Today in Papua New Guinea I joined the morning activities of Kimbe International High School who were at Mahonia Na Dari on a school camp to learn about habitats such as mangroves, rainforests, beaches and of course.… the coral reef. The students were aged between 10 and 12 and I can honestly say I’ve never met a bunch so excited and enthusiastic to get in the water. Within minutes of reaching our destination (Restorf Island in Kimbe Bay) all students and teachers were heads-under, snorkels up. Teachers and students swam side by side with fish and coral ID slates, to learn about different species, habitats and the importance of coral reefs.

I was there to film the whole experience and get specific shots to use in a short educational documentary by Ian Kellett, a film maker from research vessel RV Alucia who has been working on a production aimed at local communities to highlight the importance of sustainable fishing methods and conserving the oceans for the future. My role was to film the students observing healthy reef, and unhealthy reef –easy, right? I only had one session to get the shots but thankfully the clear and reflective flat waters provided me with a perfect backdrop to get the footage I required, my biggest challenge was actually finding damaged reef! Here’s a quick taste of what happened on the day…