Amba approached us after learning about our coral lab project in Lombok with other TU Delft students. Because she showed great interest and self-motivation, and because her skillsets complimented the project well, Reef Support and IBF decided that Amba would become the “First Reef Ranger”, where she would travel to Lombok for 2 months to develop a standard for data collection and reef monitoring, the ‘Reef Ranger Program’ for future volunteers, take part in restoration dives, and of course, to take care of the precious corals.

Self-biography

“My name is Amba Stapert, I am a student from The Netherlands, born in Amsterdam on April 12th, 2000. Three weeks ago I finished the bachelor Life Science & Technology at the Delft University of Technology. During my bachelor’s degree, the complexity and precision of survival mechanisms of living organisms, ranging from bacteria to human beings, have really caught my interest. Another big part of my life has been scuba diving. From the moment I laid my eyes on the beautiful sea life in Egypt, it became a huge hobby of mine. When I was ten years old I did my first dive and soon after I completed my PADI Open Water course.‍

The past years have shown coral reefs experience more difficulties surviving and are decreasing in size rapidly, which got me worried. Finding out Reef Support and the Indonesia Biru Foundation (IBF) started a collaboration to build a coral lab in Indonesia to restore reefs while doing research and educating local communities, immediately got my interest. As soon as I could, I got on an airplane two days after finishing my bachelor's to the paradise island, Lombok, to help them with the different projects.”

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April 7, 2022

The first week after arriving, one of the IBF team members, Haekal, guided me through the amazing area and cities surrounding the coral lab at Kecinan Bay and one of the small Gili islands, Gili Trawangan.

This week I had time to get to know the always welcoming Indonesian people, have some delicious Nasi Goreng, enjoy the tropical sun, go around the island on a motorcycle and of course, see the high diversity of life underwater. While speaking a combination of English and some Bahasa Indonesia I got to know the wonderful local people at Kecinan Bay. They are always joyful, laughing and ready to help with everything and especially, show me the relaxing life between palm trees, while drinking fresh coconut water with amazing sea views.‍

During my second week I finished the PADI Advanced and Rescue Diver courses at Gili Trawangan to gain more diving knowledge and experience at different conditions. Together with a great team of three instructors and my diving buddy I got the opportunity to see turtles, sharks, stingrays and many other fish and corals.‍

After becoming a more experienced diver, I went back to Kecinan Bay to continue with the projects of the coral lab. One of the founders of IBF, André Saputra, learned me how to carry out reef surveys identifying fish, invertebrates and substrates, how to compose a photo mosaic of coral reefs and to sketch an eco habitat of the shore, based on images obtained during snorkeling or using a drone. From now on, I will be busy with the maintenance of the reef tanks and coral restoration site, improving my skills and collecting data in various ways.

April 17

The second week after arriving in Indonesia the Ramadan, for Muslims a holy month, started, which meant they were fasting from sunrise until sunset and praying at least five times a day. The first day of Ramadan I was staying at Gili Trawangan and while fasting we did two dives. During this important and special month Muslims take fasting and praying very seriously. At Gili all the shops, except for a few supermarkets, were closed and everyone was relaxing in the shadows. Especially, back on Lombok, I learned more about this tradition.

Ramadan is a month in which people focus more on what is important for them, to be kind, generous and grateful, resolve problems with anyone and celebrate with family after sunset. I noticed many times how people were gathering at the coast, staring at the beautiful sun disappearing in the sea and right after jumping on the motorbike to eat Iftar with their families. During this month many new friends invited me to eat with them and I got to know many homes and families.

To finish the week together with the whole IBF team we did a beach clean-up and afterward I stayed at a friend's house to try fasting with them the next day. Early in the morning, after our breakfast, we went to the fish market in Mataram to get more familiar with the local fish for reef surveys. We watched the sunrise on top of mountain Pintu Langit in Mataram, went for a very relaxing massage (and fell asleep), and watched the sunset standing in between large rice fields. When we finished fasting we had dinner with delicious food at their house. I tried some local food, fried chicken intestines from the top of the mountain, which tasted surprisingly nice. It was a very special experience to just enjoy and have fun with very nice people, while not worrying about food.

Furthermore, in the last week, I celebrated my 22nd birthday. After an early breakfast at my bungalow, I put on my wetsuit and went to the coral lab, where I met Haekal and a diving friend. Together we put on our diving gear and walked down the beach for a monitoring dive. We are not surprised anymore, when we see turtles eating grass in our bay, as for other fish, like lionfish and many kinds of starfish enjoying their habitat.

In the evening we were eating with friends in Mataram. We took the road through the monkey forest. On the motorbike at high speed, the diving friend took his wife and their adorable one-year-old daughter and I followed them. I think I’ve never had a more exciting ride than this one. The narrow and steep route led us through the mountains, with monkeys relaxing beside the road, while it was raining cats and dogs and many motorbikes, cars, and trucks were rushing by to get home soon.

