Marine Conservation

          While in Southern Thailand, I was able to get certified in scuba diving while being able to learn about the importance of marine conservation and different ways to implement it. While learning about the ocean, we learned about the pollution and organisms that occupy it. We mainly focused on how the pollution affects the organisms and how we can fix it.

           During our dives, we were always looking at for possible debris like plastic, fishing lines or lures, or just any trash to pick up and remove from the ocean as they can harm the ocean life. Another main focus of ours was doing research on the local coral reefs around Krabi and Phi Phi Islands. During our dives we were looking for any flipped coral, as being upside down could inhibit it's growth, so that we could flip it over and help the reefs heal. We also looked to record the different species of coral along with the color of the coral as some of the coral had been bleached due to a recent heatwave. Our goal was to understand the damage the coral has undergone during the heatwave and try to repair the damages. 

          Being apart of these dives and research showed me the research process and how to go about learning about problems and how to find and implement solutions. As a student studying to become a physical therapist research is an extremely important aspect of the field. Constant learning and staying up to date on information is important for the care of your patients. Now with a more in-depth understanding of research I hope to be able to conduct some of my own to better understand the medical implications of physical therapy.