After a busy few months it's time to update my blog with what I have been upto.

At the start of the year Tim-Tam (also a DB instructor) and I came across an illegal fishing caught on Ron's Reef within the Tunkul Abdul Rahman Park (TARP). It wasn't the width of the net (approximately 30 metres) that was the most alarming, but the fact that it had 2 buoys attached at either end giving it a height of 7 metres! It really was a silent trap waiting for many fish to get caught in it. Due to a busy period of IDC and holidaying customers we had to wait a day or so before getting a chance to get in and remove it.

Luckily Richard (Downbelow CD & MD) found a small window of time where we could get out and attack the net. I assembled a small team of Myself, Tim-Tam, Victor (DB local Divemaster), Jeff (DB local Divemaster) and a new IDC intern Sam (out on her first P.A exercise). Sam was with us under a 2 month Go-Pro instructor internship which she successfully passed and left us as an excellent instructor with experience in a busy 5* dive centre.

Being confident of fidning the net again I was put in charge of the removal. After a thourough briefing we headed out and soon found it thanks to Captain Mel spotting the net on the sounder (such was the size). We wasted no time and managed to successfully remove the net in a single 50 minute dive, with the added bonus of saving a grateful crab along the way. On return to our Gaya Island base camp we documented and reported the net to Sabah Park who discarded it in the correct manner. Thanks to the team and to Richard for not only finding time for us to remove the net but for also trusting me in charge of the operation.