Seasons Greetings!

Reminiscing before departure

It's the final days of the expedition, and i can't believe it has been 6 weeks, the time has passed so quickly. Mind you, we have done so much in that time, its amazing how we've fitted it all in. There has been fish monitoring, whale watching, school teaching, fish and benthic learning and science lectures. We've also done lots of diving and snorkelling, built a "base camp" for the new Eco Lodge, and people have some of their own projects such as building tank racks, preparing presentations and shark and turtle monitoring.

As I write, I'm sitting on my porch overlooking half moon beach while my feet slowly cook in the midday sun and a baby goat skitters about crying for it's mother. We have just had a lunch of rice, with goat stew, and will soon be heading down to the village for our final saturday English classes. Today we are going to have a fun class making christmas cards.

Apart from the diving and new (for me) science learning, doing activities with the children has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the expedition. In school it has been great to teach them a new language and see them have fun in our informal classes. Outside school we've worked with club "Alo Alo" to paint the club house walls with fish and maps of the world and Madagascar. Club Alo Alo is a conservation and environment club, run by Bic, who is our Malagasy research assistant and general superstar of BV. Last week when we went down to paint with them they sang us a song they'd written, it was so great. The fish and painting they did was brilliant too, I was really impressed by how involved they all wanted to be and how much they enjoyed themselves.
After the lesson this afternoon, I think i'll take a stroll back through the village and get some pictures of the people and places that have been our home for the last few weeks.

It's been a fantastic experience, and I'm so glad I came.

Sarah Perrin (Volunteer)

New study shows how marine protected areas can increase productivity of fishing industry

Marine protected areas may hold the key to keeping global fishing industries healthy and profitable, a new scientific study in Madagascar reveals.

The study looked at a community-run marine protected area (MPA) in southwest Madagascar that implemented seasonal fishing closures for octopus, the major economic resource for villagers in the region. When the closed areas were reopened to fishing after seven months, the study found, the number of octopus caught by villagers increased 13 times while the total weight of octopus caught jumped 25 times.

“The increase in octopus numbers and weight was far greater than we ever expected,” said Alasdair Harris, scientific director of Blue Ventures, the marine conservation group that conducted the study. “This study shows that MPAs not only serve as a powerful conservation tool helping species thrive, but can also be a powerful economic tool helping fisheries remain productive and profitable.”

Overfishing poses a major threat to the world’s oceans, causing many economically-important marine species to disappear. Various studies have estimated that between 60 to 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are depleted or nearly depleted even as more and more people depend on fish stocks for food and livelihoods.

The study, authored by Blue Ventures scientist Frances Humber, looked at an MPA that was launched in 2004 in coordination with Blue Ventures, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the village of Andavadoaka and the IHSM, Madagascar’s principle marine institute.

The groups worked together to implement the MPA after local fishermen reported drops in their octopus catch in the wake of the arrival of international fishing companies that were collecting octopus for the global market.

The study looked at the size of octopus caught by villagers following the reopening of two closed fishing periods implemented by the MPA, the first between November 2004 and June 2005, the second between December 2005 and April 2006.

The increase in octopus catch following the opening of the second closure more than quadrupled compared to the number caught immediately before the second closure. The weight of octopus caught after the second closure was seven times greater.

The increased size and weight of octopus catch continued for one month following the opening of the first closure and for two months following the opening of the second closure, before dropping to pre-closure levels.

“While the results of the MPA were extraordinary in the initial months, local fishermen also turned out in greater numbers on the opening day of the closures, reducing the long-term benefits,” Harris said. “This shows the need for ongoing management plans in addition to MPAs in order to reap continuing benefits.”

Harris said village leaders from Andavadoaka placed tighter restrictions on the amount of fishing following the second reopening, which resulted in longer-term benefits. Andavadoaka is still developing plans to ensure long-term benefits from future closures on octopus fishing.

African nations are increasingly becoming major suppliers of octopus to the global market. But as international demand continues to grows, many of Africa’s octopus fisheries have peaked and are beginning to decline. For example, the artisanal fishery of Mauritania exported 9,000 tonnes of octopus in 1993, but only 4,500 tonnes in 2001, despite twice as many active boats within the fishery.

Madagascar’s fishing industry is relatively undeveloped compared to other countries in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean region. But the country has seen a rapid increase in fisheries production and export over the last 20 years with a doubling in the number of fishers in Madagascar.

While there are growing threats from overfishing, Madagascar currently is one of the few African nations that are increasing its octopus fishery output. Between 2002 and 2003 there was a 35 percent increase in octopus exports to France.

“The success of Andavadoaka’s MPA shows there is hope that well-managed fishery practices, such as MPAs, can prevent Madagascar from suffering the damaging effects of overfishing that so many other African nations are dealing with today,” Harris said.

To see the entire study, visit http://www.blueventures.org/research/BV%20report%20Frans%20Octopus_web.pdf

New Species found on the Madagascar Ridge

A recent haul by a Spanish fishing vessel docking in Durban, South Africa contained a number of lobsters of unknown species. Fishing in the Walters Shoals area, a high seas submerged seamount 700km off the southern tip of Madagascar, the fishermen were worried they had caught an illegal species and would not be permitted to land them. When port authorities were unable to identify the lobster, 40 individuals were donated to the University of Stellenbosch for genetic analysis, identified as a member of the well known and well fished genus Palinurus, and subsequently named Palinurus barbarae after the late wife of one of the chief scientists. It is only the fourth new lobster species to be discovered worldwide in the past 12 years.

The individuals recorded weighed up to 4 kgs and are estimated to be between 30 and 50 years old hence their large size, their isolated location preventing their discovery in previous years. The worry now is that the discovery of such large sized and palatable lobsters which will fetch large market prices will encourage fishermen to actively focus on lobster in this area. Global lobster populations are showing signs of over exploitation with biomass per individual lobster caught gradually decreasing as large size is selected against. As so little is known about this pristine population, it is unknown whether it will be able to survive the impacts of such fishing demand, and it is hugely important that fishing is monitored to prevent the rapid extinction of such a newly discovered species.

