Join Bethany at Kuda Huraa, as she treats our resident Olive Ridley turtles, found injured and entangled in drifting ghost fishing nets. And then take a rehabilitation swim in the lagoon with Emma and Ari.
Meanwhile, Dr Katrina, our resident veterinarian, is monitoring our turtle nests down on the beach at Landaa, awaiting the precious little hatchlings. 💚
We commemorated Valentine’s Day with our special Reefscapers heart-shaped frames – an appreciation for our work colleagues, and a declaration of our unconditional love for corals! 💜
Be part of the change you want to see – start building your very own reef alongside our dedicated team of resident marine biologists. By sponsoring a coral frame, you help maintain the beauty and biodiversity of the underwater world. 💙
Some fascinating creatures arrived in our lagoon recently, from out in the big blue ocean!
Learn about blue sea dragons (pictured), with some amazing photos from our team, and see the famous Maldivian bioluminescent plankton that washed up on our beaches, enchanting everyone who experienced it! 🪄
Sadly, it’s now the season for us to find Olive Ridley sea turtles floating on the ocean surface, entangled in ghost nets. 💔
Come and meet the 5 new turtle patients admitted to our rescue centres, and learn about some surprise overnight visitors to our beach at Landaa. 💚
❝ Dance with the waves, move with the sea; let the rhythm of the water set your soul free ❞
What an incredible year 2022 has been! We thank our supporters for their passion and perseverance as we transformed both ourselves and our Marine Discovery Centres!
In 2023, we will continue to find the little joys… tiny ocean miracles and Maldivian magic!
❝ Dive deep into the ocean…and you will see that the greatest treasures you find are the illusions you leave behind. ❞
What a month it has been! I have spent most of my time in the water, monitoring hundreds of coral frames around the island, and leading snorkel trips with guests. 🤿
Then there’s the seasonal coral spawning: tagging, gamete checks, checking for bundling, and literature research on spawning cues (tides, sunset, moonrise, temperature, etc). And then finally… the amazing spawning events themselves! 🧡🟠
Another incredible mass-spawning event this year, with the reefs a blaze of colour and excitement! 🟠🧡🟠
Enjoy our underwater photos, and follow our team as they harvest coral eggs and grow them into tiny polyps in our Lab.
Meet EMMA, our latest sea turtle rescue patient, then join our turtle experts for a rehabilitation swim in the lagoon, before catching up with our Shrimps down in the Fish Lab.
An exhilarating month makes for a packed report: corals spawning, sea turtle surgery, educating the next generation, plus spinning dolphins 🐬 and friendly sharks! 🦈
No two days are the same, and elements of the unknown are the most captivating parts of the job, along with our underwater work for calming the mind and soothing the soul.
Onward and upward! 📈
A warm hello from our Marine Discovery Centre at Landaa Giraavaru. 💙 My name is Gesa, the new marine biology intern, supporting the Reefscapers coral team during their second spawning season of the year.
My first few weeks on site were packed with new ideas, from turtle care to Artemia production and dolphin cruises – it’s always great to broaden your skill set!
Some of our rescue turtles are unable to be released due to the severity of their permanent injuries. Turtles suffering from long-term ‘buoyancy syndrome’ and those with missing flippers are vulnerable in the ocean and would struggle to find food.
Ongoing, we try to re-home these patients to overseas aquariums, to receive a high standard of lifelong care, and to act as global ambassadors about the threats that sea turtles face.
September was so full of activity! 🏃♀️From large presentations to local island visits, from egg-laden coral colonies to interviews with global TV crews 📺 … we didn’t have a spare second to come up for breath! 🤿
Luckily, we are a bunch of all-rounders, able to sub for each other in excursions and projects, so the upcoming coral spawning season will be all hands on the reef, day and night! 🌞 🌙
Come down to the Fish Lab to meet our Shrimps! 🦐
We have been expanding our Shrimp breeding program over recent months, and now have residents from five different family groups. We are studying and documenting the morphological differences between the different Shrimps, their eggs, and larvae, and hope to develop protocols to successfully breed them in our dedicated marine aquaria.
We have a packed report for you this month, direct from our teams of marine biologists at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru.
Join us down in the Fish Lab, to look at marine life in our aquaria and under the microscope, and come along to a Symposium and Festival to learn about our latest coral research work.
And we launch our new 📢 Turtle Hotline 📞 for injured and stranded sea turtles.
My time as a Reefscapers marine biology intern has come to an end in the Maldives, but I still have some adventures to share!
I continued caring for our sea turtle patients, made new coral frames with guests, swam with mantas in Hanifaru Bay, and encountered hundreds of dolphins. 🐬
Thanks everyone at Marine Savers, for embracing me as part of their team, and for all their patience and knowledge shared. 👋
Join our Reefscapers coral biologists on their scientifically fascinating and colourful journey! 🧡
Our teams have experienced a busy few months researching coral spawning here in the Maldives. Take a closer look at our unique macro photographs, and read how we collected coral eggs from our frames, to successfully grow coral polyps in our laboratory aquarium.
We are going batty this month! 😁 Pop down to our Centre to meet our 2 baby orphaned fruit bats.
Meanwhile, we have checked off a few more items from our to-do list… from training new apprentices to coral frame formations; hatchling expeditions to local outreach, and more!
As we foster new connections, we believe that anything is possible… and hope we can inspire you to believe that, too. 🙏
Enjoy a video tour of our facilities, and learn about some of our marine conservation projects. 🐢
Simon welcomes you to our Marine Discovery Centre at Landaa Giraavaru, then Aku shows you around the Fish Lab. 🐡
You will also meet Kat (our turtle veterinarian) and Margaux (coral biologist) before joining Helen (marine biologist) on a cruise, taking photos for our Dolphin ID project. 🐬
Read Kat’s Diary, to find out what it’s like to be a veterinarian working in the Maldives!
Firstly, every day is different … we treat Olive Ridleys rescued from entanglement in ghost nets (discarded fishing gear), Hawksbills covered in barnacles, and Green turtles unable to dive below the water surface.
Recently, we’ve even been caring for two orphaned fruit bats! 🦇
My first month in Landaa went by so fast, and I’m back to tell you about my recent adventures. 🤿
I have started to lead snorkel and dolphin tours for the guests… my favourite activities include taking photographs of the dolphin fins for our ID Project. 🐬
Many Spinner dolphins later, I’ve been able to improve my photo skills, and now I even have a dolphin with my name! 📷
‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ is our monthly mantra! 🧘
It’s fun to have many hands underwater each day – transplanting corals, monitoring frames, and guiding snorkel trips (angry triggerfish aside!) 🐟
We all have individual responsibility to save this planet through our choices and actions, and together we achieve even more. 🤝
Our small team is but one drop in a vast ocean … 💧
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