By: Mayawati NH (MyTrip Magazine)

Diving for work is not something I ever imagined. All this time, I was diving for fun. Meeting the sea that I love so much, seeing the colorful coral reefs that spoil the eyes, enjoying the appearance of pelagic fish or large fish such as sharks and manta ray which soothes the mind, feeling the sensation of currents that challenge adrenaline.

Some friends encouraged me to get a dive master certificate because I didn't want to turn diving into a job. I just want to have fun.

However, when I got the offer to participate in the WWF-Indonesia expedition to Alor as a diver and writer, I said yes without thinking. Without asking any questions other than the date of the activity, which happened not to clash with my schedule.

There was only one thing that made me feel anxious: I had never been on an expedition and had no idea how diving expeditions were conducted. But since my job is just to dive, observe and write articles from the activities, I can live with that.

The first day of the workshop, including the technical explanation of the expedition, I learned many new things and also made new friends, most of whom were very young. Still can't imagine what the dives will be like.

The second day of check dive and dive simulation happened to have very poor visibility because it was done near the harbor. I still didn't get the full picture and finally it slowly unfolded in my eyes on the third day when the expedition team started to do monitoring dives and data collection. Visibility was so clear around Ternate Island and Kokar Beach that I was able to maximize my time as an observer.

I saw how the coordination of the 4-person team was neatly maintained, two small fish and big fish data collectors diving in front, followed by the roll master who stretched a 5 X 50 meter meter as a transect (data collection marker line), followed by the last person in charge of collecting benthic or coral reef data. Finished the task under the sea, came up to the surface of the water, picked up by the fast boat Simba, there is still the task of lifting the surface marker buoy (SMB) placed at 3 points.

While watching them work, I could of course look around, doing my favorite thing: diving among coral reefs and fish in a calm atmosphere, typical of underwater. Yes, underwater I felt very calm, until suddenly a loud booom was heard.

A fisherman had detonated a potassium bomb! It was very alarming and made my heart want to fall out. We could only look at each other and ask with our eyes, "what is that?" but finally continued to work.

I continued to take pictures here and there, while the researchers were again busy taking notes on paper newtop and sabak (road board). This is how it feels, diving in to work. It's hard for the researchers who have to record data in the middle of the current and recap it that day, and it's fun for me to work alongside them.