Image from http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/october/lobster.htm

Fearsome fish and tasty treats

As we progress into the fourth week of this expedition, all volunteers are well and truly settled in. The temperature is absolutely gorgeous and a steady 32 degrees. Today the water temperature was 29 degrees, with superb underwater visibility. Part of the research we are undertaking here is to catalogue species diversity and abundance of fish, corals, and invertebrates. On a personal level, this has added an extra dimension to recreational diving - it has been very rewarding to be able to identify the species we see underwater (as well as boast about the things we see). On a scientific dive today, searching for sea cucumbers, we happened to catch site of a mighty bar jack a good 5 feet long (things underwater appear larger than they really are. Especially when relaying the size of the fish you saw to your friends afterwards).

I have also developed a slight fixation with the food, in particular, bokbok, a doughnut-like, deep-fried dessert. Much to my satisfaction, I have also found that the local village sells them, where it costs about 50p for 20 of them. If my habit continues, I think I am in danger of running out of money (they are very easy to eat). Food for our meals has been very good with lots of grilled fish and rice. Soon we get a chance to cook a meal, and surprise the local staff here with some English delicacies- Christmas pudding is a strong contender!

Raj Roy (volunteer)

Volunteer report

After arriving in Andavadoaka as a complete diving novice, I have completed my training to PADI Advanced Open Water level. I've passed the tests to allow me to contribute to BV's science program by conducting Point Intersect Transects (PITs) and Invertebrate Belts (IBs) in which we survey and record the coral and invertebrates present on the reefs. Yesterday I was the first to carry out a PIT & IB on Tampolove patch reef, a newly designated site which has been included in the MPA set up by BV.

Earlier this week we had a day off from diving and travelled into the spiney forest in zebu (oxen-type work animal) carts to map the position and size of baobab trees in an area which is also covered by the MPA. We also observed the human impact on these incredible trees that live for more than 1,000 years; often visible are holes dug or stakes driven into their huge trunks to gain access to their fruit. I took the opportunity to climb one of the trees which gave incredible elevated views of the forest, along with the challenge of ascending and descending! A few days ago I went octopus gleaning (fishing) with fishermen from the village on Nosy Hao (a nearby island). Watching an octupus get caught with a spear was certainly an experience, however with it being low season there was only one caught on our trip.

A group of us volunteers have initiated our own pet project in Andavadoaka village; painting a map of Madagascar and a map of the World onto the walls of the local youth/ecology club as the children have no other access to geographical information. The local children are involved in drawing fish on the outside walls and painting them under our supervision; oil paint + excited children can make a huge mess! We are part-way through the painting, but by the time we leave in 2 weeks we hope to have a detailed map of Madagascar, a map of the world - indicating the continents and some individual countries, and a seascape on the outside wall - including a BV diver busy surveying the coral & fish!

Ben Cheesman (Volunteer)

An Italian's Blue (Ad)venture

End of week 4 of expedition 26. Only two more weeks and my little 'Blue Adventure' will come to an end. Time flies here in Anadavadoaka, yet when I think of the day we arrived here dazed and tired from the camion journey it seems like a very long time ago. I had no idea what to expect from the expedition and knew near to nothing about fish and coral. Today I can 'name and shame' (or identify if we must use the scientific term) about 150 species of fish and tell soft and hard coral apart. If you are thinking that this is an easy one come again: bubble coral and galaxya waft yet they are hard corals!! Now google those up if you are curious to see what they look like. Definitely we have lots to keep us busy here. On 6th December we went Baobab mapping: I love those monsters. The 1.5-hour zebu-cart ride was also a new experience, a bit bumpy but at least we were lucky with the weather since it was cloudy (I can’t believe I am saying this!!). The sun here at this time of the year can be truly unforgiving, especially between 11am and 2 pm (and 3 and 4...) if you are planning a ride through the spiny forest you definitely want to do it early in the morning and possibly on a day like the one we picked (by chance). I was so glad for the few drops coming down from the sky so when we arrived I still had some energy left to climb up a Baobab tree before measuring up and taking coordinates on the GPS with my group. I could go on and on about all the exciting things we have been doing till now, on top of the diving of course. I loved snorkeling in the mangrove, watching the huge bonfire before camping on the Northern Beaches (the area where the Marine Protected Area is coming to life), discovering my carpentry skills after I managed to build a ‘fine’ table from a few planks on a morning’s work at the Northern Beaches, teaching English to the children in the village (and then hear them shout ‘hello Rossella’ when strolling along the ‘high street’).

It is not all work however!! We have a day off every 5 and of course a party night, when we do our best to replace the nitrogen in our bodies with the local rhum ;). I will never get bored of watching the sunset off Halfmoon beach, watching the starry sky after the generator goes off or looking for new snakes, spiders and bugs to photograph. This is a little of what I am getting out of this expedition jammed into a ‘short’ blog entry. It is hard to summarize it all in a few lines and even harder to describe the feelings and images that are stored in my mind for ever. Time surely flies in Andavadoaka but these memories, images and feelings will always stay with me.

This is all …from an Italian in Andavadoaka.

Veloma! Rossella

Reflections and Recruitment!

