Conservation projects

slycat

Hi guys,

Been thinking about going on a marine conservation project next summer. Has anyone ever been on one? Looking in the Coral Cay projects at the mo. Looks like a fab experience.

Voodoo2

How do you mean like a course? Id be interested,

Evil Phil

Yeah, give us the details!!!

g'em

There's a few diving based marine projects out there, Coral Cay and the Raleigh Trust being two of the better known ones. They have sites all over the world, one of CC's biggest is in Utila and Roatan in Honduras and I know they wrk from Asia too.

I've been working with Operation Wallacea a UK based group, since 2001 in Indonesia and Honduras (fingers crossed, I'm off to South Africa next summer ). We carry out conservation projects in Indoneisa, Honduras, Cuba, South Africa and Egypt. I started as a volunteer in 2001 and got invited back as dive staff in 2004. They're now the biggest volunteer group working from the UK. The only downside is that they mainly target Universities, whose students will have a background in gathering scientific data. But the truth is, anyone can do it, its not hugely technical, you just have to have the $$$ to do it!!!

And that's the hard bit- it's an expensive thing to do no matter who you go with. For many you have to commit around 4 weeks to it, which will set you back around €2000-3000, flights and insurance extra, but no matter which org you do it through, you're nearly guaranteed to be going to some amazing out-of-the-way places. Its usually rough and ready, living in tents, working all day, collecting data, buts its a fabulous experience.

If you're an instructor or divemaster you may be able to get some of your costs covered, or even get paid while you're there if you do some teaching. (I only pay for my flights, everything else is taken care of by them).

here's some links that may be of use:
www.opwall.com
www.coralcay.org
www.raleigh.org
www.reef-check.org

I highly recommend these trips, you meet some incredible people, you get to dive all day, every day, and you're helping to protect and conserve some of the worlds's most beautiful reef areas and the animals that inhabit it- beats two weeks in Ibiza off your face any time!!!!

Evil Phil

When I was diving in Indonesia I took part in a conservation data gathering project. All the dive shops on the Gili islands were asked to take place and they in turn asked us. All we had to do was a number of dives (no cost to us) and count Crown of Thorns. Not very difficult but it was great to help.

Peace

When i was diving in the red sea on the thistlegorm on a night dive, our dive guide found a crown of thorns. [Nature lovers stop reading now]. He promptly asked for another divers knife and jammed it into the crown of thorns and wegded a big hole in it... so the pother fish would come and eat it i think.

He maintained they destray coral reef or some such....

g'em

Peace wrote:

He maintained they destray coral reef or some such....

yeah, they do, and were responsible for one of the largest single reef-destructions in teh meso-caribbean reefs in the mid-90's. They naturally inhabit many reef systems, and when left unchecked can reek havoc with the natural ecosystem. When they eat off all the coral, they die from lack of food source. They've begun to invade many other major reef system afaik.

Still, there are infinitely better ways of managing reef species than wielding a big knife and hacking the cr*p out of the buggers.... that kind of behaviour will encourage all and sundry to do the same thing. oh don't get me started, next thing y'know I'll be talking about hand-feeding sharks, the ol' clown-fish in the mask trick and my personal fave, annoying a pufferfish to see them puff. Idiots.

annR

G'em

I would love to do something like that - I looked into it before but it was very expensive. I'm a divemaster now though . . . . .but there must be legions of DMs out there who would be willing to do this. DMs work on dive trips for free all over the world I presume they're lining up to do this work as well if their costs are covered? They probably have a waiting list or something?

