Long Ying (Dao)
Nationality: Chinese
Age: 23
MSc student in Environmental Management
I never thought that I would fall in love with the ocean so much. Because the city where I come from is very far from the sea.
Even before I started doing the open water SCUBA diving course, I thought I never really know the ocean, and another thing that I never thought was that after doing the diving changed my life and all my goals.
I will never forget my first breath in the silent ocean, the moment I heard my own breath ever so clearly in the relaxing waters.
I realized that I was crazy right after my first plunge into the deep blue. I fell in love with the sea and I started to consider what I can do for my love.
The ocean is unselfish. It provides us fantastic scenery, limitless food, and also wonderful weird creatures that we cannot find on land. We get too much from the ocean. We do not only take from her but also hurt her at the same time. It is time to think about what we can do for the ocean.
I decided to learn more about the ocean and to do more to protect it. I am willing to protect her with my whole life. I go diving to visit the beauty of the ocean and also the damages of the ocean.
Every time, I see damaged corals, I think about their causes; if it is due to human activities or just the natural cycle of life. I started being interested in coral reefs because of the beauty of the ocean, then I fall in love with coral reefs.
Unquestionably, coral reefs are the most biodiverse places in the ocean. The reef ecosystem and creatures are mysterious to me. I have read papers, books and talked to others to get more knowledge, but I have to admit that I am still at the stage to prepare myself.
At the very least, I can understand we cannot avoid coastal development, but we can find the balance between development and protection. That’s why I am doing research in marine biology.
