AWARE FishID

“Did you see that fish with a big eye?”

“Yeah, Ron. It’s a squirrel fish.”

“Cool.”

Get more out of diving. Learn about the fish you see in AWARE FishID

How often have you heard that on a dive trip? You’ll get more out of the dive when you know what you’re seeing. The AWARE FishID Adventure Dive and Specialty are great ways to start identifying the fish you see when diving.

There are over 21,000 known fish species. That’s a lot to know, but there are ways to group the fish into families based on their similar characteristics. Also, you probably won’t find all 21,000+ species on the same dive. There are usually a small group in the area you’re diving, so you can focus on what you’re likely to see.

The AWARE FishID Adventure Dive and Specialty diver course use twelve common groupings for the most common fish you’ll see when scuba diving. They include:

1. Butterflyfish, angelfish and surgeonfish

2. Jacks, barracuda, porgy and chubs

3. Snappers and grunts

4. Damselfish, chromis and hamlets

5. Groupers, seabass and basslets

6. Parrotfish and wrasse

7. Squirrelfish, bigeyes and cardinalfish

8. Blennies, gobies and jawfish

9. Flounders, scorpionfish, lizardfish and frogfish

10. Filefish, triggerfish, puffers, trunkfish, cowfish, goatfish, trumpetfish and drums

11. Eels

12. Sharks and rays

Some of the characteristics you look for include fins, body shape and behavior. For example, squirrel fish have big eyes and a large rear dorsal fin (dorsal=>back). Squirrel fish also tend to be nocturnal, so you probably won’t see them out much during the day; you might see them lurking in crevices, though.

You’ll learn some techniques for recording your observations while diving. You can use specialized slates that have pictures of the fish common in an area or use a generic slate that you just divide into a grid and record what you see.

Black Durgon A fish you might encounter in tropical waters during your AWARE FishID training

Why is it important to record what you see? For some divers, it’s personally rewarding. Beyond that, the information you collect can help researchers determine if something is changing in a fish population. In the AWARE FishID Specialty, you’ll learn more about recording data and submitting it to REEF to be used by researchers. The cool thing is that you don’t have to change your dive to accommodate the fish identification and record keeping. This is called the ‘roving diver’ approach. You do your dive like you normally would, just making notes as you go.

To compliment the AWARE FishID Specialty or adventure dive, you might also want to take the Underwater Naturalist Specialty. You’ll learn more about the underwater world, going beyond fish and looking at invertebrates (animals without a backbone) such as squid and octopi and also plant life such as algae and sea grass. You’ll also more about characterizing and naming aquatic species.

Underwater Naturalist

PADI Underwater Naturalist teaches you how to classify invertebrates, vertebrates and plants in the aquatic world.

Underwater Naturalist. The name seems scientific, yet almost leaning towards the scientists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: natural philosophers. And it should sound scientific. The PADI Underwater Naturalist course focuses on objective, scientific observations of the aquatic world. You’ll learn the scientific nomenclature for naming and describing aquatic organisms. If you’re like me, you may have grown up watching Wile E. Coyote cartoons. There was always the still screen where they showed the road runner and Wile E. with their pseudo-scientific names. In the PADI Underwater Naturalist specialty course, we’ll learn the actual names to describe plans, vertebrates (animals with backbones) and invertebrates (animals without backbones).

Who can take the course? What’s involved? What will I do?

A certified Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver can take the course—so a certified diver as young as ten. There is a good amount of knowledge development, which can be done in a traditional classroom, on the beach, on the boat or independently with a book. The essential part of the Underwater Naturalist, though, is diving and applying that knowledge. So, let’s focus on the dives. There are two open water dives. On each dive you’ll practice passive interaction with aquatic life. I know it’s incredibly tempting, but touching a fish can be quite detrimental. Many fish have a scaly exterior. What you may not see right off is that there is often a thin mucous-like substance coating the scales (makes the fish slippery), which protects the fish. Touching the fish can rub that off and leave the fish vulnerable to infection. Think of touching a fish being akin to someone walking up to you and sticking their finger up your nose and wiping off the protective mucous. It HURTS!

Coral reefs are the ideal place for an Underwater Naturalist to observe and study aquatic life

Beyond passive interaction, what else?

Dive 1 is focused on observation and naming plans and animals. Your instructor will help you with books, slates and online resources to help identify what you see on the dive.

Dive 2 is focused on identifying both predator/prey relationships as well as symbiotic relationships. Coral reefs are a great example of both. Coral is an animal that lives symbiotically with an algae. The algae photosynthesizes food for the coral animal while also providing a way to recycle the coral waste. In the process, either the coral animal and/or the algae secrete the calcium carbonate skeleton that makes the hard backbone of the reef. But corals come in different types. Some grow quickly, others don’t. Some have defensive chemicals that repel or irritate would-be attackers. The coral animal also sifts plankton for food. What types of symbiotic and predator/prey relationships have you seen while diving?