So here I sit, as attentive shore marshall for the 6am dive on the 7th of December 2006. As I look out of the “Nosy Cao” window (our classroom-computer-communal room) onto the turquoise Mozambique Channel at the crashing thunderous high tide waves that pour onto Half moon beach, Andavadoaka Rock and in the distance the crests of the waves on the fringing reef.
What an adventure it’s been so far! With ten other fantastic volunteers, and the lovely BV staff, we’ve dived in wonderfully warm (28°C +) waters; surveyed corals and fish life on many reef sites; measured and mapped majestically awesome 8 metre and 10 metre in diameter; 1000 year old Baobab trees; swam in the fish nursery of the mangroves; raced zebu (local cattle) carts pulled and driven by bonkers staff and volunteers; camped, watched and helped in the construction of the new fabulous “Eco-Lodge” site……………endless activity on endless blue skied days.. ……….it’s such an honour to be here.
Living side by side with the Vezo people of the village is what makes the expedition truly special and real. The children are beautiful; lively to say the least, yet their manner is gentle and somewhat wise. They have very little materialistically but they live in harmony with the sea; fishing, playing in the water, wanting to know who and why we are here with wide eyes and lots of laughter. They have an eagerness to learn and are inspirational to us volunteers from the western world to keep focussed upon the simple joys of life. We can learn as much from them as they can learn from us. They live in poverty and yet are so very rich.
An average day here starts at 5:30am, which may sound horrifically early (not for a Dibbo!) but it’s perfect. So calm, so cool and the only sounds are the waves, the birds and the odd horny goat! The early morning dive is the best way to start your day, floating whilst observing hundreds of colourful lively fish species in their coral garden homes, is quite possibly the most magical way to fully wake up in the morning. Idyllic. Or boat marshalling to support the dive team for safety with the satellite phone, radio, medical supplies, GPS etc and a 45 minute peaceful meditative space as you sit and wait patiently and watch the waters for the divers to ascend.
After the 6am dive it’s a breakfast of coffee, local freshly made donuts or “bok-bok”, rice, eggs etc in the restaurant with ocean vistas from every angle. Up we all get for the 9am or 11am dive, with rotational shore or boat marshalling duties, learning those fabulous 150 fish species and benthic species to help in the collection of reef data, recording the weather 4 times a day, designing and delivering presentations, maintaining the “Bat Cave” (the impressively named dive kit room!) enjoying a huge hot fish lunch, tests to see if we do actually know our fish etc, downtime to snorkel, snooze or swim in the heat of the afternoon, a chance to share the days events and news at “Vao Vao” (“news” in Malagasy) at 7pm every evening, which usually includes much laughter, some fascinating new facts and data, the secret Golden Fleece awards, a DVD, lots of smiles and a sense of achievement for all the team, dinner……………and the day begins again.
Other highlights of this most excellent adventure have been party nights; dancing ‘til the early morning at the Epi bar to soulful, funky Malagasy music with the much more flexible locals! Watching the sunset that electrically lights up the 6:30pm skies with reds, purples, orange and shades of blue that seem too bright and magnificent to be real (photo shop eat your heart out!). Fish monitoring the local catches of 1.5 metre green job fish to 10 cm damsel fish caught from small wooden, wind and paddle powered pirogues manned by fathers and sons as young as ten years old. It’s a chance for us to get to know the local people and share in their knowledge of their ocean.
You couldn’t make it up if you tried!
It’s great to be part of project that is making a huge positive impact locally scientifically and upon every volunteer who is lucky enough to spend 6 hard working, fun packed, educational weeks here in this remote part of an inspiring and unique land.
What would I change about this expedition? That’s easy. I just wish I could bring everyone I know and love here to experience how spectacular it really is in Andavadoaka. It suits all ages, backgrounds, all needs – you’d be blown away ?.
So what are you waiting for – go on do it – make a difference!
See you all soon.
Kel
Kelly Dibbert, Brighton, UK

Guardian article highlights threats of climate change on marine systems

The Guardian today published a fascinating and important study on the destruction climate change is having on tropical marine systems. The article reported on a new study showing that as waters warm, microscopic plants at the bottom of the ocean called phytoplankton produce less food for fish to eat. The result could be devastating for fish populations.
See the entire article at

www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1965975,00.html

Blue Ventures' Volunteers Come to the Small Screen

Here's your chance to see Blue Ventures and its work in Andavadoaka from the comfort of your own home.

As part of Volunteering Week from the 8th - 14th January 2007, Blue Ventures will be featured in a film shown on the UK's Community Channel. The film is part of a series of five half-hour programmes called "V for Volunteer."

Blue Ventures will be on Episode 3, shown on Wednesday 10th January at 6.30am, 10.30am, 18.30pm and 22.30pm, and again on Sunday 14th January at 14.30pm.

Tune in and see how Blue Ventures volunteers are helping improve the health of marine habitats and the livelihoods of communities in Madagascar.

Hi everybody!! My name is Vola and I'm a Malagasy staff member of Blue Ventures in Andavadoaka, Southwest Madagascar. Before I came here, I've been living in Florida USA for two years where I completed a MSc in Coastal Zone Management. I'm really keen to work in Andavadoaka. The conservation projects and pionneering research conducted by Blue Ventures in this part of the world are very much needed for the management of marine resources on which the local population depend greatly. In addition to marine conservation, Blue Ventures also works on developing other activities such as ecotourism (bird watching, visit of baobab forests, diving), local arts and crafts and aquaculture to boost the economic potentials of the region and thus reducing negative impacts on natural habitats. I'm mainly involved with shark and turtle catch monitoring, the new Marine Protected Areas and Environmental Education. It's really exciting!!!

I've been living in Andavadoaka for about 2 months and it's a whole new different experience. I'm getting used to life's routine on site: staff meeting at 6 pm, "vaovao" time in the evening during which everybody shares news, diving and science training - I finally passed the inwater fish test, yeahh!! -, English and Malagasy teaching and the different conservation projects.
Social life on site is also an important part of the expedition. Games and parties on site are occasions to get to know the volunteers and other staff members a bit more. I do enjoy playing Jungle Speed or tricks after dinner, volleyball in the afternoon, space hopper race on the beach - seems easy if you haven't ride one yet!! There is a lot going on on party nights. We often have themed parties which can be hilarious!! I'm impressed with everybody's creativity since there is not a large choice of materials in Andavadoaka. Then we sing songs - the one I like the best being "Salty Dog". And of course, I don't want to forget the traditions such as "snorkel test" - it's very possible to fail -, the passing of the Golden Fleece - that one is for the best volunteer in science so very serious thing!!- and "tay be" for the less geeky people ;) Well, that's how life is in Andavadoaka. Hope you could travel a bit by reading my blog and maybe you'll come and visit Andavadoaka!! Cheers all!!

Vola Ramahery
Research Assistant, Nov. 2006

Expedition 26- Volunteer update

Well, expedition 26 to which I belong is already halfway through! I can hardy believe it, the time is passing more quickly everyday.
I arrived here in November as a newly qualified diver with zero science training, (normally i'm a fashion designer) and armed only with a keen desire to learn as much as I could to be a part of this expedition, and do whatever I could to help conservation. Now, three weeks later I can identify different corals, invertebrates and other benthic life forms as well as fish in the reigon, and am able to collect data for the projects here.
There are so many other things to contribute here as well. I have been whale watching out on one of the Islands (sadly saw no whales), I've taught an english lesson in the village school, and assisted the fish monitoring programme, where we meet all the fishermen coming in intheir pirogues, to count, weigh and identify the fish in their catch.
I've found a use for my design skills too. I'm designing bags for the local womens group to make and sell and I'm helping to draw a map of the world on the wall of the kids club, "Alo Alo". There are also costumes and scenery to be made for a play the children will be performing about conservation of the different undersea environments.
The weather is getting hotter by the day, luckily the palm fringed beach is a stones throw from our cabins, so taking a dip in the sea to cool down is never a problem.

