Guest Excursions during May
Three species were recorded on our dolphin-spotting cruises for May : spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and short- finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) – the highest number of individual short-finned pilot whale sightings this year.
The most frequently sighted species on our snorkel excursions was the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) followed by the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). On the dive excursions, the range of megafauna sightings included :
- Stingrays: marbled (Taeniura meyeni) and mangrove whiptail (Himantura granulata),
- Rays: manta (Manta alfredi) and spotted eagle (Aetobatus narinari),
- Nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus),
- Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulates) and bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum).
Fish Breeding Project
Throughout May we saw five spawns from our Maldivian clownfish (Amphiprion nigripes) and a further two batches from the Clark’s clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii). By the end of the month we had 234 Maldivian and 651 Clark’s juveniles here in our Fish Lab at Landaa Giraavaru.
On the 28 May, we released four Clark’s clownfish into the lagoon, along with two anemones at the Moon site. One week later, the fish were still doing fine and appeared happy in their new home.
Clark’s Clownfish – release at Moon
Clark’s Clownfish – new home
Cath’s Blog – Chapter 2
Hello everyone. This is my second month here, working at the Marine Discovery Centre, and time is flying so fast!
I am witnessing new and amazing things every day, from sunsets to Spanish dancers (a species of Nudibranch). I encounter many unusual marine critters whilst I’m out monitoring the Reefscapers coral frames. We take photos of each coral frame every 6 months to check on their progress, so I have been spending several hours each day in the lagoon, collecting new photo ID data. This has given me plenty of time to encounter stingrays, sharks, moray eels and other underwater friends who come along to see what I’m up to.
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- Hawksbill turtle hatchling
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- Hawksbill turtle hatchling closeup
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- measuring Gaston the green turtle
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- Dolphins close to Kuda Huraa
Last week we welcomed five turtle hatchlings into our Head Start programme. We will nurture and care for the turtles until they grow to about 30cm long, when they will be released into the ocean. And just a few days ago, whilst we were out monitoring and placing new frames in the water, we encountered a pod of 10 Spinner dolphins. For the first time in my life I actually swam with dolphins! They were circling around one another and changing directions and diving so gracefully I could barely believe my eyes. After that, my suspicions were confirmed – this really is the best internship in the world!
Swimming with dolphins at Kuda Huraa, Maldives
Before she left, Cath compiled this fun video of her time here as an intern at Kuda Huraa. You can see that it’s not all work-work-work, and there are lots of laughs to be enjoyed along the way. 🙂 Thanks Cath, and wishing you every success in the future !
You can follow Cath’s future adventures here on YouTube.
Do you want to experience life as a marine biologist
here in the Maldives ?
Head over to our Employment page to read about the different ways you can work with us - full time, apprentice or intern.
And see more from our Interns in their very own words & photos as part of our Diary / Blog series.
