July 10th, 2012

Day 3 – If it Seems Impossible, Do it anyway! Professor Geoffrey James

Torrential tropical rain precluded my departure from the house this morning. I was faced with the added inconvenience of no running water but mega litres were falling from the sky. I briefly considered heading outside for a natural shower but of course, once I actioned such a plan the heavens had ceased to dump such torrents & I had missed my opportunity.

Eco Koh Tao Founder and Marine Conservationist Nathan Cook is heading to Cairns this week as representative for the Save Koh Tao Group at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) 2012. (www.icrs2012.com)

Every four years the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) sanctions a major international scientific conference which provides the latest knowledge and leading edge technologies about coral reefs worldwide.

Buoyancy World is an artificial reef built hear one of local dive sites to reduce the pressure off the natural reef area so divers can practice their buoyancy and control before being ‘released’ onto the natural reef environment. It has proved a success since it was first deployed in 2010. In September 2011 we undertook an expansion of Buoyancy World with new structures to expand the site and make it more interesting. Here is the story of one of those structures.

Over the past five years our many research projects have been leading the way with projects on coral nurseries and artificial reef to looking at worldwide phenomena like bleaching events, one of which decimated reefs worldwide during the hot year that was 2010.

Collaborating with scientists from Chulalungkorn University in Bangkok, Dr Chavancih recently wrote