Sarah Perrin (Volunteer)

A tail of 17 wrasses...

Learning to identify the 150 fish species we monitor on the reefs is quite a challenge, and as part of their training volunteers each have to prepare a fish presentation for the group on one of the many families.

A tail of 17 wrasses (in the order they appear in Collins)

According to Collins wrasses are diverse in size and form
So unfortunately there is no wrasse norm
First up is the lyre-tailed hog
Half of it's white, so think of it as if caught in a very small fog
The only other hog is known as the axil-spot
This is because three black spots it has got
Next up is the hump head wrasse
Rumour has it the hump was caused by a nasty incident with a bass
The reason I failed a test is a wrasse called sling-jaw
It looks nothing like what was in Collins and it might as well have had a paw!
The yellow-tail and white spotted wrasses you could easily confuse
Remember that the yellowtail has spots in blue hues
Then there's a wrasse that is called the yellow breast
Purely between you and me itís not in the computer test
I realised I'd left the triple tail wrasse out at the very last minute
So this poem has nothing about it in it.
The checkerboard wrasse is easy and it lives up to its name
You could lay it on a table, and have a little game
The zigzag wrasse has a black wavy line in the middle
It looks like it was finished then someone had another fiddle
The barred thick lip wrasse is a bit of a weird catch
It's coloured head and black-and-white body don't match
Wrasses called Indian Ocean bird look a bit like mice
If you show one to Max, deep down he might say they look ëniiiceí
Easy to know is the gold bar wrasse
Just look at the base of its head and think lots of cash
The crescent wrasse has a colourful head but most of it's green
I got it confused with a parrot but realised it looks a lot less mean
The six bar wrasse has six black bars
Another distinguishing feature is its red striped head
The cleaner wrasses look similar but you can be quite mellow
Just by remembering that the bicoloured one's tail is yellow
The blue streak cleaner you'll be pleased to know is the seventeenth wrasse
Good luck to everybody, I hope you'll pass
Just one more bit of wrasse-related knowledge
Wrasses in the rear-view mirror may appear smaller than in Collins

Elina HolttoÖ, Finnish volunteer

Six Bar Wrasse

Andavadoaka donates land for eco-lodge

Andavadoaka’s village leaders have officially donated 3,600 square metres of land for the construction of its new eco-lodge.

Blue Ventures is now developing plans for the lodge which will be fully owned and operated by Andavadoaka and provide the community with a sustainable economic alternative to destructive fishing practices.

Blue Ventures is working to raise £43,000 for construction, and is searching for eco-architects and engineers to help design the lodge to run on clean energy, including wind and solar power, and to be built sustainably from local resources.

Current plans call for the lodge to include a restaurant, a bar and 25 bungalows to house visitors to the area.

We hope to complete the lodge by the summer of 2007. Camping sites will be available in the spring, with resident cooks making meals for visitors.

If you have expertise in sustainable architecture or engineering, or know people who do, let us know and become part of the team to improve livelihoods and natural resources in Madagascar.

Contact Richard Nimmo at richard@blueventures.org or +44 (0)20 8341 9819.

New James Bond flick brings Blue Ventures alum to the big screen

The new James Bond flick, Casino Royale, brings 007 to Madagascar for his first mission, and a former Blue Ventures staff member to the big screen.

Eric Jaona, a Malagasy national and former translator with Blue Ventures, provided background voices to several scenes in the spy thriller.

Early in the film, Bond is sent to Madagascar to track down terrorist spies. At one point, he chases the villain through a market where locals yell and cheer as they wager on a fight between a cobra and a mongoose.

Jaona was brought in to provide an authentic Malagasy voice for the scene. Jaona, who lives in London, didn’t travel all the way to Madagascar for the film, but recorded the background voice in a London sound studio.

“We first watched all the scenes and then we recorded the voices, working from a script,” Jaona said. “My friends say they can hear my voice in the film, but there are a lot of people talking during the scene.”

The film unfortunately does not show any of Madagascar’s beautiful natural areas – instead Bond is seen running through a market and a construction site – but Jaona said he is glad the film is bringing new attention to the island nation.

“Even in Madagascar, they have put together a marketing campaign around the film,” he said. “They say Madagascar is the island of James Bond.”

Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, and is home to some of the world’s most biologically diverse marine habitats.

These habitats, however, are facing growing threats as populations increase along coastal areas and more and more fishing companies discover the richness of Madagascar’s waters.

Blue Ventures is working with local communities to protect these threatened resources and develop alternative livelihoods to destructive fishing practices. It’s a mission worthy of James Bond.

Wish you were here?-Report from the site doctor

It has been 2 months now since I arrived on site and started my new role as the expedition medic- or “Raduku” as the Malagasy folks call me, but there isn’t a day that goes by without my having to remind myself at some point how lucky I am to be here.

The scenery is stunning, and I wake up every day to the gentle sound of waves lapping on the shore and the sound of goats getting up to mischief under my cabin. Before or after breakfast we dive, and mealtimes are generally spent discussing the “viz,” what new discoveries have been made to science and always guaranteed some air space is the weather!

The climate here is generally described as “hot,” “very hot” or just “too darn hot” The sea is usually said to be “calm” “excellent for diving” and “great for swimming,” the afternoon breeze both “welcome” and “refreshing.”

When there’s spare time its great to spend it in your hammock learning all about algae, corals and fishes, this “study time” is required to pass all the exams (computer and in-water) prior to conducting any science at sea. So once the exams are out of the way this “hammock time” once again becomes your own, and then its up to you to choose how to spend it. Some of my favourite past times have included-relaxing and doing absolutely nothing just staring out to sea, reading a novel, going for a dip in the turquoise waters, playing with the Vezo children, preparing my English lesson or doing some octopus data entry (Whoopee!)

Today I shall be taking a walk into the village where I can buy some nuts for the staff meeting making sure that I stop along the way to play with the children on the beach. Maybe I will go beyond the village up to the Northern beaches where the foundations are being prepared to build the Eco lodge and see how our project is coming along.

It is very interesting knowing that you are playing a part in the day to day activities that contribute to the development of a Marine Protected Area and it is exciting to see how the long term vision for environmental tourism in this area is being developed. I am proud to say that I am a part of it- I highly recommend that you are too.

