Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

Location :

4 Turtle Beach, Pom Pom Island, 91300 Semporna, Sabah
Added by Jopie, at 26 December 2013

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• Anynomous

  12 January 2018

  TRACC is run by a bunch of incredible people who care much about our ocean. The work they are doing is fantastic! Happy to have been a part of it. Might come back for more at some point :D.

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• Anynomous

  13 September 2017

  Amazing!!
  
  I spent 8 months with TRACC from January - August 2017. My stay was divided into two parts. First, I took the marine science a-level course from January - April, and then stayed on to do my divemaster internship from May-August.
  
  I learned SO MUCH in the marine science a-level class. Coming from a political economy background, I decided to take the class to get some baseline knowledge on the oceanic environment before starting my divemaster. It was unlike any course I have taken before, being surrounded by the environment I was studying and having a truly hands on education in the subject. My teachers were very devoted to helping me learn all of the information I needed. We had practicals, gave presentations, and had very personalized teaching. While I was taking the course, I was also able to participate in work dives and conservation work each day which was great. In March, we went on a road trip to Brunei, which was a really cool experience. We got to travel through Borneo, learning about the history of Malaysia and its long economic ties to the oceans. Each morning we would visit fish markets and learn about sustainable or unsustainable fishing practices that we saw. The final exams were held in Kota Kinabalu, and the TRACC team made sure we have plenty of time for intense study before the test. I highly recommend taking this course at TRACC if you are doing your A-levels. I would also recommend for anyone like myself who is a diver or simple interested in learning the basics of marine science, to take the course with TRACC as well! Unforgettable experience!
  
  Beyond just the course, the people and community at TRACC far surpassed my expectations. Not only was I living on a tropical paradise, getting to dive every day, I was with a group of like-minded, engaging and genuine people. Everyone here is working to make a difference in the world in whichever little way they can, and have come together to set their minds to truly honest conservation projects at TRACC. Getting to do my divemaster here was better then I could have expected. It was very fulfilling working with divers for a few weeks at a time and helping them to improve their dive skills and establishing a dive relationship with our volunteers. Just sitting around each night chatting and getting to know everyone who came through camp was such a value add to both my A-level course and divemaster course. I cannot thank TRACC enough for everything I learned. TRACC will always feel like home.

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• Anynomous

  05 September 2016

  I was there for a week to volunteer.
  
  this place is filled with nice and kind-hearted people devoted to taking care of the corals and making some fun out of it!
  
  Highly recommended should you thirst for a truly natural experience (and be prepared for it.
  
  Please do stay longer to make a real impact! (I feel my 1week stay has not helped much actually)
  
  more of you should be doing this!
  
  Visited August 2016

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• Anynomous

  25 May 2016

  I volunteered at TRACC on the 2nd half of May 2016. TRACC provides the ulimate experience for dive conservation, with a brilliant coral reef and marine life restoration on Pom Pom previously left behind by fish blasting activities. TRACC is also the perfect place for perfecting dive skills. Personally, I have an improved understanding and practical competence on buoyancy, among others, with the work dives and skills review done by the instructor and divemasters here. I also got the chance to help out with turtle walk to curb poachers and located nest to be sent to hatchery.
  
  I recommend visiting their website and blog for more exciting information.

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• Anynomous

  11 January 2016

  Amazing unlimited diving, great food, never a boring day with always something to do! Pizza oven better be finished by the time I come back!!

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• Anynomous

  12 November 2015

  Fantastic place with great people. we visited in 2013 and had a great time. Just booking for 2016. Lots of turtles, the coral reef conservation activities are amazing and the new reefs are clearly making a difference. Lots of fish including some of the bigger ones have reached breeding size. There is an abundance of macrolife and IMHO the small stuff is better than on Mabul or Kapali.
  Night diving with sharks has to be on my bucket list. not possible in many other places but the sharks live on the tracc house reef, a few metres from the beach. Amazing place. definitely worth a visit if you care about the ocean :-)

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• Anynomous

  16 September 2015

  I spent 6 weeks with TRACC as a volunteer and had a great time. Pom Pom Island is fantastic, this is the stuff movies are made of. The diving was awesome and the staff went out of their way to be friendly.
  THIS is the place to get involved with marine conservation. The cutting edge of reef recovery is here. I will be back in late 2015 - see you then.

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• Anynomous

  02 January 2014

  If you want to dive with a purpose, help protect Turtles sharks and the reef then visit TRACC. I planted coral, surveyed reefs which are recovering, was a reef gardener in the nursery and helped protect the eggs from nesting turtles. Some of the dive sites are just amazing. This is the centre of biodiversity and it shows Many many species of fish and coral. Like diving in an aquarium. Trips start Mon or Thursday

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