At the restaurant, we and many other families ate local roasted duck (bebek goreng). After, we went to the house of a friend for dessert. He showed the classroom he created to provide PADI open water courses for groups of 15 Indonesian students with the goal to create more awareness for the coral reefs amongst locals.

Yesterday, we went snorkeling to capture pictures for the photogrammetry of the restoration site. Right after entering the water, my buddy and I felt stings and noticed a large group of jellyfish. Subsequently, continuing our way to the restoration site I constantly had to dodge while deciding which jellyfish looked less painful and we tried to collect the data on the corals as soon as possible. Back on the beach, I had red spots everywhere, mostly on my face. Nevertheless, we successfully collected useful pictures of the corals for analysis.

April 25

A few days ago I moved from Kecinan Bay to an amazing hill villa in Senggigi with a pool and view over the sea. The reason I want to stay here for my last month is that it is closer to the IBF team and for shopping and food opportunities. The coral lab is a beautiful thirty-minute drive with the motorbike with amazing views. In the lab, we had a business meeting about reef-friendly sunscreen and we did more research, involving the nutrient levels of the reef tanks.

During the weekend my friend, Renny, from IBF took me to a wedding in Jakarta, where she would be a bridesmaid. Jakarta is an enormous city with very busy traffic, therefore we always went by car and it took some time before arriving at the next place. One of her college friends brought us everywhere and other friends hopped on and off, going from one place to another. I enjoyed it a lot how we were talking and laughed for hours in the car. Each day after Iftar we went to multiple food trucks for nasi and satay, until early in the morning.

On the day of the wedding I was invited to join every occasion. The wedding ceremony involved many traditions and it was very beautiful, even though I didn’t understand a word. The wedding continued at a very romantic location surrounded by large fields of grass and water fountains. Here, traditions continued and I was able to see how the bridal couple and each family member took a sip of tea, after which they received a red envelope with a present. After lots of people joined the wedding party and it became a very special evening.

The next day Renny’s friends took me to a marketplace in the center of Jakarta with lots of nice trendy and tiny stores. This is where one of my friends showed me his vinyl store and he taught me a little about how to DJ. After we went with everyone to a batting cage and ate delicious crab for dinner. At night, Renny and I stayed at her cousin's house, close to the airport to catch our flight back to Lombok early in the morning.

May 4

The past week Haekal and I went for more maintenance and coral planting dives at Kecinan. During the weekend it was the celebration of the ending of Ramadan, Idul Fitri, and I decided to explore the south of Lombok, Kuta, which is known as a more western-influenced area with lots of beautiful rice fields and beaches with surfers. For the first time in Lombok, I met other tourists. On the way back to Senggigi, I first drove to a small village to celebrate with my friends and family. Especially the children were amazed by seeing a blond and white person and they couldn’t stop smiling. We took lots of pictures together and I felt like a celebrity.

May 15

The last couple of weeks of my stay I spent shooting pictures and video’s for all the documentation of the ‘First Reef Ranger’ project and I did my last researches and maintenance dives.

Furthermore, I went to Bali and Nusa Penida with Haekal for a few days. We went at midnight on the ferry and the next day we arrived at Nusa Penida. Nusa Penida is another paradise island with a very wild nature, lots of high palm trees, and an exciting small road. We rented a motorbike and together with a diving friend of Haekal we drove around the island for some sightseeing and went diving at Manta Point. I felt the luckiest when we could make a video with a manta ray swimming one meter away from me. The next two days we visited very busy and festive Canggu and relaxing Ubud for the rice terraces.

During my last week in Indonesia, together with the IBF team, we did some amazing dives around the Gili islands. The visibility was the best I had ever seen and we saw beautiful fish, like an octopus, and an enormous group of unicorn fish. At night the team organized a barbecue for me to say goodbye.

May 19

Today, I arrived back in Amsterdam after traveling for almost thirty hours. When I left Lombok I had a very difficult time, but I felt very grateful for all the memories I made and experiences I had. For two months I could get a taste of beautiful Indonesia with all the different great things it has to offer. I completely understand why Indonesian people are so proud of their country. It was an amazing journey with beautiful, welcoming, and kind people, which I enjoyed every second and they taught me so much about their country, different cultures, and lovely food.

Besides enjoying the country, it was great to mean something to the coral lab and hopefully to the coral reefs. I became a much more experienced diver and researcher and will try to continue helping as much as I can from The Netherlands. Hopefully, more people will become as enthusiastic as I am and join our beautiful ‘Reef Ranger’ projects. Of course, I am looking forward to my next visit to Indonesia and Lombok!