May 1

After two weeks of long-distance calls to marine biologists, and a flurry of emails to research institutes in Australia to make arrangements for the trip, I'm finally on my way.

What a great assignment. When the editors asked if I was interested in writing a story on coral reefs and climate change, it made my day.

I learned how to scuba dive seven years ago and have been hooked on it ever since. I try to fit in diving trips every year so this assignment to Australia's Great Barrier Reef counts as my first diving trip of 2007.

Getting to Brisbane from Beijing is going to be a long journey, but I've got a pile of research on corals and climate change to keep me occupied on the flights.

Headed back to Singapore first to pick up my scuba diving gear which have been in storage for almost 10 months... that's how long I've not been on a diving trip.

But I'm not too worried, scuba diving is like riding a bicycle, you never really forget how!

China doesn't quite have great diving spots, or at least I've not discovered any.

So I'm pretty thrilled at the prospect of getting back in the water, and checking out the Great Barrier Reef for myself. Its reputation precedes it.

I'll be heading first to Brisbane, then Townsville, and then finally to Cairns where I can catch boat rides out to the outer Barrier Reef for some scuba diving.

Can't wait.

May 3rd

This is proving to be a very educational trip. I've always been fascinated with nature and the environment, ever since I was in Primary School and we started to subscribe to the National Geographic. So listening to world-class marine biologists and coral experts in Brisbane and Townsville has been a great learning experience.

I learned that corals are actually animals which live symbiotically with single-celled plant organism called zooxanthelle that exist in their tissue. Corals are very sensitive to heat, a couple of degrees off the normal temperatures they are used to could lead to disastrous consequences for them.

Scientists I spoke to are convinced that climate change is going to have a definite impact on corals around the world, and especially the Great Barrier Reef.

They're working against the clock to find viable solutions for tackling the problem. I heard that some are thinking of experimenting with shade cloths, that float on the water surface to shade the corals during summer. Some are thinking about adopting a sprinkler system, which breaks up the water surface thus preventing sunlight from hitting the corals directly. Others are doing really complex work on the genetics of corals to find out if corals have a genetic potential to adapt to warmer temperatures brought on by climate change.

Impressed with their dedication and also creativity and willingness to think of "unorthodox'' ways to save what obviously is a very valuable and precious natural asset to them.

The reefs are not just pretty to look at, they are a source of income for fishermen, and tourism operators. So other than pure ecological value, there is a lot at stake if we lose the coral reefs, whole economies could go down the drain, especially in developing countries.

On a sidenote, also visited the Townsville Aquarium which is very well run and has a main tank boasting several species of shark and even a sea turtle. Conditions in the tanks replicate exactly the conditions out on the reefs. Volunteers tell visitors about marine life in the reef and are so knowledgeable about corals. Very cool.

May 5

Finally, I got to go scuba diving! Decided to go with Quicksilver, one of the biggest marine operators here in Cairns. The cruise ship was huge and packed with tourists. Noticed that many were Japanese and mainland Chinese, hammers home the point about how economically important the reef is to local businesses and people here.

The ride out to the reef, however, was pretty rough. Lots of passengers got sick and staff were busy the entire hour and a half ride handing out "barf bags''.

I don't usually get sick on boats, but this trip had even me turning green. Finally, we arrived at Quicksilver's pontoon. It's the size of maybe an Olympic swimming pool and offers all kinds of activities for tourists, semi-submersible rides, glass-bottom boat rides. It even has a helipad for helicopter tours over the reef.

I geared up and descended into the blue waters with a dive master who promised to show me the best and the worst of the site's corals.

On the two dives, each about 40-mins and on average 15-20 metres deep, I saw beautiful coral gardens. The Quicksilver crew takes care of this site pretty well. I hear that they send divers down every week to get rid of coral-eating crown of thorn starfish and other predators that could potentially wipe out the corals.

Lots of soft, flowy corals, as well as massive boulder corals. The colours were stunning, blues, greens, vibrant pinks, reds and greens. An underwater rainbow palette. I also spotted a sea turtle or two, a huge Napoleon Wrasse (a type of fish) and a very sleepy reef shark.

I'm beginning to realise why Australians love their reef and are so protective about it, glad there are people who are working hard on preserving this precious natural asset.

May 6

Today's boatride was worse than yesterday's, but I got smart this time. They were selling sea-sick pills on board and I bought some without hesitation. Took them before we set out and didn't feel too ill. Those who didn't suffered pretty badly. It was raining and the seas were very choppy.

It took us an hour and a half to get out to Agincourt Reef from Port Douglas, a small town further up north from Cairns.

I've been told by some of the scientists I met that Agincourt is a great place to see almost pristine coral reef which has got high biological diversity.

They were right. I did three dives altogether and was impressed by the density, variety and health of the corals at Agincourt. Lots of fish, spotted lots of anemones with their resident clown fish, of Finding Nemo fame. Imagine a rose garden, or a lush flower garden in the Botanics, but underwater. That's what the reefs at Agincourt looked like to me.

Will have lots to write about.

May 7

Last day in Cairns, and I decided to have a look at the corals from a different perspective -- from the air.

I book an hour's flight with Daintree Air, a scenic air tours company in Cairns and they promised spectacular views over the reef. Sounded good to me.

It rained the entire morning but cleared up after lunch and just in time for the flight at 3pm. We arrived at the airport and the plane, a six-seater Cessna, looked tiny. It was a full flight but I was lucky to get the seat behind the pilot, Kristy Clark.

We put our bulky headphones on, strapped ourselves in and took off.

The sun was back out from behind the clouds and it visibility was great. We flew out over the sea off Cairns and almost immediately, Kristy, who must have eagle eyes, spots a shark and a manta ray in the clear water. What a thrill. She opened the window next to me and I, holding on very tightly, stuck my camera out and snapped lots of shots.

The reefs from the air looked like pieces of opal strewn randomly into the water, they glowed an aqua marine colour. Flying over them sure gives you a different perspective. You realise how massive some of the reefs are, how many there are, and what a shame it will be if we let it slip away.

I agree with the scientists I spoke to over the past nine days, we've got to do something to rein in those greenhouse gas emissions, before it's too late.