After two days of training and a sea trial, the team sat down together and wrote down what worked, what did not, and what needed fixing before the real survey began.
What worked
The team praised the boat leaders for helping nervous first-timers settle into life at sea. By the end of day two, people who had felt sea-sick were back on the boat and finishing the routine. Working partnerships also formed naturally - the same small teams who tested the tools together would now do the real work together.
What needs fixing
Three honest issues came up. First, the underwater camera batteries did not last as long as expected - they had not all been fully charged before the trial, and some ran out before the four-hour test was done. Each camera comes with three batteries, so a stricter charging routine will solve it.
Second, the small frame used to lower the camera to the seabed was a bit too light. Waves pushed it around. The team agreed it needs to be made heavier so it sinks straight and steady.
Third, navigating from point to point ate up too much time. The fix is simple: train every team member to navigate, so they can take turns and the work does not depend on one person.
The team that will do the work
ASUTA recruited 15 data collectors in total. Twelve will do the day-to-day survey work, and three will stay on standby in case anything stops one of the main team members from going out. Closing remarks were given by Mr. Jackson Gembe of ASUTA, and Dr. Rushingisha officially closed the workshop at 5:30 PM on 10 September.