On both dives you’ll practice diving techniques to avoid impacting the aquatic world. That sandy bottom you think you can land on may not be as insensitive as you think. There may be a variety of fish that have covered themselves in sand to camouflage themselves. Being a buoyancy master can help you maintain your distance while getting close enough to see the cool stuff that’s going on. Consider taking the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course, too.

An often asked question about the PADI Underwater Naturalist course is if you have to do it in the ocean. The short answer is no. Almost any dive site will work. There are some adjustments to the dives. For example, if you’re diving in fresh water you don’t need to identify as many vertebrates. Often times, though, if you look carefully you can find a lot in fresh water that just might be as obvious as the vividly colored organisms on the coral reef.

You’re not limited to the ocean as an Underwater Naturalist. Freshwater diving has many unique opportunities to observe aquatic life.

The AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation course can help your understanding of the aquatic world when you take the PADI Underwater Naturalist course. A symbiotic relationship, you might say. Learning about life on the reef can help guide where and how you look for organisms on the reef.

Digital Underwater Photography opens up new vistas for identification. Take snap shots on the dive and identify what you shot after you return to the surface. Be careful, though. Don’t hold on to the reef to get those photos.

Ten ways Project AWARE and Coral Reef Conservation Specialties make you a better diver

Divers are natural advocates and ambassadors for the underwater world. We see and do things most people never will. We are the voice of the reefs, the fish, the aquatic mammals and the vegetation that makes up our aquatic world. As ambassadors and advocates, we need to have the knowledge to talk to others about what happens beneath the waves. The Project AWARE and AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation specialties develop your knowledge so you can be that advocate.

Project AWARE was founded years ago as the environmental arm of PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Originally planned as a ten-year project, it is now well into it’s third decade and it has grown into a world-wide non-profit aquatic conservation organization. “AWARE” stands for Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education. Project AWARE has influenced generations of divers, guided massive cleanup projects and promoted conservation of endangered species such as sharks and rays.

The Project AWARE Specialty and the AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation Specialty are both based on the “AWARE-Our World, Our Water” eBook.

In the Project AWARE Specialty you’ll learn about:

• The Project AWARE Foundation
• The Ocean Commons & a basic intro to marine ecology
• Fisheries issues (what’s overfished, what’s endangered, what’s okay to eat)
• Coastal zone management & how politics impact how the coast interacts with the reef
• Coral Reef Ecology
• Marine Pollution
• The role of the diver in protecting the aquatic realm—what you can do to help!

In the AWARE Coral Reef Conservation Specialty, we delve into Coral Reef ecology in depth:

• What is coral?
• Nature of life on the reef
• How threatened are the reefs
• Protecting the reef: techniques for diving to reduce and avoid impacting the reefs

This all flows into the top ten ways you can make a difference

1. Be a buoyancy expert
2. Be a role model
3. Take only pictures—leave only bubbles
4. Protect underwater life
5. Become a debris activist
6. Make responsible seafood choices
7. Take Action
8. Be an eco-tourist
9. Shrink your carbon footprint
10. Give Back

The Project AWARE and AWARE-Coral Reef conservation specialties give you the tools to make this happen. You can specifically fine-tune your buoyancy skills with a buoyancy refresher or Peak Performance Buoyancy. Shrinking your carbon foot print can be as easy as remembering to turn off the lights when you leave the room and making sure you recycle as often as you can. You can go further by using a reusable water bottle rather than buying bottled water. Most culinary water in the USA is as good as or better than bottled water and costs a fraction of the price, and also has a much lower energy cost to produce. Being an eco-tourist doesn’t have to be difficult: shop for dive operations and resorts that take care of their boats and properly treat their sewage before discharging it.

Learning more about life on a coral reef opens up new things for you to look for on the reef. Ever been diving on a reef at night and it looks fuzzy? Then it suddenly seems to change in the blink of an eye. You’re probably not imagining it. Coral reefs are animal, vegetable and mineral. You may just be seeing the tentacles of the coral animal suddenly retracting in response to a disturbance. AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation will show you more about what goes on on and in the reef.

Be an advocate for aquatic conservation: Take the Project AWARE and AWARE-Coral Reef Conservation Specialties.

[They also count towards the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating!]

Dive Environment & Earth Day

Next month, April, has one day that sets it apart: Earth Day. Remember, most of our planet called “Earth” is covered in water. In fact, “Water” might have been a better name for the planet we live on. As divers, we get to explore the rest of the planet that few will ever have the chance to see. We are on the front line of conservation because we know what goes on under the waves and we can be the voice of the ocean.

