Computer science majors don’t usually need to earn a scuba diving certificate to take a class. Not only was this a requirement for Weston Hanson, it was also a lifetime goal.
“Since I was a kid I really wanted to study abroad, and it didn’t look like I could do one in college. But this trip came up and it fit in my schedule and my credits,” says Hanson, who is minoring in biology. “It also was a cool dream come true because I have always wanted to do research in marine biology.”
Hanson and seven other students along with Professor of Biology Tim Nelson traveled to Bali, Indonesia, to study marine restoration, focusing on rebuilding coral reefs. This is the second group of SPU students to travel to the Indonesian fishing community of Les Village in Bali.
In this photo essay, Weston shares images from his trip and what it was like.
Here’s our group (Andy Alben, Brooke VandenBerg, Bella Lisenby, Cove Vandervort, Ayden Thonstad, Grace Palmandez, and me) with Dr. Nelson on one of our “dry days” (non-diving days) when we visited this Hindu temple. More on that later!Welcome to Les Village in Bali! This is one of the entrances to the villa we stayed at, Segara Lestari. Under the red roof is where we ate our meals, but it was also a local restaurant.This is a picture from my room, a place to stay in the middle of the tropics. Our rooms were designed to take advantage of the surrounding landscape, which was absolutely beautiful. (And one of my roommates was a gecko, which would wake us up at 3 a.m. each morning. If you want to look it up its called the Tokay Gecko – it is like a Pokémon because it says its own name).Every student on our team was certified to dive before the trip. We worked with local fishermen, who not only taught us the techniques necessary to grow new coral, but also served as dive guides. While working underwater, you’ll swim around all kinds of fish, turtles, sting rays, and eels.We would dive about 2-3 times a day, and about one hour for each dive. We used underwater notebooks and pens to record our coral measurements. This is me with my dive partners Ayden, Bella, and Brooke, after we finished recording fish populations.Coral reef restoration starts with growing coral fragments in a nursery table. Here we are zip-tying the cement substrate to the nursery table that the coral will begin to grow on.Here Andy and I are putting coral fragments in the nursery. First you have to scrub algae, sponges, other animals, and bacteria off the medal nursery table. Then you place the coral on top using an underwater-setting cement invented by a the head fisherman of the village, Pak Eka.Another assignment was to learn to identify different types of coral. This white frame would be placed over a coral reef. Then we would count the coral as well as identify them. This was the first day of diving so identifying coral was hard, but after a lot of diving, you begin to recognize them quickly.Dr. Nelson is holding an underwater camera and my classmate, Ayden, is holding a measurement stick. We would measure the coral, either horizontally, vertically, or both depending on the type, and take photos. We used lots of hand signs underwater. In fact, there are certified hand signs that underwater divers use. Dr. Nelson is signing “okay” to move on to the next coral.After diving, we would usually have a late afternoon lecture, a chance to input data, or take an exam. This was our classroom. This is Sam and Luh giving us a lecture about butterfly fish.Evenings also meant some amazing sunsets. Here you can see the fishing boats used by the local villagers. Coral reef restoration is critical not only for the fish, but for those who make their living fishing and those who eat the fish.Some fish are caught after sunset. Here you can see the traditional rafts with lights to fish at night. We were able to go with a local fisherman on an evening fishing boat ride.Here I am on the back of one of the fishing boats during the evening boat ride. There are some traditional boats made of wood, but the newer boats are made out of fiberglass like this one. Gombal was driving the boat around with a lure off the back trying to catch tuna, but we didn’t catch any unfortunately.Here is the Les Village morning village market. You can find anything and everything here. Fresh meat, spices, vegetables, homemade food, household items; the list goes on and on. There was also a Brahman, or local holy man, giving out medicines.There is lots of fresh food at the Thursday morning market! These fish were caught either early that morning or the night before. The market happens in front of Les Village’s main temple, which is at the heart of the village.Even though there is no recycling plant on Bali, there is an ongoing major effort to collect plastic around the island to prevent pollution. We spent some time here at DuaKala Recycle helping to sort the plastics. There are about nine different types of plastic, but only three are recyclable.Part of the trip included “dry days,” where we would stay out of the water and explore Bali. Everyone has to wear sarongs (which they provide) when you visit a Hindu temple. After a local HIndu guide, Wira, said a blessing (you can see him at the table), we were allowed to enter the first entrance.We also got to see some of the amazing natural beauty of Bali……and meet some of the inhabitants, like this macaque monkey. They may look cute, but they are actually kind of mean and steal stuff!Thank you to Dr. Nelson, Pak Eka, and Les Village for inviting us in and letting us help out. I am so glad I was able to take part in this amazing trip with these amazing people. I would highly recommend anyone to take a study abroad trip. Some trips are offered during this summer like this one, and a lot are open to all students, no matter what you are studying. Try something new and it might surprise you.
