Tag Archive for: Reef Health

5 Top Tips from 3 Champion Freedivers

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Adam Stern, Australian Champion freediver, runs freediving “festivals” all around the world. Just recently, I attended my very first one in Bali, after the incessant raving from my housemate Mike about how amazing the experience is. He wasn’t wrong.

Legend Adam Stern enlightening us about what goes on within our noses, mouths and throats.

We spent 8 full days deeply immersed (pun intended) in the practical and theoretical world of freediving, surrounded, supported and led by some of the best in the world.

Aside from totally soaking up the chilled yet inspiring vibes, it was an incredible learning experience, and I came away with so much more than just a few tips on how to safely freedive. It was a training for life, with so many lessons, philosophies and skills transferable and applicable to an array of contexts.

What’s more, I personally discovered yet another natural mental health therapy in the mindfulness and calm required to successfully freedive.

Here are some of the top tips shared straight from the mouths of the best of the best!

1. Everyone Can Equalise

Adam held many-a-session on equalisation techniques, debunking equalisation myths, imparting knowledge and solving everyone’s issues with what goes on inside their noses and mouths. “It’s basic human anatomy” that everyone can equalise, Adam claims. If you’ve ever had equalisation problems in either scuba or freediving, this is certainly a great place to tackle and overcome them!

2. How we think is key

Especially when it comes to freediving, but also in life in general, if our mind is not calm, we won’t get very far. How I wish this idea was as easily to put into practise as it is to understand. If you approach a dive – or anything in life – thinking about all the things that you have to do, and all the things that can go wrong, it will always be harder to stay calm and take the steps you need to take, one by one. If you are faced with challenges whilst in a heightened state, good luck managing them. If you’re chilled and taking everything in your stride as it comes, everything seems to flow a lot easier.

3. Confidence is not at all a static trait

Confidence is key, but having confidence is not a simple decision we make. Our confidence fluctuates from day to day. We can wake up one morning and feel we are totally ready to take on the day, and we can wake up the next just not feeling it at all. It’s important to observe and reflect on our confidence and how we feel about ourselves and our abilities often. It’s important to recognise the difference between confidence and cockiness, and it’s important to allow ourselves to believe we can conquer anything we set our hearts and minds to.

4. It’s good to have idols

Having people we look up to as positive idols can be both helpful and inspiring. Watch how people speak and behave and ask yourself: do I want to be more like that, or less like that? They say we are the product of the 5 people we spend the most time with, so surround yourself with people you’d love to be more like.

Mike Board sharing some humble wisdom
5. Adaptation takes time

This is a basic rule of life, and of evolution! Animals, plants, and life on earth doesn’t evolve nd transform dramatically from one day to the next. A seed planted in the ground takes a good few days to weeks, even months, to even sprout out of the ground. If a coral were to adapt itself to changing temperatures, it’s not something that can happen from one day, or even one year, or even decade to the next. It takes time. “If tomorrow you told me you wanted to dive to 100m, I might say to you hmm, that’s maybe a bit quick. If you set a goal to dive 100m in the next 5 years, I’d believe it was possible to train and adapt the body – slowly- to be able to adapt and achieve this challenge. Patience is key!

Live and Travel with a Little Ecological Footprint

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I’ve set off on a voyage of discovery. What am I setting out to discover? New connections. Connections to the Reef, connections between people, connection to nature, and connection to self. It started with an invitation to a friends wedding in France. My first thought: I love this girl to bits, but I’m not so keen on flying all that way to Europe. Time, expense, and most importantly, a very significant carbon footprint (the level of love I have for this girl and the good times that have ensued were totally worth it!).

My total babe of a bestie, and fellow ocean loving super heroine, who was a HUGE inspiration to start Reef Connect.

When it comes to helping the reef, reducing our ecological footprint is HUGE. It’s clear that action from higher levels is essential in creating large scale impactful change, but whilst our governments dilly-dally around dodging and distracting us from their most pertinent and necessary responsibilities, we as citizens and consumers can act.  

