Dauin Critter Spotter Workshop

The department of tourism of the Philippines (region VII) set up a workshop for dive guides to teach them about critter spotting. I was fortunate enough to teach at this workshop. The focus was two-fold: One aspect was the biology of critters. We wanted to make the local DMs who are often extremely skilled in finding frogfish, nudibranchs, rare scorpionfishes and other fascinating small marine animals also experts in the biology of animals. This will make them even more valuable as underwater eco-guides. Many diving guests appreciate information in addition to the name of an animal.

We also made the point that critter spotting must be done ethically, without harming or harassing the often very tiny and fragile critters. It’s a matter of respect for nature, and also a matter of preserving the natural resources which are the basis of diving tourism in Dauin.

Video

I shot some good footage, thanks to the excellent spotters I was surrounded with. Especially the smaller sea slugs I would certainly have missed. Enjoy the footage, and some behind-the-scenes interviews with workshop participants.

Images

I also got some nice stills during the workshop, they live on Flickr, you can check them out here: