MCS contributes to conservation of Maldives reefs

Maldives Scuba Tours (http://www.scubascuba.com/) has been operating live-aboard dive trips in collaboration with MCS scientists for 15 years, which combine diving with the denizens of the deep with coral reef natural history talks, participation in coral reef surveys, recording manta ray behaviour and photographic identification of whale sharks.

The facilities aboard the MV Sea Spirit or MV Sea Queen provide a fantastic opportunity to read up about coral reef creatures from many of the available colourful ID guides, and use the on board TV to show videos and slide presentations of local coral reefs. Divers are given informative pre-dive briefs from the expert local guides on board the vessels, and the MCS staff member gives talks on coral reefs in the evenings.

The trips will encompass the normal dive programme of 3 dives a day and the route will reflect the season and the top dive sites.  Encounters with whalesharks and mantas can be expected. Read a diary of a typical 14 day cruise.   

Rasdhoo, Dega thila and HP survey sites
During the trip we will visit these fantastic reefs where the coral cover reaches over 67%. The diversity and abundance of spectacular reef fish, invertebrates and corals is recorded by divers for an ongoing project which provides an important comparison on the health of the reef since our surveys began in 2005. We use the internationally recognised Reef Check methods (http://www.reefcheck.org/) to make these assessments. 

Rasdhoo is also known for scalloped hammerheads in the deeper waters, eagle rays above, reef sharks and huge humphead wrasse. There’s plenty of time and opportunity to both learn how to record these creatures on reef check dives, and carry out spectacular dives at the same sites as those that are surveyed. You will do approximately 30 dives on your trip in all.

MCS expertise
The survey trips aboard will be lead by a marine biologist affiliated to the Marine Conservation Society.  Their objective will be to teach basic fish and coral ID skills, a background of what constitutes a healthy reef, the ins-and-outs of fish cleaning stations and symbiotic relationships between animals and flora.  It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn more about what you see when you go underwater on a coral reef. 

Upcoming 12-day trip dates
Jan 25 - Feb 6, 2009 and
June 13 - 26, 2009 

Your benefits
By joining a trip with MST and MCS, £50 from your trip fee will automatically go to MCS, you will receive one years free membership of MCS, and receive complementary colourful coral reef factsheets and a free CD packed with coral reef information. You will also be contributing to a long-term monitoring project which investigates and reports on the health of coral reefs that is sent to a global coral reef monitoring project. The information is used to assess how reefs are doing over the long term, and this global reporting is now (2008) in its 12th year.

Previous trips
In 2005, our two survey trips were particularly pertinent, as our January survey came just days after the tsunami of 26 December 2004 hit the Indian Ocean. This survey was followed by a more detailed survey in June and July 2005 which investigated the longer-term impacts of damage from the tsunami. Fortunately, few of the coral reefs in the Maldives were badly affected by the increased surge from the tsunami wave. and fish populations are particularly abundant for the Indian Ocean region. Recent surveys in January 2006 and January 2007 have identified a further monitoring site (HP reef), and a shallow thilla Dega giri which we first surveyed in June 2008 which had over 67% coral cover, and is in excellent health. 

To download the 2005 survey report go to: http://www.mcsuk.org/downloads/coralreef/Madlives_reef_condition_2005.pdf

To see our contribution to the international report on the status of reefs post tsunami as published by the Australian Institute of Marine Science go to: www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/coral-bleaching/scr-tac2005/index.html and download the report entitled 'Status of Coral Reefs in Tsunami Affected Countries: 2005'. Go to page 111 for information on Maldives reefs.