Divers at a beach and underwater cleanup. Earth Day is a great time to get involved!

In April, my blog posts will go over the various programs and courses that can expand your knowledge of the diving environment and how you can help protect our diving playground. Here’s a quick sample of some of the upcoming topics:

• Project AWARE Specialty & AWARE Coral Reef Conservation
• Underwater Naturalist Specialty
• AWARE FishID Specialty
• Shark Conservation Specialty
• Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty
• Master Eco Diver

The Project AWARE Foundation is a non-profit organization that specializes in education and conservation of our aquatic world. Their two primary goals are protection of sharks, a heavily threatened species, and marine debris. Project AWARE was started by PADI in the late ’80s. Since then, it has grown and changed. PADI supports Project AWARE in a variety of ways, one is the various diving specialty courses to help you learn more about the aquatic world and how to protect it.

The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. People concerned with the health of our planet spoke out on protecting the planet we live on. Earth Day for divers probably means more because we see more of the planet than non-divers. Divers are the natural ambassadors and advocates for the aquatic world.

Threats to aquatic ecosystems aren’t limited to the oceans. For example, in 2010 there was an oil pipeline leak in Red Butte Canyon near Salt Lake City. That leak contaminated a creek and spread the spill over many miles before being caught and somewhat contained in a lake located at a park. Another example is what happens when an invasive species gets into an aquatic ecosystem. Lionfish have become the scourge of the Caribbean. Zebra mussels have invaded many lakes. In one of Utah’s hot springs, someone introduced tilapia. This fish has decimated the underwater vegetation and started to threaten the lake’s ecosystem. This lake is also one of the popular dive sites in Utah and divers have noted a distinct problem with visibility due to the lack of vegetation.

Protecting our aquatic resources is important to all of us. Much of the oxygen we need to survive is produced by phytoplankton in the oceans. We need oxygen to live. If the oceans die, our source of oxygen dies and we’ll go with it.

It’s not all gloom & doom, though. Some great strides have been made for conservation. There is much to do and we’re able to make a difference. Stay tuned for more information on how you can learn more and how you can personally make a difference.

Ready to check your knowledge of CPR and First Aid?

Even a young child can learn the basics of CPR and First Aid, including using an AED.

CPR & First Aid

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• Time to refresh your CPR/First Aid knowledge & skills? Contact me to schedule a refresher CPR/First Aid course or a new course. Since most of us don’t use CPR regularly, our proficiency degrades over time. It’s suggested you take a refresher at least every 24 months.

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1. Question 1 of 10

   1. Question

   According to the AHA 2010 guidelines, the ratio of compressions to breaths should be

   • 30:2
   • 15:2
   • 5:1
   • 2:30
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
2. Question 2 of 10

   2. Question

   CPR will restart the heart

   • False
   • True
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
3. Question 3 of 10

   3. Question

   Any breath sounds, any at all, are considered normal

   • True
   • False
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
4. Question 4 of 10

   4. Question

   Recommended depth of chest compression for an adult is

   • at least 2 inches/ 5cm
   • at least 1.5 inches/3.8cm
   • Depth isn't important
   • at least 3 inches/ 7.5 cm
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
5. Question 5 of 10

   5. Question

   How fast should you compress the chest during CPR?

   • at least 100 per minute
   • at least 80 per minute
   • at least 150 per minute
   • It doesn't matter. Just do it.
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
6. Question 6 of 10

   6. Question

   If you think someone is choking

   • Look in the mouth
   • Say, "I'm a doctor. Everybody stand back!"
   • Ask "Are you choking?"
   • Step right in and perform abdominal thrusts.
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
7. Question 7 of 10

   7. Question

   The “L” in the SAMPLE mnemonic for first aid assessments stands for

   • Last oral intake
   • Last thing they did before feeling ill
   • Check the Limbs
   • Loosen their collar
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
8. Question 8 of 10

   8. Question

   To treat severe bleeding

   • Apply direct pressure to the wound
   • Stitch up the wound with any handy sewing materials
   • Use glue to close the wound
   • Apply a tourniquet
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
9. Question 9 of 10

   9. Question

   The FAST mnemonic for assessing neurological problems like Stroke and Decompression sickness stands for:

   • Facial droop, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty or suddent severe headache and Time
   • Feet, Arms, Smile and tingling
   • Call 911 FAST
   • Facial droop, Arm weakness, Stumbling and tenderness
   Correct
   

   Incorrect
   
10. Question 10 of 10

    10. Question

    What is Hypothermia?

    • Reduced body temperature
    • Elevated body temperature
    • Reduced blood oxygen levels
    • Something only a doctor can diagnose
    Correct
    

    Incorrect