Hello! My name is Christina, and I’m the new Reefscapers intern at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa.
My marine journey started aged 7 with my diving-instructor father, when I saw a whale shark on my first ever snorkel! My first dive was here in the Maldives as a child, and I vowed to return someday… Having only just graduated with a Master’s in Marine Biology, I feel so incredibly lucky to be here. 💙
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 ❞
Hello there! My name is Alex, the newest Marine Biologist to have joined the Marine Savers team. In no time at all, I was enjoying the crystal-clear waters, exploring stunning new reefs.
On board the magnificent Four Seasons Explorer catamaran, I was privileged to traverse the atolls, exploring local islands, visiting picturesque sand banks, and descending to some of the world’s top dive sites with SCUBA lovers from around the globe. 💙
Hello! My name is Gabriele, marine biology intern for Marine Savers at Kuda Huraa.
Things have been hectic, with the admission of injured Olive Ridley turtles, rescued from entanglement in ghost nets.
I’ve been monitoring for coral spawning, and it’s amazing to see the secret nocturnal underwater marine life.
My 3D models of the island and reefs are starting to take shape.
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! 📈
As I finish my marine internship, I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone! 💙
Kuda Huraa now feels like home, and my days are spent monitoring coral frames, caring for our injured turtles, and leading snorkel trips. I am also researching ‘sea turtle buoyancy syndrome’ to improve our rehabilitation protocols to aid more turtles in the future.
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.
I’m Kelly, the newest Marine Biology Intern at Marine Savers. 👋
When I first caught sight of the turquoise-blue waters outside the plane window, I was speechless … photos cannot do these beautiful Maldivian islands justice. After a quick ferry ride, I was welcomed by the friendly faces of the people who would soon become my good friends. My marine adventures started the very next day, and there hasn’t been a dull moment since …
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. 🙏
It is now the final weeks of my marine internship, and the past three months have flown by!
We’ve been busy prepping to commemorate some special days for Shark Awareness, World Mangroves, and a PADI Womens’ Dive.
During our scuba and freediving sessions I have experienced some awe-inspiring encounters with marine life, including my first ever manta encounter, which was truly breath-taking!
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. 🐬