<rant>
You are exactly the person I need to confirm or deny something which bugs me about divers. Whenever *anyone* mentions sea snakes, there will always be some "extremely knowledgeable person" who will turn around and say "Oh, but their mouths are so small that the only place they can bite you is on your ear lobes or between your thumb and finger, so if those parts are covered you're ok".
This may well be true who knows - but so what? Sea snakes are extremely docile usually and I don't know what you would have to do to get one to bite you on the earlobe! It annoys me because I know this person is just repeating something someone else said to them and I hate the way people repeat this hearsay stuff in an authorative way. </rant>

g'em

annR wrote:

<rant>
You are exactly the person I need to confirm or deny something which bugs me about divers. Whenever *anyone* mentions sea snakes, there will always be some "extremely knowledgeable person" who will turn around and say "Oh, but their mouths are so small that the only place they can bite you is on your ear lobes or between your thumb and finger, so if those parts are covered you're ok".
This may well be true who knows - but so what? Sea snakes are extremely docile usually and I don't know what you would have to do to get one to bite you on the earlobe! It annoys me because I know this person is just repeating something someone else said to them and I hate the way people repeat this hearsay stuff in an authorative way. </rant>

they're actually right!!!! Banded sea kraits (a subfamily of sea snakes), Laticauda colubrina, are one of the most deadly sea creatures known, probably only marginally behind box jellies (found in Australasian seas) and cone shells. All three creatures producea neurotoxin that paralyses causing cardiac arrest (if it was up to me, I'd choose the jellie- it'll have you dead in about 20 seconds, unlike the agonisingly slow 4-5 hour death from a cone shell, a banded sea snake venom will get you in about 20-30 minutes). Commonly found in most tropical reefs, there's about 70 different species of sea snake, nearly all of which contain neurotoxin in their bites.

Their mouths are really very small, and don't open very wide, so the earlobe or the skin between the fingers are pretty much the only places they'd be able to wrap their mouth around. Still, I wouldn't use one as a skipping rope. Fishermen who handle the snakes that get caught in their nets are the most common victims, most divers are semi-intelligent to know that they're bad news and stay well away (the pretty black and white bands are a pretty good warning sign...). But yes, I agree with you, there's plenty of divers for who will claim to be an expert on these things after watching a couple of Blue Planet episodes.

I can certainly put you in touch with the group who I work with. For most of these kinds of organisations word of mouth is usually the best way to get involved. As a DM you'd probably get food and board covered, and you'd pay your own flights and spending money. Previous experience on expeditions or a natural science background helps too, or even showing experience of working with, and organising, big groups. A good reference from a dive club/ shop that you've worked will go a long way too. PM me if you want the details or you want any more info, its no prob.

annR

g'em

Thanks for the info. Time is my problem . .I'd have to take a career break or save up my days off or something. A 4 week commit isn't *too bad* though I can defo see myself going in for this at some point. Where are they based in Indonesia. I spent 6 weeks diving in Bali, Moyo Island and Komodo back in 2002 . . .still dream about it . . . . Which did you think was better Indo or Honduras?

Evil Phil

I was diving off the Gili Islands in 2002, did you make it there AnnR?

g'em

we were based in the Tukangbesi archipelago off the south-east coast of Sulawesi, part of the Wallacea archipelago, aka the most biodiverse marine site in the world!!

The diving was stunning, often dived on sites never touched by divers before, marine life was incredible, tons of nudibranchs, huge corals, huge groupers, turtles, spotted/ eagle/ manta rays.

Honduras is obviously not quite the same, but its really interesting from a conservation point of view, to see how the reef is rebuilding itself after hurricane mitch in 95. Utila, one of the Bay Islands, off the mainland is becoming the new diving mecca- ten or twelve very good dive schools on a small island, would be reasonably easy to get some experience out there, and if you go on-season, its one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks.

annR

Evil Phil

Yes I did go to Gili Islands in Sep 2002 and although I had an ear infection most of the time I was there I did do a few days diving off the main island but wasn't bowled over by it to be honest. When were you there?
It was at Gili that I signed up for the liveaboard at Moyo Island which was great. Did you get any other diving in Indonesia in?
There was a DM from Dublin at Manta Ray Dive Centre in Gili when I was there - and I actually saw him on a bike at traffic lights last year in Blanchardstown but couldn't remember his name . . .I think it was Paul.

>>Tukangbesi archipelago off the south-east coast of Sulawesi<<

I bet that's remote alright, it's such a huge country. I really wanted to go to that place way up the top of Sulawesi, can't remember now what it's called. But couldn't swing it really.

I reckon Komodo was the best tropical diving I will ever do unless I manage another trip to some other remote untouched place. I will post up some photos when I get my act together.