Diver Toh Kim Kwee, 33, fought strong currents and weather to save living corals. "We had to carry chunks of coral, which weighed up to 30 kg on land, and at the same time, deal with strong current.

"The visibility underwater was poor and sometimes I had to use my hands rather than my eyes to do the work," he said.

For his involvement, he and 13 others received a certificate from Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Acting Minister for the Environment yesterday. Mr Toh, who represented the People’s Association Adventure Club, is a Navy officer. He was among 450 divers who gave up their Sundays over the past two years to look for healthy corais at PuIau Ayer Chawan.

The corals were plucked from Pulau Ayer Chawan, off Jurong. They were placed in tanks of seawater on two boats and ferried to Sentosa, about 1½ hours away. The corals had to go because of plans to turn the area around Pulau Ayer Chawan into a petrochemical hub.

The project was spearheaded by the Nature Society (Singapore) and funded by Hong Kong Bank, which donated about $51,000. In the rescue mission, the divers, all volunteers, made about 9,000 dives, spending more than 10,000 hours underwater.

For some, though, it was more fun than work. Chemical engineer Leong Kwok Peng, 38, said he went almost every month as he enjoyed diving. "It's shallow water, sunshine and a lot of fun," he said.

And how are the transplanted corals faring?

Mr Jeffrey Low from the National University of Singapore reef ecology study team, who is monitoring the corals, said: "The corals have some colour, which is a good sign but it will take at least a year to see if they will survive."

Source : The Straits Times, 5th June 1995

Save the corals!

Lisa:D