“But I am only one person, how can I make a difference” I hear you ask. How many people are we on the planet? What kind of impact could we make if we all committed to changing a few little daily habits?

I often give presentations in which I use the below image – not to overwhelm the audience with how much there is to do, but to bring to light how much is possible. We don’t have to do ALL the things. Identifying and adding ONE little thing to what each of us is already doing is a good start. 

SOURCE: https://climatesafety.info/what-we-all-can-do/

 

So I started thinking to myself: how can I achieve what I’m setting out to do, whilst making my footprint as small as possible? Rather than getting a return flight halfway across the world for a single event (as significant and special as this person is to me!),

“how can I get the most bang for my carbon footprint buck?”

My first answer: don’t take aeroplanes. Unfortunately, given my time restrictions (due to work and other pre-standing commitments), I decided flying for the first part of my trip was most practical, and I’d just have to make up for it in other ways. Noone is perfect and we can do a LOT, but it doesnt always make sense to do everything.

So how else could I find solutions to this challenge? Well, I decided to set out to discover new ways of living closer to nature, with the smallest footprint possible. What’s involved? Permaculture, sailing, slow, on-ground travel (buses, trains, walking, hitch-hiking, etc) and most importantly, removing the hurry to get to my next destination as quickly and “efficiently” as possible (often to the detriment of the planet/reef!).

Stay tuned for a little summary of the destinations, adventures and challenges so far!

 

THE BLEACHING NOBODY HEARD ABOUT…

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In the early months of 2020, there was a lot going on in the world. Things were changing. Catastrophe was looming. Headlines were saturated with news of just one thing. COVID set the scene for a new status-quo, and life as we know it was being transformed. 

Whilst the whirlwind of unexpected change was sweeping across the planet, a quiet yet disturbing shift was happening below the surface too. As the world went into lockdown, reefs were being knocked about by warming sea surface temperatures. Just as the paling face of an ill patient loses its colour, corals were slowly but surely paling too. 

The reef was unwell; its fate uncertain.

Even if we – as humans – are able to fight a disease, illness takes time to recover from. If there is not enough time between recovery and the moment you’re faced with another challenge, your resilience and ability to fight that disease might be affected. These parallels are as much true for our own health as that of the reef. 

Luckily – at least this time – impacts of the warming were not prolonged, reefs were able to recover, and mortality was minimal.

So the question here is, was COVID enough of an excuse for most people to hear absolutely nothing about the reef and the challenges it was facing?

“Is human health the most important thing we need to care about?”

Of course if we are not in a good way ourselves, we can’t care for anything else. However, if we employ a sustainable mindset, would looking after and connecting to nature be – in and of itself – congruent with looking after our own health?

What impact could caring more for our planet have on our ability to live healthy, prosperous and fulfilling lives?

Keep posted to hear about two of Natalie’s favourite corals in the Lady Musgrave Lagoon: Lumpy and Bumpy, and the fascinating story of overcoming challenges… Coming shortly!

Why are Master Reef Guides so passionate about the Great Barrier Reef?

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A little while ago, I had the pleasure of joining Donna and Matt at 3CR to share my experience as a Master Reef Guide with Lady Musgrave Experience. We spoke about my experiences on the Great Barrier Reef and why I’m so passionate about marine conservation. Listen in to learn more about the importance of these guides, how they are influencing positive tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, and how you can get involved!

5 Real Life Lessons Coral Reefs Taught Me

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It may seem that the reef is far away, and not all of us are lucky enough to have it as a part of our daily lives (don’t we all wish!). As a Master Reef Guide, I am lucky to experience the beauty of the reef close up. Here are a few valuable life lessons the reef has taught me.

Lesson 1 – There’s so Much More to Life than Meets the Eye!

Whether you find yourself admiring the beauty of the reef in pictures, from the surface or the air, or even snorkelling or diving underwater, you’ll discover there is so much more than initially meets the eye. There are myriad of intricacies and detailed beauty you can only see by slowing down and taking a closer look.