Yvette (Medical Officer)

New experiences

After one bus ride, three plane flights, and five car trips I finally made it to Chez Antione at 1am to be greeted by a couple of volunteers; I had to wait till breakfast the following morning to meet the rest of the Volunteers and staff. At breakfast I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that an old friend from school was there. Its funny how small the world is.With breakfast and the swim test behind me I started to get settled in my new home in the sun. I have to thank all the staff and volunteers for making me feel at home and teaching me about the local culture. Before I really got to say hello and do my compulsory tai-be as a new member of staff, the volunteers were gone and interphase had begun.For me this is when I got to spend time to get to know the Coco beach staff, local village characters and I also managed to visit the surrounding area and islands. Ten windy days later the site was bubbling with renewed activity as a fresh group of volunteers arrived. The next couple of days involved several briefings and the compulsory swim test. With the volunteers itching to get wet I got started with scuba tune-ups, openwater, and advanced courses. I am happy to say that now two weeks later all volunteers are at least PADI Advanced Openwater divers and a few are already benthic enabled!!So four weeks in Madagascar, six bags of peanuts and a gallon of galleuke later, I am still here, happy and excited about my future here in Andavadoaka.

Pierre –Dive Manager

Blue Ventures wins 'Highly Commended' Honours in the Enterprising Young Brits Award

Blue Ventures Founder and Director of Science Alasdair Harris yesterday received the “Highly Commended” award from the Enterprising Young Brits competition which recognizes young entrepreneurs who have turned their ideas into successful businesses.
Harris, who was selected from more than 1,000 entries across the UK, won the award for social and environmental ventures that combine the principles of a successful business with an emphasis on social and community benefits.
“This award is not only an honour for Blue Ventures, but more importantly it shows that environmental conservation can make for good business,” Harris said. “I hope this award will encourage more businesses to participate in the conservation of our natural resources and other socially-minded activities.”
Harris in 2003 co-founded Blue Ventures which brings paying volunteers to Madagascar and trains them in scientific research, community outreach and on-the-ground conservation. All revenue raised through the expeditions is channelled directly back into the conservation of threatened coral reefs and other marine resources that local communities rely upon for survival.
Chancellor Gordon Brown Chancellor greeted the winners and handed out the awards during yesterday’s ceremonies that were part of Enterprise Week, a national celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Along with the Highly Commended award, Harris and Blue Ventures have been featured in a new film that will be shown across the UK highlighting social entrepreneurship. The film, which will debut on Downing Street on Thursday 16 November, is part of the Government’s new Social Enterprise Action Plan. That plan sets out the next chapter in the Government’s continuing support for social enterprises, helping to create the conditions to enable them to thrive.

Vote for your favorite entrepreneur

Blue Ventures' own Alasdair Harris, director of science and co-founder, has been nominated for the "Enterprising Young Brits" award, a national and highly prestigious competition that recognizes young entrepreneurs who have turned their ideas into reality. Alasdair and Blue Ventures have been nominated under the category of Social and Environmental enterprise.

Along with the formal competition, the Enterprising Young Brits judges have also launched a "People's Choice" award where anyone can vote for their favourite nominee.

The People's Choice competition will bring national and international attention to the winner, along with critical financial support.

You can cast your vote until noon, Tuesday 14 November, by clicking here and visiting the Enterprising Young Brits website.

Blue Ventures Honoured by Responsible Tourism Awards for Work with Volunteers in Madagascar

Blue Ventures was honoured yesterday by the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards for its work with volunteers to protect threatened marine habitats in Madagascar.

During ceremonies at the Excel Conference Centre in London, Blue Ventures was Highly Commended in the category for Best Volunteering Organisation.

“With the growing debate over tourism and its impact on the environment, the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are an important reminder that people can enjoy their holidays in ways that benefit both people and nature,” said Richard Nimmo, managing director of Blue Ventures. “Blue Ventures believes tourism can be a powerful conservation tool, providing incentives to keep natural resources healthy and productive.”

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind and recognize tourism organisations that respect and benefit local people and places. Blue Ventures was chosen from among 1200 nominations.

Blue Ventures brings more than 100 paying volunteers to Madagascar each year, training them in SCUBA diving, scientific research and on-the-ground conservation. Their work protects threatened coral reefs and other marine habitats that local communities rely upon for survival.

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by responsibletravel.com, The Times and Geographical Magazine.

Blue Ventures launches new shark monitoring programme

Blue Ventures today announced the launch of a new project that will monitor and protect threatened populations of shark.

The three-year project, funded in part by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the Project Aware Foundation, will monitor the number and species of sharks killed each year by fishermen in southwest Madagascar and develop conservation plans to prevent destructive overfishing practices.

“Sharks populations around Madagascar are in rapid decline,” said Stephanie Pédron, marine biologist for Blue Ventures. “Their disappearance would have devastating impacts on marine habitats and the local communities that rely upon those habitats for survival.” Pédron is leading the shark monitoring project with Blue Ventures director of science Alasdair Harris and marine biologist Volanirina Ramahery.

Because fishing is the primary source of income for communities in the region, Blue Ventures will collaborate closely with village leaders to develop management plans for shark conservation and sustainable fishing practices.

Thousands of sharks are caught each year in Madagascar, and local fishermen are beginning to report declines in shark populations. A collapse of the shark industry would threaten the economic stability of the region and pose a critical threat to the broader marine ecosystem.

There is growing concern that shark stocks are being depleted around the world and numerous international resolutions have been enacted calling for greater research into the status and threats of sharks globally.

Little research has ever been conducted to determine the full extent of shark fishing in southwest Madagascar and the rate at which populations are declining. This project will gather the data needed to determine what type of management plans are needed to keep shark populations healthy and local fisheries productive for generations to come.

Tiptheplanet - tips to benefit you and the planet

A website which caught our eye, and is very much in the Blue Ventures ethos - tiptheplanet.com. They have advice on energy saving, transport, shopping, finance, hobbies - all with a green twist. About them--

At present, there is no resource that allows people to conclusively determine how best to act in their day-to-day lives. Tips are scattered across various media and often differ in opinion, or contain bias and inaccuracy. The aim is to create a website that brings this advice together for wider discussion. Think of the incredible benefit a 'green Wikipedia' could have in helping to educate society - updated and maintained by people like yourself.

Anyone can edit this site, and early contributions will help the site to grow at this crucial stage.

