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Whale Shark Season 1
BlogIsland LifeMarine Conservation

Whale Shark Season is Here!

Whale Shark Season 1

Swim with a Whale Shark in Madagascar!

Our Volunteers have the opportunity to do a large variety of trips and activities during their free time on the weekends. This time of the year just so happens to include getting to swim with whale sharks! These gentle giants are filter feeders, meaning that they sieve plankton through their gills to feed. This diet of plankton, krill and sometimes small fish, makes whale sharks no danger to humans. Although they are very docile creatures it is still important to respect them and practice responsible eco tourism while swimming with them. If you get the chance to swim with whale sharks (which we HIGHLY recommend) be sure to keep a respectful distance from them. You should never touch the whale shark. If the whale shark is comfortable and not stressed by your presence, (because you’re behaving respectfully so) chances are it will stay at the surface longer, allowing you to spend more time with the amazing creature!

Madagascar is a great place to knock swimming with whale sharks off your bucket list! The waters around Nosy Be have been identified as a hotspot for juvenile whale sharks to feed. A study by the Madagascar Whale Shark Project, which was initiated in 2016 by researchers from the Marine Megafauna FoundationFlorida International University, and Mada Megafauna has been tracking whale sharks in the Nosy Be area. Lead author and project leader Stella Diamant said: “We’ve found that whale sharks regularly visit Nosy Be between September and December. That has led to a growing ecotourism industry, as people travel to see and swim with these gigantic, harmless sharks. We’re still learning about their population structure and movement patterns, but it’s clear the area is an important hotspot for the species” (divemagazine.co.uk).

Whale Shark Season 3

Unfortunately, there is still little known about this species. In recent years more studies have developed to actually learn about this previously over looked animal. Hopefully with more exposure this insanely beautiful animal will become more protected and understood.

What we do know about whale sharks is that they are the largest fish on the planet and have been known to reach up to 14 meters in length and can weight over 12 tons! Getting in the water can be intimidating regardless of the fact that they pose no threat to humans simply due to their massive size. Remember to get into the water slowly and feel free to keep your distance if it makes you more comfortable. You do not need to be next to the Shark to enjoy the experience. Due to the fact that they are so large means that in good visibility you can keep a comfortable distance and still have a great view of the animal. Overall the point of swimming with whale sharks is to have fun and enjoy the experience!

Want to learn how to dive? Check out our PADI Courses and our Volunteer Marine Conservation Program.

Whale Shark Season 2

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Marine Conservation - Night Dive
BlogMarine Conservation

Night Dive With Our Marine Conservation Team

Marine Conservation - Night Dive

Currently our two Marine Interns, Tom and Ella, are working towards completing their Dive Master training! Part of completing this course includes leading a night dive. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week Both Tom and Ella got the opportunity to do so. The Marine Interns as well as two Volunteers, and other Marine staff kit up after dinner and made their way down to the beach!

One of the highlights for our two Marine Volunteers, Erin and Martin, was the part of the dive where everyone turns off their torches and they got see the bioluminescence! While in the dark everyone carefully moves their hands, which causes these microorganisms to light up in the darkness. Some other amazing things they got to see were Cuttlefish, blue spotted ribbon tail rays, a slipper lobster, a baby moray eel! Our Marine Intern Tom saw also saw a stripped cat fish impaled on a sea urchin, although he wasn’t sure if it was really a highlight.

Marine Conservation - Night Dive

A night dive also gives divers the opportunity to see things they otherwise would not see during the day. At night, the coral polyps came out of their hard exoskeletons to feed on phytoplankton. This is something that does not occur during the day making it a unique experience to the night dive. Most fish also go to sleep at night but the venomous predator fish found on our reef come out to hunt. For example, the divers got to see tons of scorpion fish and lion fish which were out looking for their next meal. These fish are venomous, but do not target humans, so as long as the divers are cautious and mindful of them they can easily avoid contact. Another interesting event that they got to witness was a fight between two crabs which Tom said was very cool to witness!

The Marine Volunteers have the ability to sign up for multiple additional dives such as the night dive, however if you are planning on joining a night dive during your time with us be sure you bring an underwater torch! Our Marine program loves getting to offer our Volunteers a large range of dives from data collection dives, surveys, and fun dives. If you’re coming out to Volunteer with us, or are already a Volunteers be sure to ask about the extra dives we offer!

Want To Do A Night Dive?

Learn More about our Volunteer Marine Conservation Program

Marine Conservation - Night Dive

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Girlsatthebbq_ampang_12october2018_Community Development Program
BlogCommunity Development

Community Development Program BBQ

Community Development Program BBQ

On Friday 12th October, our Community Development Program organized a BBQ for our Ampang Beginners student, Silver. A long-term goal on our Community Development Program is to create interactive and fun activities between the community and volunteers with the view to building relationships and embracing culture immersion.  The BBQ was a huge success.  Other activity initiatives include basketball and soccer matches, which the community and volunteers really enjoy participating in.