Lesson 2 – Adaptation is the Key to Survival

As in our lives, survival on the reef is all about how able we are to adapt to a changing environment and circumstances. Change is inevitable, and it’s not the smartest or strongest that will survive, but the most adaptable to change.

Lesson 3 – Be Resilient

Climate Change, cyclones, poor water quality, overfishing and illegal fishing. The reef is faced with one challenge after another, and yet it has shown incredible resilience and an ability to bounce back after challenges. Plate corals can be flipped on their heads or sides, and by the next season there are new coral recruits settled and growing on the structure. They fall down, yet they just keep going and growing!

Lesson 4 – Respect Your Elders

Reefs are faced with numerous threats and challenges, yet have managed to survive 5 mass extinctions, repeated ice ages, the complete rearrangement of the tectonic plates, massive volcanic eruptions, AND the arrival of humans… so far! The oldest coral fossils date back to 535 million years ago. Corals have been around for much longer than we have, and we can learn a lot from them if only we take a moment to stop and listen to the stories they are telling us.

Lesson 5 – Plant Power is the Best Power!

Reefs are like underwater solar-powered megacities. By far the most underestimated building blocks of our ocean planet, and especially of our reefs, is plant life. The majority of life on earth (including in the oceans) is driven by sunlight taken up by plants through photosynthesis. The reef is no exception! Phytoplankton drift along in ocean currents, forming the basis of the marine food chain and producing the oxygen that supports life on earth. Teensy tiny algae called zooxanthellae live inside coral tissues, providing them with most of their energy, allowing them to build reef structures and support an abundance of creatures. What would life be without plant power?!

Here’s how you can protect the Great Barrier Reef

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Our national wonder, the Great Barrier Reef is as large as Italy, seen from space, and is home to many thousands of coral and marine life species. No action is too small to become a good friend to the Reef.

The Consequences of Climate Change & Unsustainable Living

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The ocean ecosystems face tremendous pressure from human impact on the planet. The previous four years have been particularly devastating for coral reefs around the Indo-Pacific region. Hundreds of millions of people depend on coral reefs for food, shelter, tourism, and a healthy lifestyle. At this crucial time, the United Nations Ocean Conference brings political leaders of nations together to address the alarming decline in the health of our oceans.

BioQuest Studios, together with the Tara Expeditions Foundation, prepared a special visual message that was screened at the conference in 2017. The message, however, wasn’t just for the people who make decisions at the highest levels of government. We all need to understand how our lifestyles can damage the oceans and how we can avoid this by making simple decisions to alter our habits, politics, culture and the way we treat our planet.

As the filmmaking team on board the Tara Pacific expedition, they had the chance to witness and document the consequences of unsustainable living and climate change across vast areas of the Pacific Ocean. Sadly, even the most isolated reefs Tara has visited during the 2016 leg were in severe decline.

Most areas visited were significantly affected by coral bleaching. To document the process of bleaching, we had to devise a graphic method to depict the complex lifeform that builds the reefs – the coral. Coral, along with its microscopic symbionts, is an animal that lives in a world beyond our ordinary perception. Human vision is not tuned to see this world. We cannot appreciate it under its ambient light spectrum, focus on its microscopic polyps or visualise its behaviour due to the slow pace of its existence.

BioQuest Studios turned to digital imaging techniques used in science to reveal the hidden beauty of this magnificent animal. The super macro images are the highlight of over two years of work by the team. Focus stacked time lapses went through hundreds of hours of computer processing to extend the depth of field, even more hours of deconvolution algorithms to extract the minute details from the sensor data, and they originated from over half a million high-resolution still images taken in their purpose-built studios.

The colours featured in the video are not enhanced in any way. Coral pigmentation is fluorescent and therefore its appearance depends on the light spectrum the animal is immersed in. All images were captured simulating the ambient underwater spectra that would exist where the animal lives. Consequently, the colours are real!

Digital imaging allows us to connect with the creatures that form coral reefs. Up close, corals may look alien to us, and their environment is not one we can experience without the use of man-made devices. Ultimately, however, we share many similar biological features with them, as we do with all animals on the planet. A degree of difference in the temperature of the ocean does not sound like an extreme environmental shift, but how does an extra degree of temperature during a fever make us feel? Corals are vulnerable to changes in ocean temperatures. They become stressed, sick and die if their environment is not in balance. Our health too relies on the health of the ocean.

