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| Diving
out of troubled waters This team of seven scuba instructors, all volunteering their time and professional expertise, will also survey and document the damage done to the Madiha (affectionately referred to as ‘Turtle Point’, due to the many turtles that lay eggs along the shoreline) coral reefs, to help begin the process of understanding and eventually, re-propagating these eco-systems, said the Managing Director of Mailman Lanka - Jason Firmin. They also hope to make the area a turtle sanctuary as many eggs had been destroyed in this area. The idea took shape after the tsunami when the CEO/Founder of Mailman (an alternative media company), Kirk Jobsz, launched a ‘HELP’ PostKard campaign in January, throughout China (where Mailman’s main company is based) to raise funds for the tsunami victims of Sri Lanka. Having collected over Rs. one million, Kirk’s next task was to find something beneficial to do with these funds. That’s when Kirk and Firmin travelled down south to see how best they could utilise these funds. Around March, they decided to start the ‘Mailman Professional Diving Training Programme’. They sent e-mails to everyone they knew, asking for suggestions and volunteer divers. The first to respond was Francesca Koe, PADI MSDT, who in turn contacted Bill Oakes, a PADI Course Director and owner of the California Dive Centre. After much correspondence, the project began to get bigger and bigger. PADI
had agreed to donate its qualifications and ‘Aqualung’,
a scuba equipment shop had volunteered to donate some equipment.
The project was to concentrate on 25-30 divers, who would be trained
by these seven international diving instructors. Once they’ve
attained their ‘Dive Masters’, they would not only be
qualified to take tourists diving but, they would also be in demand
by various large companies in search of trained divers. A ‘Dive Shop’ operation, run by the villagers themselves too, is on the boards, as it will help make the community more self-sufficient, Firmin said. In addition, Mailman Lanka, hopes to set up a committee comprising members of the community, who will have custody of all the donated equipment and rent it out to the trained divers. On the return of the equipment, the committee will only refund half the money and collect the other half to purchase more equipment or do repairs or meet any other community need, he said. This money can be used even to hire an English tutor from outside to help teach English to the people. “Although initially quite sceptical, the people of ‘Turtle Point’ have really warmed to the idea now and are excited about the arrival of the divers,” Firmin said. They’ve cleaned out an old abandoned school and spring-cleaned their homes in anticipation of the divers visit, he added. Vladimir Soto, a PADI - IDC staff instructor and freelance Art Director had the bright idea of using the rubble to build an underwater memorial that would attract divers from around the world and Mailman hopes to embark on this project as well, said Firmin. The memorial could gradually be extended to build an artificial reef that would draw marine life to it, thus, helping the environment as well. The local community would be responsible for its maintenance. Mailman
is currently in discussion with ‘Reef Balls’ –
a company that specialises in building artificial reefs the world
over on this project. Sean Kelly, also a PADI diver, writer and
photographer, the first of the divers to come down, plans to film
the entire programme. The Discovery Channel too has been notified.
The Ministry of Tourism, the Sri Lanka Navy and Dr. Hiran Jayawardene,
the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Co-operation
(IOMAC), have been cooperative throughout, added Firmin. |
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