New hybrid species discovered by BV

The spiny forest contains more than just the amazing baobab trees, it was discovered yesterday. The keen-eyed BV Field Scientist, James Von Squirrelburg, came across this amazing specimen whilst out wandering in the forest. Dissenters were quick to write the animal off as some type of squirrel; however, squirrels are not native to Madagascar. A closer inspection suggests something more akin to a red-ruffed lemur, with exaggerated aposematic (warning) tail circumference, possibly an evolutionary social trait due to the lack of protection afforded by the spiny forest. We will be conducting further research on this exciting new species, and hope to have some more pictures for you soon.

A Fond Farewell

As i sit here writing this blog i have to confess to a (very small and manly) lump in my throat. The cause of this discomfort is really rather simple to diagnose, for after 9 wonderful months here in Andavadoaka my time as field scientist is coming to an end and after falling in love with the place on day one i am really rather sad to leave. Anyway that is enough doom and gloom, i just thought i would put down some of my reflections of this place and some of the experiences i have had for your enjoyment. Its really rather hard to know how to describe this place adequately on paper to be honest, the camp is set overlooking our tropical lagoon with aqua marine waters and fringing reefs that put a spring in your step when you wake up in a morning. Often my first job of the day has been to take the early dive out for science training as the sun is rising, and recently this has coincided with small groups of humpback whales frollicking next to our boat, i don't think it is an experience i will ever be able to match as you watch these magnificent creatures glide past, with the occasional breach or fin slap thrown in for good measure. One of the best things about this place is that you're experiencing these things with like minded friends from all over the world, i have been here for 6 trips now and have met some amazing people, some of which i know i will stay in contact with for a very long time and i think that everyone leaves here feeling the same. The other amazing facet of my time here is the rate of progress and growth of our conservation projects, and the growth of BV as a company. The Marine Protected Areas that we have recently finalised are a consequence of 3 years hard work by previous volunteers and staff, and the development of these areas are an acheivement we can all be extremely proud of. With many areas being completely or temporarily closed to fishing we are busy working on alternative livelihoods for the local fishing community, such as seacucumber aqua culture and algae farming, all of which will continue to be built upon by incoming staff.

In tandem with this we have shark and turtle monitoring schemes, new tourism ventures and a whole range of plans for nature reserves etc that means our efforts here will be more and more evident as time goes by. Finally, it is the people of Andavadoaka that i think will leave the most long lasting impression on this cold hearted scientist. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world and Andavadoaka is one of the poorest regions, many of the people here have virtually nothing yet are amongst some of the friendliest, happiest people i have ever met. I've had some amazing times with them, be it a bv vs village football match, pirogue racing, village celebrations or simply a few drinks in the local epi bar, and all of these are etched into my memory forever. This place pulls on my heart strings like no other that i have ever been to and I know, with absolute certainty, that i will be back one day. As i said it is hard to describe Andavadoaka in words alone, but if i was to attempt it brevity is best: beautiful, haunting, vibrant and, for my last 9 months: home.

Lea Fennelly (field scientist)

A spontaneous birdwatching adventure

I was recently swept off on a spontaneous bird watching adventure with members of the Malagasy bird conservation group ASITY. They were showing some of the best bird watching areas in the region to two tour operators for a local eco-tourism organization in Tana. The group was passing through Andavadoaka on their way to Morombe and asked if I would like to join them for two days of birding.

I met the group in Morombe and we drove to our first destination - Satramalandy (four hours drive east of Morombe). We arrived in the evening and headed out on a night walk to look for nocturnal animals. We had a local guide from the village and all the ASITY members had great knowledge of the local wildlife so it was a great experience for me. We saw iguanas, spiders, geckos and near the end of the walk we saw three Microcebus mettermieri – a very rare mouse-sized species of lemur which was only discovered a year ago. My first wild lemur sighting!

We camped out in tents and awoke very early the next morning to look for birds on a beautiful lake beside the village. Within five minutes I spotted 10 species that I had never seen before including jacanas, herons, terns, coots, and a few duck species. We found the Hottentot Teal, but none of the highly endangered Madagascar Teal.

Later in the morning we drove to Lake Ihotry, the fourth largest lake in Madagascar. The drive through the spiny forest was another wonderful opportunity to spot birds. Our guides used a playback tape which called in another three new species for me. Lake Ihotry is huge and we didn’t have much time to explore but it has high potential as an eco-tourism site with several species of waders and shorebirds.

We headed back to Morombe after lunch and again I was lucky to have the experts identify every species along the way. A long section of the route has rice fields on either side of the road where we saw many egrets, storks, and raptors. In total over the two days I saw 21 new species, several snakes and reptiles plus my first lemurs! Incredible!

We spent the night in Morombe before heading back to Andavadoaka the following morning. Once we arrived I was happy to show the group around Coco Beach and our classroom. I also accompanied them to Nosy Ve, where we spotted a few more birds and found several fragments of elephant bird eggshells which they were all extremely impressed with. We then went to Nosy Hao where I showed off our whale platform. They spent the following day looking around the spiny forest and then took the boat to Tampolove to see some more of the region. Everyone was very impressed with Andavadoaka. They couldn’t believe how nice the beaches are, blue the water is and how friendly the locals are.

Despite a few language difficulties, it was a great way to get to know some Madagascar ornithologists. I have all their contact information along with many invites to spend time in the parks where they work. One man, Julien Ramanampamonjy, is the head ornithologist for the zoo in Tana as well as Madagascar’s representative to the African Bird Club, which I've been invited to join.

Ashley (field scientist)

Blue Ventures press release picked up globally via Associated Press wires

More than 50 news services globally have run the Blue Ventures press release about coral bleaching in Madagascar following Associated Press' decision to wire the story.

News services publishing details of the report included Fox News, CBS News, The Washington Post, LA Times, Forbes and The New Hope Courier, Oklahoma.

Click here to see search results via Google News UK
Our Press Release

Blue Ventures Press Release on WildlifeExtra.com

A recent BV Press Release has caught the eye of the editor over at Wildlife Extra--

"Research has revealed that the coral reefs off Madagascar’s south west coast have suffered massive damage from coral bleaching, including a number of reefs that lost up to 99% of their coral cover.

The research team, led by the conservation organisations Blue Ventures and the Wildlife Conservation Society and funded by Conservation International, also discovered a few hopeful signs. The researchers also found a few small reefs with corals that seemed to be resilient to the rising sea temperatures, so it may ultimately be possible to reseed the damaged reefs. These reefs might provide valuable information about how to save corals from future damage.