Community Development Program BBQ

Volunteers decided early in the week that they wanted to organize a BBQ in town. With the help of the Community Development Program staff the event was organized and Rojo, our Community Development Program Manager, collected the money needed to purchase the food. Silver had hosted the previous BBQ and was very welcoming when asked if he would want to host another. Once at Silver’s home volunteers learned traditional Malagasy cooking techniques and helped Silver and his family prepare and cook the food, as well as setting the table. Fish and Chicken were the main courses with sides of salads, fries, bread and a delicious dessert of fruit salad. While the food was being cooked the volunteers were able to practice their Malagasy with Silver and his family, as well as a few neighbors! Silver was also able to practice his English which he said he really enjoyed.

Community Development Program BBQ

Once all the food was prepared and the table was set, everyone queued up and grabbed a plate. Silver’s home has a large patio out front where everyone took a seat, enjoyed their food, and each other’s company. The food was delicious and it was a great way to end a fantastic week! We definitely look forward to many more events like this in the future!

Read More About Our Volunteer Community Development Program

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Inthewater_Hellville_5october2018 - Reef
BlogMarine Conservation

Newest Artificial Reef dubbed the “Parking Lot”

readytogo_Hellville_5october2018- Reef

Our Mariners Are Driven By Reef Conservation

This week we began work on our 6th artificial reef! The reef which we have already named “The Parking lot” gets its name from the unique structures we have sourced. MRCI has purchased 3 broken down cars which we have scraped down to their frames to sink on our home reef as our newest reef addition! The three cars will provide a large permanent structure which is intended to attract larger organisms to our reef.

loadinghthecar_Hellville_5october2018- Reef

Once the cars were purchased and prepared came the difficult part, actually transporting them to Nosy Komba. Due to the fact that Nosy Komba has no roads there were no cars available for this project on our home island. Our search ended up on Nosy Be where we were able to find multiple contenders. Figuring out how to move the large metal frame across the ocean to our island lead to lots of brainstorming before we eventually came up with a plan we were confident in.

gettingthecansready_Hellville_5october2018 - Reef

The first car was loaded onto a truck with the help of multiple local men, then it was driven to the port. Once it was off of the truck at the port we began tying 23 empty gas cans to the frame which we were hoping would act as buoyancy devices. The interior of the car was filled cans and two clusters were tied to the front of the car. The men then helped push the car down the slope into the port water then we tied it to the boat to be towed. The moment of truth was when we began to pull away from the port and pulled the car into the deeper water. It was a huge relief to see that the car did in fact float! Multiple yellow cans and the roof of the car bobbed on the surface as we slowly sailed out of the port.

insidethecar_Hellville_5october2018gettingthecansready_Hellville_5october2018 - Reef

The ride to camp was 100% Mora Mora. We sailed back to Komba slow and steady with the car in tow getting a few interested on-lookers along the way! Once it was time to put the car down the cans were untied from the frame and the car was dropped down into the sand. The other two cars will be joining it soon and then work on the reef will begin! We are very excited about having these unique structures for our Volunteers to dive on that will hopefully encourage new species on our reef!

Once all the cars are transported and in place there will be lots more information to come! Be sure to be on the lookout for upcoming blogs and photos of our new parking lot!

Learn More About Our Marine Conservation Program

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Inthewater_Hellville_5october2018 - Reef

Black Lemurs
BlogForest Conservation

Black Lemurs of Nosy Komba Island

Black Lemurs - Mum&Baby

The Season To See Baby Black Lemurs

As we entered mid-September Volunteers were excited to report sightings of infant black lemurs! Tiny masses of dark fur clinging to the bellies of females almost makes them easy to miss! Seeing infants is a huge deal. However due to the mating pattern of the black lemur, which is dwindling in population size.

Black lemurs typically mate between April and May and have a gestation period of approximately 125 days. One offspring is the most common however twins are also a possibility! Black lemurs are only found in the north-western area of Madagascar making Nosy Komba one of the only places you can see them in the wild. Due to a lack of research done specifically on black lemurs, experts are not positive of the exact remaining size of the species. It is estimated that black lemurs have the lowest population size within the genus of only 450-2,300 lemurs. This low population size makes the sighting of infants that much more special.

Black Lemurs

Having an annual breeding schedule means the lemurs typically only breed once a year. Once the baby is born, it clings tightly to its mother. They will shift only slightly to nurse for its first three weeks. At 4 weeks old, the baby black lemurs can begin to move small objects and can even travel a small distance. By 7 weeks old they can explore their environment. The babies are not completely independent until 5-6 months when they are weaned from their mothers.

Black Lemur - Baby Snuggled with Mum

Moms provide more than food for the babies though! The moms also groom, protect, transport and socialize their young. During the period of time that the baby is dependent on their mother. They are slowly learning how to do these things for themselves. Eventually once the baby black lemur has reached 2 years old they have become sexually matured and can begin reproducing themselves.

Unfortunately, the population size continues to be threatened. This is due to the loss of habitat in their already limited natural location and their breeding pattern.  Hopefully through the continued efforts to conserve their natural habitats and to raise awareness and education on Black Lemurs and their species, MRCI can continue to study these amazing creatures for decades to come!

Check Out Our Volunteer Forest Conservation Program

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