The Sulawesi Keepers expedition to Lake Poso in 2024 was in the spirit of collaboration with local schools. We spent the first four days exploring different locations; we were joined by friends from our partner organization Institut Mosintuwu, and students and teachers from five schools. We had snorkeling gear, photography equipment, and materials for collecting and identifying animals on site. Each of the selected locations was a little different – ​​Lake Poso is unbeatable in this regard, the combination of “rocks & water” takes on so many different and fascinating forms here!

We identified the species of fish, shrimps, snails, and crabs we found; we looked for some specific ones (and the children showed a very keen eye for distinguishing shells!) and we also observed various environmental factors. We used an underwater drone, so even in seemingly “dull” places we were amazed by what was happening just a few meters below us. We took photos and videos. What we recorded underwater will be the subject of a separate post. From the photos below, you can see that all participants were enriched and excited by these activities outside in the lake.

We thank the great guides, photographers and helpers from Mosintuwu who dived into the lake with us: Eko, Basrul, Evan, Ray Hasibuan, Nina

A special thanks goes to Saiful from Makassar, whom we met as a member of "Iqram’s team" from UNHAS university during our time together at Lake Matano in 2023 and whom we invited to join our expedition to Poso. In the meantime, a small organization called Tarsius has been established in Makassar, which works on conservation projects on freshwater endemics, and the experience from our cooperation with Mosintuwu can be useful to them. Saiful is also a great field explorer and a patient underwater drone pilot.

The students who explored the lake with us were from SMP Negeri 1 Pamona Barat (Anggun, Cikal, Komang, Daniel and teacher Dorce Tasiabe), SMA Negeri 1 Pamona Barat (Desta, Ananda, Salsabila, Kadek, Roger and teacher Cheryl Sawirano Lamp), SMA Negeri 1 Pamona Utara (Rachel, Dina, Yudit, Farel, Febe, Geral and teacher Meti Ancura), SMA GKST 1 Tentena (Bagas, Natalia, Randy, Vita and teacher Alfen Walintjoo), SMA Negeri Harmoni (Fivi, Emma, ​​Jeklin, Abraham, Rhainer and teacher Rocky Marciano Towado). It was a pleasure and we hope to meet again sometime while snorkeling and learning about the underwater world of Lake Poso!

Some feedback:

Mrs Dorce Tasiabe, the accompanying teacher from SMP Negeri 1 Pamona Barat, was delighted with this activity because she could learn directly in the lake.

Desta, a student at SMA Negeri 1 Pamona Barat, also said that he enjoyed the trips because it was his first experience learning directly about what lives in Lake Poso. He would be very happy to be able to participate in similar activities in the future.

Randy (a student at GKST 1 Tentena) was excited to return to his hometown of Bancea to learn about the aquatic biota that lives there. He couldn’t wait to have the opportunity to take care of the endemic species from Lake Poso in the school aquarium at the end of the program.

Rachel and Dina (students at SMA Negeri 1 Pamona Utara) obviously enjoyed observing the aquatic world using the snorkeling equipment, and they didn’t forget to capture the atmosphere with a gopro.

We will show what we saw underwater in the next post. We hope that by not only sharing photos and videos, but also by having a direct experience, we can reach as many people living around Lake Poso as possible. Once you catch a glimpse of the fascinating underwater world with its unique species, it's hard to stop thinking about it!

Markéta Rejlková