Tragically we are currently witnessing a planet-wide ecosystem collapse. On our watch, thousands of square miles of coral reef is turning into rubble and lifeless deserts. Surely this must be acknowledged as a blaring and urgent ecological alarm bell. Mass coral bleaching events are a sign for the long-needed change to live sustainably, vote wisely, and dramatically cut down on carbon emissions and meat consumption. We must become aware of our actions, learn from our mistakes and make the wisest of choices for the health of our planet.

Our ocean, our future!

9 Life Hacks To Save Reefs From Home (And Save Money)

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When it comes to saving our endangered coral reefs, many people think they need to actively join a cause to help. However, did you know you can make a real difference simply by changing your lifestyle a little? We have compiled a list of things you can do from home that will have a huge impact on reef health and our planet.

Simple Ways To Contribute To Reef Health From Home

 

1. Reduce Water

Install low-flow showerheads and take shorter showers. You could be saving at least $100 each year, simply by reducing your water consumption. Be sure not to leave the tap running for too long while washing hands or brushing your teeth. When you brush your teeth, think of the reef!

2. Change Your Aircon

Simply changing your thermostat from 21℃ to 24℃ degrees can reduce energy consumption by up to 25% and shave over $200 off your energy bill every year. You probably won’t even notice the 3-degree difference in temperature at home, but our oceans will thank you for it.

3. Recycle Containers

Bottles and containers can be reused many times. Try to refill your own bottle where possible and take it with you instead of buying a new plastic bottle or tin can each time you feel thirsty. When buying a take-away coffee, simply hand your barista your reusable coffee cup. You’ll both save money and help reduce landfills, which has a huge impact on carbon emissions.

Save Reefs From Home - Free PDF Download

4. Eat Less Meat

You don’t need to become a vegan or vegetarian to make an impact. Become a flexitarian! Simply reducing the meat you eat each week, you can make a real difference! Raising animals for mass meat consumption takes a lot of energy and is incredibly bad for the environment. There are fantastic alternatives to meat nowadays that taste delicious and are better for you.

5. Slow Down When Driving

Did you know you can save up to 30% of fuel just by reducing your speed when driving? Slowing down a little also reduces the risks of accidents and gives you more time to listen to your favourite music or audiobook.  Another great alternative is to use public transport where possible or – even better – get those dusty bicycles out of the garage!

6. Install a Water Tank & Plant Native Trees

If you have a backyard, you can install a water tank to collect rainwater for watering your plants. This can save you a couple of hundred dollars each year and will help our reefs stay healthy. Planting native trees is also a great way to save water, as they often require a lot less water and are easier to look after. It’s a win-win!

7. Reduce Food Waste and Packaging

Many plastics and other materials take hundreds of years to disintegrate and are incredibly difficult to clean up once they get into our oceans. This is not only harming our reefs but kills countless animals every year, like our cute turtles and many other endangered species. Try to buy foods that don’t require packaging. How much food do you throw away each week? Think before you buy to save money and our planet.

8. Change To Renewable Energy

Change from Electricity to solar! This could save you thousands in energy costs per year and drastically reduce your carbon footprint. At home, try to use LED lighting, which uses up a lot less energy, and try to avoid single-use batteries.

9. Embrace Second-Hand

Whether you need new clothing, furniture, or home wear, making use of pre-loved items is one of the best ways to reduce unnecessary landfills. If you have things you no longer need, pass them on to someone who does. Chances are you’ll make someone’s day. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

10. BONUS: Share This Post!

Helping us spread the word about reef health and how your friends and family can help save reefs, too, is just one more way you can make a difference and contribute to a healthier planet.

There you have it. Lots of small, simple changes you can make at home with a big impact on reefs and forests. Because a healthier planet means a better life for all of us.

Thank you for doing your part in making our planet healthier!