LMRT | Exploration

I still believe that I’m too young to have accomplished this. Even my family still gasping over the fact that I am one of the youngest divers in Cambodia. 

I remember three years ago I was smiling and congratulating to the first ever generation of LMRT. LMRT stands for Liger Marine Research Team which the team have full of 8 passionate students who wanted to preserve cambodia ocean and bring diversity back to life. When the school recruited the first generation which the opportunity only eligible to the senior in my school. I was smiling knowing that one day I wanted to become a diver too. Years passed I didn’t hear much about LMRT recruitment but this year the senior is graduating and they wanted to continue because they see the impact they have made down at the Kep archipelago, so they decided to recruit another generation of LMRT. At first I was reluctant because I kept thinking should I join the LMRT team because the team needs people that are full of commitment towards this project. I realized that sometimes the greatest achievement ever come from you stepping out of your comfort zone. Without looking back I decided to join the team and I vow to have full commitment on it. With the passion of wanting to be an environmental activist I love the project I’m having.

LMRT is a three years long project. Our goal is to protect and restore Cambodia’s ocean diversity. We are solving raising awareness of threats at the Kep archipelago and the surrounding areas. This round, the past 7 weeks, the second generation of LMRT learned from the first generation LMRT in preparation for the continuation of reef monitoring at Koh Seh Island until 2023. I have learned more generally about marine conservation, current threats facing marine ecosystems of the Kep Archipelago, and understanding the current projects being implemented by Marine Conservation Cambodia. One big step in order to continue LMRT the second generation have to become a certified diver so we took the SSI test at Koh Seh. The 4 days trip that we took to Koh Seh to do our test was fabulous. The 8 juniors in the next generation were all passed the test. We are now in the final step of becoming an open-water diver. When I first dove, the experience was just amazing and unbelievable. It is the first time ever I can breathe underwater, isn’t it marvelous? I still can’t believe that I am a diver. I admit that diving is one of the most dangerous sports but the fact that I took the opportunity to become a diver is one of the greatest achievements I have ever made in life.

See nothing is impossible, you will never know the outcome until you try it. Joining LMRT is something that I know I am lucky and I have a chance to already started building my dream at 13 years old. I am looking forward to help continuing this LMRT project successfully and do whatever to help the cambodia ocean.