Read the article at Wildlife Extra
Download our Press Release

It's springtime in Madagascar...

But before you start picturing new shoots, daffodils and lambs gambolling playfully in fields, I should make clear that I'm sitting here in thirty degree heat and sweating as I type. There are some baby goats around, but the only gambolling they do is in the cool of the early morning, on my balcony (thanks guys - those little hooves at 5 am are a real treat). Spring here is pretty much like winter - dry and sunny every day. It's just you start to get more days like this one, when a stroll to the village means a change of T-shirt and you realise it won't be long before you're sleeping under the stars and diving in swimming trunks instead of wetsuits.

We've been back on site now for a full diving week, and the new team are mostly dive trained and semi-benthic enabled. Besides involving a full programme of coral reef monitoring, this expedition will also see us exploring some of the new MPA sites, and if possible sending out manta-tow teams to find new patch reefs to monitor. We also plan to head north at some point to Belo-sur-Mer, a small village and regional shipbuilding centre just south of Morondava. An exploratory mission there by Stephanie, our field scientist, last month has highlighted a number of new possibilities there, from mapping of uncharted reefs to shark and turtle monitoring. A French conservation-minded entrepreneur has set up an eco-lodge there and so another possibility is that we work with him and others on setting up a satellite BV operation there, both to increase the geographical scope of our reef survey work and to start implementing a marine protected area around some of the off-shore coral islands.

Meanwhile, here on site other projects will of course continue, from daily whale watching on Nosy to snorkel mapping of the nearby fringing reefs. We're also on the point of launching a new shark and turtle monitoring programme, which will see us training people in villages up and down the coast to record details of every shark and turtle caught by local fisherman. At present the evidence is that the shark and turtle populations in the area are being fished unsustainably, and so research on the fishing industry is needed urgently as a first step towards a programme of conservation measures. Of course what we'd really like is to manage the reintroduction of turtles to their original nesting grounds along the coast (they used to nest here), but for the moment that must probably remain a longer term objective.

OK well that's enough from me for now, but there'll be contributions from some of the new volunteers shortly and also some research updates from our field scientists Lea, Ashley and Stephanie. Veloma iaby. Alex

Final days on the current expedition...

It's the final day of the expedition here in Andavadoaka and after a busy last day's diving (night dives on Ambato Vazaha and then recreational dives on Yellow Brick Road) volunteers and staff are packing up their wetsuits and dive gear and getting ready for the journey back to Toliara. The last week here has been incredibly busy, with a number of significant anniversaries to celebrate and a host of village events to organise. The first big event was on Friday afternoon, when we held a "pirogue race for peace" to celebrate the United Nations International Day of Peace. 20 teams took part in the race and after a frantic and spray-soaked sprint out to Nosy Hao and back, the pirogues returned to find that most of the village had turned out for the prize-giving ceremony on the beach. The following day we held an open day in Nosy Cao to celebrate Blue Ventures' three-year anniversary. Most of the adults were otherwise engaged in the village at a series of zebu sacrifices, but several hundred children and teenagers turned up for demonstrations of SCUBA equipment, whale spotting, fish identification, a sandcastle competition and educational games based on a map of the new marine protected area.

Saturday was also International Coastal Cleanup Day, and so in the early afternoon we spent a happy hour or two with children from the village walking along Andavadoaka beach, collecting sack-loads of plastic rubbish. We're not sure whether similar beach cleanups happened elsewhere in Madagascar, but worldwide an estimated 300,000 people cleaned beaches in nearly 100 countries. For details about the quantities and types of rubbish collected in different parts of the world, you can visit www.oceanconservancy.org.

The final event of the weekend was on Saturday evening. For several weeks now the ecology club we founded, Alo Alo, has been practising a play about destructive fishing practices, which they wrote with the help of Bic and James. Saturday saw the first performance, with dialogue interspersed with song and dance numbers, and even a somewhat unpolished contribution in Malagasy from the volunteers and staff! We only had a chorus or two of the song to sing, but even that taxed our pronunciation to the limit... The event was well attended and the spectacle was enjoyed by all present. Watch this space for some photos in due course!

Blog contribution from Ashley

We are now in the fifth week of this expedition and once again I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I'll try to sum up several personal highlights from the past few weeks.

We finally had a staff dive to Andravameiky, a 20-30m patch reef a few kilometres off the West side of Nosy Hao. The waters surrounding the reef are much deeper than other areas we've dived, making the reef a popular fishing site for deep sea fish species and sharks. It was the first time diving the site for Lea, Abby, Jan, Thomas and myself and we were all quite excited at the prospects of seeing some big fish. Bic had a Hammerhead Shark sighting on the site a few years back, so our hopes were high. We couldn't have asked for better visibility and within less than 2 minutes Abby was enthusiastically pointing behind me. I was slightly cautious to turn around, and couldn't believe my eyes when I found myself only a few meters from a huge marlin! It was over 2 meters long and was as surprised to see us as we were to see it! That proved to be the highlight of the dive, although we saw a few Moray Eels, a large potato grouper and an empty turtle shell. Hopefully, we'll visit the site again. Lea and I are thinking of mapping it as part of our Dive Master Course.


We also recently visited the spiny forest to map the magnificent baobab trees and do some bird watching. We saw several endemic species such as the Madagascar Kestrel, Madagascar Bulbul and several Greater Vasa Parrots. We still have yet to find any sign of the highly endangered Madagascar Teal which may potentially be found in this area. We may have better luck searching once the rainy season comes and a few lakes form in the spiny forest. Right now there is not a drop of water to be found so looking for a duck hasn't been our most successful venture.


News from the village - The Andavadoaka men's football team recently took part in a tournament with teams from surrounding villages and returned victorious! A few of our staff members, Thomas and Daniel, were on the winning team. The entire village turned out to congratulate the champs, as they returned on crowded pirogues, singing and cheering.


Club Alo Alo, our environmental kids' club run by Bic, was also invited to the tournament to perform a few conservation-themed songs. Their song and dance numbers went over very well, and they were able to incorporate a few tambourines, shaker eggs and kazoos that my mother, a music teacher in Canada, recently sent out for the Club. Bic has also prepared a song for all BV staff and volunteers to perform for our upcoming Open Day on the 16th September. This is an event where we invite the village to our classroom for a morning of games, slideshows and presentations of BV's ongoing projects. It is usually a very popular event and this year the locals will surely be amused by us attempting to sing "Janjino soa ra volansezoa, Zaho ananao toy lah manambara, Fara hasao antisika iaby zao baba" (loose translation – “Listen to what we have to say...it's important to protect the sea!).

