread a simple monitoring method “Reef Check method” all over the world since 1997.  In Japan, Coral Network, an NPO, has been a counterpart to GCRMN to spread Reef Check in Japan.  The standard monitoring method employed among research workers in Japan was Spot Check which had been used in the former Marine Park Center.

Currently coral reef monitoring is not conducted sufficiently from the long-term stand point of view.  While monitoring activity has been spread to some extent thanks to the effort of GCRMN/Reef Check, there are still many countries/regions which have not established appropriate systems to start the monitoring activity.  Currently in Japan, neither Spot Check nor Reef Check has been spread broadly and the region-oriented monitoring activity has not been developed sufficiently.

In order to help change the situation, the training workshop seeks to introduce two types of simple monitoring methods mentioned above to coral research workers and the parties concerned, which allow them to select the suitable one for the local conditions.  In Workshop I, we will focus on Spot Check training as well as introduction of Reef Check in the two-day training program, allowing busy company workers in Japan to obtain knowledge on the methods over the weekend.  Workshop II will be focused on Reef Check training.

Coral reef plays an important role not only as an economic ground for regional societies but also as an indicator of global warming.  Control of the coral reefs by regional societies via the simple monitoring methods can provide a significant enhancement for coral reef preservations.

Outline

Host: Coral Network (Japanese Reef Check coordinators and supporters)
Supporter: Reef Check Foundation
Expected Supporters: Ministry of Environment, Okinawa Prefecture, GCRMN, the Japanese Coral Reef Society, Corporation (TBD),

Workshop I  “Spot Check Workshop”

Date and Time: 9:30-18:00, July 3, 2004
Open Water Training Site: Kerama Islands
Fee: 10,000 Yen incl. 1 lunches, without accommodation
Max. No. of Participants: 20 persons
Language of the course: English and Japanese

Workshop II  “Reef Check/SocMon Workshop”

Date and Time: 9:30, July 4 – 10:00, July 7, 2000
Accommodation: Naha-City area
Open Water Training Site: Kerama Islands
Fees: 40,000 Yen incl. 3 nights accomm.(sharing a room) and 9 meals
Max. No. of Participants:  20 persons
Language of the course: English

For participants who attend both Workshops I and II, the fee will be discounted to 45,000. in total.
The above fee does not include personal transportation, drinks (except for the party), additional meal, and communication.  Accommodation and training fees are all included in the participation fee.

Accommodation and the meeting site are in Naha area due to the convenience of the transportation.  Open water training will be conducted in the Kerama Islands, one of the world’s most prominent coral reef site.  The schedule and the contents are subject to change.

Schedule (subject to change)

Workshop I     Spot Check Workshop (July 3 ) Saturday, July 3

09:00    Arrival
09:30    Greetings from the Host and introduction of participants
10:00    Transfer to the Kerama Islands
11:00    Lecture on Spot Check Methodology
12:00    Lunch
13:00    Training by snorkeling
16:00    Departure from the Kerama Islands
17:00    Q&A Session
18:00    Closing

Workshop II  “Reef Check/SocMon Workshop”　(July 4 – 8)
Sunday, July 4
09:00    Arrival
09:30    Greetings from the Host and introduction of participants
10:00    Lecture on Reef Check Methodology
12:00    Lunch
13:00    Lecture on Indicator Species
16:00    Training on ground
17:00    Check in
18:00    Dinner
19:00    Lecture

Monday, July 5
07:30    Breakfast
08:30    Transfer to the Kerama Islands
09:30    Training by snorkeling
12:00    Lunch
13:00    Training by scuba diving(2dives)
17:00    Departure from the Kerama Islands
18:00    Data Input
19:00    Dinner

Tuesday, July 6
07:30    Breakfast
09:00    Data analysis and Q&A session
12:00    Lunch
13:00    Lecture on Socio Economic Monitoring Methodology
19:00    Party

Wednesday, July 7
07:30    Breakfast
10:00    Check-out and closing

For further information contact:
Yasuaki Miyamoto
Coral Network/Japanese Reef Check coordinator
Tel/Fax:+81-42-766-5169
E-mail:miyamoto@hs.st41.arena.ne.jp
http://hs.st41.arena.ne.jp/reefcheckjapan/  (only Japanese)
https://reefdpd.wpengine.com/

Participation offered regularly in each of the four locations — click on the location for specific dates.

