Relocating vulnerable coral frames …
… to deeper waters
Hi, everyone 👋 It has been several months since I joined the Reefscapers team at Kuda Huraa (chapter #1), and sadly it is almost time for me to leave.
After a couple of months mostly dedicated to our Turtle Rescue Centre, it was time to focus on corals and be prepared for the massive bleaching event that was about to hit the Maldives and the whole Indian Ocean. We started 2-weekly monitoring, looking for signs of bleaching on colonies of different Acropora species. I was allocated the reef crest area, which is my favourite location because the slope allows you to see different species of sharks, our resident hawksbills, and even some curious eagle rays.
In parallel, to anticipate this bleaching, we moved many of our coral frames to deeper locations, where the water is cooler. To do so, we combined two methods; the first one consisted of putting shallow coral frames on a barge, and then moving them to a deeper spot. For the other frames, we used floating canisters and ropes to lift the frames, and move them without taking them out of the water. A massive effort by the team allowed us to relocate approximatively 28,000 coral colonies, where hopefully they will be in better locations to face this bleaching event.
Bleaching on Acropora digitifera
Coral spawning in a bleached colony
Unfortunately, this massive bleaching event found its way to our island. It was heartbreaking to witness, and to see the reef turning white. In particular, visiting the same colonies every two weeks for monitoring, and seeing healthy corals lose all their colours in such a short period of time was both spectacular and devastating. However, most of the frames that we previously relocated are still looking healthy, and are resisting the bleaching event so far. This brought us all some comfort, seeing that our efforts were not in vain and despite the warming oceans being against us and the corals, there are still ways to act and reduce the impacts.
We have also been monitoring for signs of coral spawning by conducting snorkels each night, before, during, and after the monthly full moon. We even got to witness coral spawning in fully bleached colonies. I felt blessed to witness these events despite the sadness of it, and it made me realise the urgency to act.
Relocating corals was a big team effort!
Hawksbill turtle swimming over paling corals
During March-April, the calm conditions were particularly good for dolphin excursions, and I have been lucky enough to see a pod of pilot whales a few times. We saw pods of spinner dolphins on a daily basis, and some bottlenose as well. Thanks to our photo-identification work, we identified several individuals that had already been sighted three years ago.
During the previous few weeks, we were able to release four of our Olive Ridley patients, namely Raani and Kunnu (two adults each with a missing flipper), Bee (one year old juvenile) and Luck (three month old pre-juvenile). These two juveniles were rescued with cuts and ligature wounds, but after a few months of treatments they showed great improvements and were both able to return to the ocean.
A curious pilot whale
Baby dolphin swimming close to Mom
It is now time for me to say goodbye to Kuda Huraa and the Reefscapers team. I have learned so much during my time here and could not be more grateful. This experience was the best introduction to my marine biology career, and was the perfect role for me just after graduating. It was a privilege to discover the Maldives marine life, and being able to make an impact on coral conservation, injured turtles, and raising awareness for guests.
I cannot thanks the Reefscapers team enough – such dedication and experience, it was a blessing to learn from everyone and to call you friends. Thank you for everything !!
Goodbye for now!
Aurélien 💙
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.