| PADI Project AWARE Fish Identification & REEF Survey Diving That Counts! Many people spend their entire diving career swimming over the reefs, staring at the fish, completely unaware of what they are looking at…or overlooking. If you are tired of asking the divemaster about what you saw on your last dive, if you feel left out when all the other divers talk about what they spotted on the dive, then this course is for you. It will make you the “fish expert” on your next dive vacation! This course was developed in conjunction with the Project AWARE Foundation and REEF . Project AWARE is the dive industry's leading nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. We accomplish this mission by involving divers and water enthusiasts in environmental activities like REEF surveys. The Reef Environmental Education Foundation seeks to conserver marine ecosystems by enlisting and enabling divers to become active stewards and citizen scientists. REEF links the diving community with scientists, resource managers and conservationists through marine life data collection and related activities. Adventure Dive & Travel is a Project Aware Foundation member and REEF field station. This partnership enables us to train divers in fish identification and proper coral reef survey methods. Although many fish ID classes consist of many boring hours paging through guidebooks and memorizing scientific names, this course goes far beyond that and makes learning fun. During the classroom session we'll learn an easy, simple system to identify fish. Then we'll learn how to use the REEF survey materials to gather data for the REEF database. This database is the world's largest ongoing survey of marine life, and is used by scientists and marine park managers all over the planet! After the classroom session it's off to complete the two open water dives during one of our many Caribbean adventures. Non-divers may take the classroom portion and, if they desire, go snorkeling. Either way, we will get a chance to put our newfound knowledge and skills into practice. It's challenging and fun to see how many different species you can find on a single dive! After the 2 open water dives you'll enter the data you collected into the REEF database for use in studies and research by scientific organizations worldwide. You can even view your own life-list of sightings! After completion of the course, all participants will automatically become members of REEF and eligible to do REEF surveys on their own. As you complete more surveys in your diving career, you will advance through 5 experience levels, eventually achieving EXPERT . EXPERT level surveyors are invited to join the REEF Advanced Assessment Team to assist with special monitoring and assessment projects. You will also receive a PADI Project AWARE Fish ID Specialty Card. This specialty can be applied toward the PADI Master Diver and PADI Pro-Master programs. For more information on these prestigious ratings, please ask your instructor. Provided by Student
Additional Suggested Materials
Homework and Class Preparation Before the classroom session, complete the REEF Intro course on DVD, including taking the quizzes. Bring all of your course materials to class.
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