Malaysia Scuba Diving Courses
PADI AWARE FISH IDENTIFICATION SPECIALTY
The diversity of marine species that you can see in Malaysia can be mind-boggling, especially when you begin to appreciate the macro-life attractions of the islands of Mabul and Kapalai, such as ghost pipefish and frogfish. "What was that fish?" is a common question heard after every dive.
If you want to be the knowledgeable one with the answers instead of the one asking all the questions, then take the AWARE – Fish Identification Specialty. You'll enjoy your dives that much more when you recognise the reef creatures that you see and can identify the main fish families' characteristics. This will make it much easier to find the exact species in a reefguide book after a dive.
During the AWARE - Fish Identification Diver programme you'll go on 2 open water dives (which may be completed in just 1 day). The first dive allows you to practice basic fish identification techniques, while the second dive prompts you to collect fish identification data for submission to the REEF Fish Survey Project (if appropriate). After the dives, you're required to log the experience in your personal log book.
This course covers the knowledge and techniques for identifying fish common to our local area. The topics covered include:
- The Project AWARE philosophy about protecting worldwide aquatic ecosystems and activities that can help protect aquatic life;
- Fish family groupings and common characteristics of fish species found in the local area;
- Fish surveying techniques and strategies for collecting valid data.
To take part in this course, you need to be a PADI Open Water Diver (or Junior) and at least 10 years old. You'll need your standard scuba gear, plus a slate to record what you see and a fish identification card. The AWARE - Fish Identification elective dive from the Adventures in Diving programme may count towards this specialty course.