Thije’s Third Time
And so my journey has come to an end. It has been three amazing months here in the Maldives (report one and two), but now my time is really up. I’m writing this final chapter in the cold frozen Netherlands, hoping that my thoughts of the warm tropical seas will get me through!
Just like last month we had a great expansion within our turtle family, and welcomed Vela, Chomper and Juanita from our sister rehabilitation centre at Kuda Huraa. Chomper and Juanita adjusted quickly and are both recovering well. Vela on the other hand required a bit more time. For the first few weeks she wouldn’t eat anything, but thankfully after persisting with a few crabs, she is now eating lobster as well. She does remain a picky eater, only eating the soft parts of the lobster.
Sadly, there is not just good news, as Beybe’s health has been deteriorating over the past month up to the point that he won’t even open his mouth to eat. New medicine has been ordered, so we’re hopeful that he’ll recover soon. (It was very hard for me to leave him behind).
Snorkel Safari
Like previous months, I got to lead a bunch of excursions with lots of interesting marine life sightings. Now that my time in the Maldives has come to an end, I can say that I had a 100% success rate for the turtle safari and the dolphin cruises. Not bad! 😊
This month I also got to fulfil one of my wishes during a personal snorkel session, namely to get up close to one of the reef sharks. I was snorkelling on the edge reef north of Landaa when a group of three blacktips swam towards me. The first got scared and swam off, but luckily the other two were a lot more curious and started to swim around me in a circle! It was a magical and unforgettable experience.
My coral fragments are healthy and have continued to grow, however, they are not yet large enough for measurements to be taken (so sadly, no results yet). The fragments will continue to grow so maybe you’ll see me again when the corals have grown even more.
An interesting Reefscapers project before I left … we decided to put on our rash guards, got some empty flotation tanks and set to work relocating the coral frames from the Blu site … so now everyone can enjoy our beautiful coral frame sea turtle! (photo, below)
And that just about wraps up my final month. Thank you all for reading and who knows where you’ll see me again.
Cheers and much love,Thije ♡