General:

The Reef Check Program is free of charge and includes:

* Eco-course & slide show presentation by marine scientist
* Special fun dives guided by marine scientist
* Experience scientific research by collecting field data & assembling/reviewing results
* Certification for all participants

As a minimum you should plan to participate for 3 days:

Day 0 (evening):
Introduction, slide presentation, video.

Day 1:
On the next day we will have an introductory snorkel (or dive) to learn to identify the Reef Check indicators under water. If everything goes well, we can do a first RC-dive in the afternoon.

Day 2, 3 and following:
Morning and afternoon Reef Check-dive and data collection. Depending on your enthusiasm and the number of participants, you can do one or two RC-dives per day. You can decide on that once in the field.

To prepare yourself we invite you to have a look on the METHODS and INDICATORS on our website and on the international site www.reefcheck.org. The complete manual for Reef Check Surveys can be downloaded for free at:
https://reefdpd.wpengine.com/infocenter/publications/instruction_manual_2004.pdf

The minimum number of participants for Reef Check is 4. We reserve the right to cancel a RC-campaign, in case there are too few registered participants. Therefore we ask you to inform us if you intend to join a survey and to register early by e-mail info@reefcheck.de or on the web-form.

Travel and accommodation will not be organised by Reef Check. Please contact our partners, and/or your travel agency or air carrier.

Dahab in November:

One week Reef Check event from 16-23 and 23-30 November in Dahab, organized by Desert Divers and Blue Heaven Holidays.

Team scientist: Constanze Conrad

Package price 350 Euro. This includes 10 dives from shore, with boat trips and camel safari, 6 nights at Mirage Village in Dahab (private bathroom/WC/AC), incl. breakfast in double room (single room 3 Euro extra per night) , Transfer from and to Sharm el Sheikh airport.
Discount on rental gear: Full equipment for one week for RC participants only 55 Euro.

more information and booking:
Blue Heaven Holidays
” The way to a nice place to dive the Red Sea”
P.O.Box 159, Hurghada, Red Sea – Egypt
Tel.+Fax: +20 – (0)65 – 444 738
Mobile: +20 – (0)12 – 313 11 57
Mobile: +20 – (0)10 – 104 16 92
http://www.blueheavenholidays.com/htmlg/ev_rc.html
reefcheck@blueheavenholidays.com

Sharm el Sheikh:

Reef Check Surveys will be done with Sinai Divers in Naama Bay (in the Ghazala Hotel). We recommend to book diving packages, e.g. 10 or 20 dives. There is no discount on prices on diving. RC participants will get complimentary tanks for use in Naama Bay in the afternoon/evening.

There is plenty of choice for accommodation in. we recommend however, that you reside in Naama Bay, close to the dive center (e.g. in the Ghazala Hotel) .

Prices for dive packages at Sinai Divers in Sharm el Sheikh: full price list

Bookings:
Sinai Divers
Tel: +20-(0)69-600697
Fax: +20-(0)69-600158
Web: www.sinaidivers.com
Email: info@sinaidivers.com

Sinai Divers Europe
D-TEL: 0049-(0)761-7077538
CH-TEL: 0041-(0)31-7441510

Marsa Alam:

Reef Check Surveys will be conducted in Tondoba Bay. Blue Heaven Holidays gives Reef Check participants a discount of 10% on diving.

Information and booking at:

Blue Heaven Holidays
P.O.Box 159, Hurghada, Red Sea – Egypt
Tel.+Fax: +20 – 65 – 444 738
Mobile: +20 – 10 – 1041 692
E-mail: reefcheck@blueheavenholidays.com
www.blueheavenholidays.com

Port Sudan:

4. – 13. June, 2004, Reef Check-Survey, in co-operation with RSCI (Red Sea Conservation Initiative www.rsci.nl). more…