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 Foundation, Florida 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).

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.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of our amazing adventures!

 

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.

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

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with our activities!

 

 

Our Mariners Are Driven By Reef Conservation

This week we began work on our 6^th 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.

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.

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.

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

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with our artificial reef projects.

Re-Homing A Scorpion Fish

Towards the end of August our neighbor reached out to our Dive Instructor Kyle about a Scorpion Fish that he had continuously spotted on his beach. Scorpion Fish have enough venom that their stings can be fatal to humans if medical attention is not administered immediately. Our neighbor unfortunately had an incident in the past where one of his workers was stung by a Scorpion Fish (He luckily got the proper medical care quickly enough and made a full recovery) so he understood the danger that Scorpion Fish present.

True to their name, they often can be found hiding amongst stones, sometimes very close to shore. After having such a close call with a Scorpion Fish previously, our neighbor did not want to risk his children or any of his workers potentially getting stung. We were happy that he wanted to relocate the fish, and not just kill it to solve his problem.

Kyle went over to his beach with our boat, the Admiral Express, where he put on the appropriate protective gear and located the fish. With some assistance he was able to lift the fish using a shovel into a bucket of water which was then placed on the boat. Kyle drove the fish out to a reef where he released the Scorpion Fish. Placing the Scorpion Fish on a reef greatly reduces the change of the fish having any contact with a human as opposed to in the shallow rocks of a frequently used beach.

Divers in our area are briefed on the dangers of stone, lion and scorpion fish so by releasing the fish on a far out reef, chances are the only people who will ever have contact with it would be divers. We are excited that we were able to assist our neighbor in this project and hope we can help relocate other Scorpion Fish he locates in the future.

Read More About Our Marine Conservation Program

 

An artificial reef is a man made structure built with the specific aim of to promote the marine life of an area. Some artificial reefs are created accidentally such as ship wrecks and others have been created intentionally such as the reef built by MRCI.

Due to natural and man made issues the coral reef located right off of our home beach has suffered from coral bleaching as well as large sections dying off. Human actions such as overfishing and natural issues such as the yearly cyclones that affect Nosy Komba have played a role in the decline of our reef.

In November of 2016 MRCI was able to get our home reef approved as a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The World Wildlife Fund describes a marine protected area as, “An area designated and effectively managed to protect marine ecosystems, processes, habitats, and species, which can contribute to the restoration and replenishment of resources for social, economic, and cultural enrichment”. The MRCI Marine Protected Area is a strict no fishing zone. By banning fishing on our reef we are allowing the ecosystem to recover from the years of over fishing which had occurred.

MRCI Marine staff and Volunteers have worked hard to create multiple artificial reefs of our own. During one addition to our reef Staff and Volunteers built 30 boulder-like structures which were arranged in lines parallel to the existing natural reef inside our MPA. The collection of domes was named the orchard and had 280 baby corals transplanted onto the 30 domes! MRCI had access to the baby corals thanks to friends of our partner organization CNRO and Nosy Be aquaculture.

Our current reefs have provided a substrate for a huge array of benthic and sessile organisms to grow. To name a few, sponges, soft corals, ascidians, algae, oysters and crabs. The reefs also have a range of juvenile fish, cuttlefish and squid.

Artificial reefs can be highly beneficial to the marine life in an area because it provides a hard surfaces where algae and invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, and oysters  can attach. The accumulation of attached marine life then provides an intricate structure and a food source for assemblages of fish.

There can be downfalls if an artificial reef is not correctly implemented. For example, the materials used in the construction of artificial reefs are not always environmentally friendly. In some areas tires and PVC pipe are a common material in reef construction. Over time these materials will break down and release toxins as well as smaller debris into the ocean.

Artificial reefs also have been known to draw new life from already existing natural reefs. When this occurs the near by natural reefs suffer due to the large number of species that have left. The artificial reefs that are successful tend to have large concentrations of fish living on them. When fish are found in large concentrations it makes them easier to fish.

MRCI has taken these issues into account when building our own reefs. Our reefs are built out of concrete which can be formed to create structures. Concrete is a porous material which encourages the growth of algae and coral over time. It also does not release toxic chemicals into the ocean when it breaks down. Our artificial reef is also constructed within our Marine Protected Area to ensure that the fish living on our reef will not be easy targets for fishermen. Having a protected area where fishing is banned has allowed for our artificial reefs to naturally progress and slowly integrate into the marine ecosystem that already exists in the area.

Getting to work on our artificial reef projects have been a highlight for many of our Marine Volunteers! Volunteers get to help in the construction, coral transplants, reef placement, baby coral cleans, as well as the on going reef surveys! Being a part of such an important ongoing projects lets volunteers see some of the immediate impacts that their work is doing.

If you’re interested in our artificial reef projects check out our

Marine Conservation Program as well as on social media!