Hello everyone!! My name is Rylee, I am the Marine Biologist at Kuda Huraa. I first came to this little island as an intern back in April, where I got exposure to sea turtle rehabilitation, coral restoration, and being a part of the team leading eco-tourism excursions. I graduated with my degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from Washington State University (go cougs!) and wanted to dive deeper into the world of marine ecology.
The tropical clear blue waters of the Maldives are the complete opposite of what I’m used to back home, in Seattle, Washington. I’ve always loved the water, working with wildlife, and am passionate about conservation – so this is a perfect opportunity to put all of them together.
Maintaining and photographing our Reefscapers coral frames is an important part of the job, and everyone helps out
An exciting highlight to the week was releasing our rescue turtle, Zi, back to the ocean, fixed with a satellite tag.💙
When I was an intern, I was able to help the turtle team with cleaning, feeding, caring, and administering treatments to our rehabilitation patients. Previously, I had not worked or even come this close to sea turtles – so you can imagine my excitement! I also got to assist the coral team with maintenance, monitoring, collecting and building coral frames with guests. I was lucky enough to witness a spawning event as well, which we were able to record and add that data to the database and add to the research.
I still get to help out with the turtle and coral team, of course, however my main focus has now shifted to the guest-facing side, such as leading snorkel excursions and dolphin cruises, hosting local schools for visits here to spend a day learning about marine conservation and their importance to the reef, and the Junior Marine Savers program for guests’ children to learn about marine biology.
It’s always a thrill to spot Pilot Whales, gliding serenely through the waters around Kuda Huraa, as they traverse Malé Atoll.
We remove any corallivores that we encounter… these coral-munching snails can cause damage to new and stressed reefs.
One of my favourite parts of the job is to collect cetacean data during dolphin cruises! I get to pique the interest of guests in a presentation before the cruise, and then take pictures of all the cetaceans there are to see on this side of Kaafu Atoll. Among the data collected, are photos of the dorsal fins – which are then used to identify individuals. Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) are the main species we see, and currently we have over 400 ID’d individuals! Pilot whales (Globicephela macrorhyncus), Indo-Pacific bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus), and Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) are the other species we get to see. Ultimately, this data will be put towards implementing regulations for helping protect our cetaceans from boat stressors, and raise awareness for the problems they face.
I am looking forward to all that this opportunity has to offer and I cannot wait to see what other exciting moments I will have here with the Reefscapers team at Kuda Huraa!
Thank you for reading!
Rylee x
Me and the team participating in the Lhaviyani Turtle festival 2025