We called today the “Test Day”. Today is half way through our Internship Program, and today we had tests from morning until the afternoon!
This morning at 08.30 we began a test to measure our knowledge about manta rays and fisheries in Indonesia. Andy gave us a long reading list at the start of the program, maybe more than 60 journal articles and laws, and today is our chance to demonstrate what we’ve learned. Last night we all worked hard on last-minute revision, diving the reading list between us and sharing notes!
I thought the test today was very difficult, or maybe we did not prepare well enough. We had questions about manta ray biology, about formula to calculate population size and manta disc width, and even questions about the content of Indonesian laws. The good news is that we all passed, and the test was a good experience to help us check our knowledge and prepare for the next test.
In the afternoon we went to Bidadari Island with Elitza to complete our PADI Advanced Open Water course. Last week we practiced how to use a compass on land, and today we had to do the same underwater. In our buddy teams, one person used the compass and one counted fin kicks, and we had to swim a perfect square underwater and return to our start position. Again we all successfully passed, and all of us are very happy because it means we have a new diving certificate to add to our resume.
Practicing our navigation skills
