As a diver who enjoys to see the beauty of the Indonesian coastal environments, I am well aware of the threats Indonesian coral reefs are facing. Of course it is the role of governments and policy makers to pass the laws, educate and direct the masses. However, we cannot always rely on the government. I feel that the most important change must come from us. On an individual level we can start making a difference right now, even when we're on a holiday. Responsible tourism means being aware of the waste and pollution we create and trying to bring it to a sustainable level.

The same behavior applies when we dive. Every diver should consider and make positive choices in respect to the marine life. There are many things that can be done by a diver to protect the environment. First, try to be more ecologically friendly diver. Secondly, remove any rubbish found underwater, especially plastic but do not removing any natural objects out of the water. Third, learning perfect buoyancy control and being extremely aware of fins and diving gear for not break the coral should be a mandatory for all divers.  Buoyancy is the ability to float in a way that does not touch the base or substrate when doing a dive. It is also important for not feeding the fish, harmful fruit skins, taking all waste on the dive boat when getting off the boat, and choosing to dive with operators who care and respect the marine environment.

Respecting to the marine life, I want to make a small difference as a diver to help care of conserve our beautiful coral reefs by socialization more about them. As E-gen ambassador, I campaigned with my friends who are members of Biology Diving Club Jakarta to do a small action for mother earth.

On 29 April - 1 May 2017, my friends and I went to Tidung Island in Thousand Islands near Jakarta. We did an underwater clean up. We had been directed to a spot where corals look so healthy and many small fish play around. While enjoying the beauty of underwater scene, we grab rubbish covering the coral surface. Most of us were equipped with a trash bag for collecting the rubbish we found.

However, we have to be careful when grabbing the rubbish from the coral. Before taking the rubbish, we have to make sure that it is safe to take it. I always use my pointer to touch the rubbish before taking it in order to avoid the bite of dangerous marine animals. It is because many marine animals disguise similar color of surrounding objects. After arriving mainland, all collected rubbish will be trowed to the Garbage pool.

By doing such a small action, I believe it will effect the sustainability of fish in the sea. Therefore, I challenge all young people to do the same thing. You don't have to be a diver to save marine life. By putting the rubbish on the right place is more than enough to save them. Most of the rubbish on the ocean are came from the mainland. So, don't drop litter and put it in its place.