That's all for now, I'm off to a staff meeting, vao-vao (where we will practice our song once again) and dinner. The Copefrito truck arrived today so we should be in for a nice meal tonight... maybe even banana bok-bok for dessert!

Afakakelikelyeo,

Ashley (field scientist)

An update for our French readers...

Cette derniere semaine fut de loin la plus decontractee pour tout le monde ici a Coco Beach. En effet, apres la certification des AOW et le passage des benthic tests, nous avons pu profiter de nos nouvelles aptitudes et en faire beneficier la science.. hum hum..et qu’elle est belle la science quand elle nous oblige a repousser nos limites jusqu’a trouver le moyen le plus parfait et le plus clair possible de cartographier et de numeroter les transects a etudier.. et qu’il est reconfortant d’avoir de magnifiques plongees remplies de chants de baleine lorsque cela ne marche pas! En parlant de coool plongee, nous avons eu l’occasion d’aller a yellow brick road, et la plongee fut magnifique; bonne visibilite, nombreux tunnels par lesquels passer, forts courants faisant office de balancoire et geants napoleon wrasses.


Ces derniers jours ont aussi ete marques par des marees particuliererment basses, ce qui nous a permis quelques rocambolesques aventures. Je m’explique. La premiere fut la tres jolie balade (snorkelling) a la tombee de la nuit dans les mangroves. Nous nous sommes juste laisser porter par la maree montante a l’interieur des terres, examinant chaque petit bout de racines, crevettes, babies batfish et mille autres choses encore, avec comme point culminant un rapide en fin de course ou nous nous sommes retrouver entremeler bras- dessus bras-dessous, cela concerne particulierement Lexa, Carla et moi qui n’ont pas du tout su gerer l’acceleration!!! le retour au bateau fut tout aussi mythique, il faut imaginer une quinzaine d’hommes et femmes grenouille marchant a travers la spiny forest en botillions, les locaux ont certainement du nous prendre pour quelques illumines! Experience a ne pas manquer!

Cette troisieme semaine c’est joyeusement terminer sur une ‘casino party’, ou tout le monde a fait l’effort de costumes epoustouflant avec le peu de moyen possible ici. Robes, chignons et make-up pour les filles ( et meme talons pour amy a qui je tire mon chapeau car on ne trouve que du sable sec ici). Costumes heteroclites pour les garcons. Nous avons eu une interressante seance de shopping downtown andavadoaka avec Andy, Claire et Stephen, qui se sont trouver de sexy chemises de femme, rose pour Stephen, transparente pour Andy et une petit top blanc a dentelle pour Tom noue au dessus du nombril. La palme d’or revient a l’unanimite a Lea qui trouva un magnifique gilet mattelasser dore, qu’il porta avec un pantalon de femme et une ceinture rose! salutations aussi a Andy et Stephen pour leur coiffure ‘raie sur le cote’ et leurs cravates, et bravo pour l’imagination de geoff L. pour son mouchoir de poche et son noeud pap en feuilles de palmier et coquillage. Je tiens a remercier mon plus fidel buddy de PIT Catherine (qui nous quitte malheureusement deja demain) pour sa perpetuelle bonne humeur, sa motivation et sa volonte a vouloir rendre tout le monde heureux!

Football celebrations, Vezo style

Everything super here - volunteers happy, staff on good form, village in good spirits. Flotilla of pirogues with flags and singing Vezo came cruising up past the staff beach yesterday - turned out it was the Andavadoaka village football team plus many others who were back from Ambatamilo, a village in the south, with news of a famous victory - Andavadoaka are football champions, having beaten Salary one-nil! Everyone in the village turned out to greet the conquering heroes and Bic, Mr Roger and myself went cruising up and down in front of the beach on the motorised pirogue with 20 excited Club Alo Alo children singing and drumming on the sides (Club Alo Alo had gone with the team to perform at the event). Great fun.

There was also a big party in the village last night with Coco, Roger, Nahoda, footballers and half the village present - I gave a short speech of congratulations with Daniel's help translating and then Club Alo Alo sang a song in Blue Ventures' honour. I also offered to match the football prize money in order that everyone could have a drink to celebrate! -Alex (BV Project Coordinator)

Volunteer Gill Sheen explains all....

I will confess that the days running up to imminent departure were not necessarily as calm and collected as I would have liked. In fact, safe to say that it was more like unbridled panic (where did I hide my dive knife; how on earth am I going to fit all my kit into the vast backpack I was told I just HAD to purchase by the sales assistant in Blacks; is it wrong to take more than 2 bikinis?) mixed with an overwhelming curiosity about what the next 6 weeks held in store.

Questions were constantly flickering through my frantic mind...'what on earth have I signed up for,' 'how am I ever going to learn 150 different types of fish after years of immersing myself in the world of marketing rather than an underwater world,' 'what are the other people going to be like' and 'how on earth are we getting from Tulear to the expedition site'...in fact...'where am I going again...?'

On more 'interesting' bus rides in India I have previously dabbled with the concept that the elation felt on arriving at ones destination (commonly referred to as the 'ahhhhhh' factor) is directly associated to one's journey to get there.

Having crossed the first hurdle and all met up successfully in Tulear (bags, shmags ;-)) it was time for the last leg of our journey to the site.

We crept across the shore in the dead of night (you can forget diamonds.....a head torch is a girl's best friend) and shimmied up a rickety yet strangely sturdy ladder, to reach the deck of what to me conjured up childhood memories of Captain Pugwash's (wasted on the under 25's I am afraid but oh so apt) pirate sailing ship - brilliant. And let the Madagascan adventure begin.

We whiled away the hours and hours and hours and hours reading, napping, whale watching, scoffing, chatting and happily chilling. There was even perhaps a little bit of inventive 'I spy' thrown in for good measure - 'I spy with something beginning with 'w'.....ho ho ho, although if you weren't snoozing at the time it was likely to be a whale.

Some 'time' later we arrived at Half Moon beach in the light of a full moon, polishing our environmental halos, having made the 150km journey from Tulear with only the power of the wind.

Being met by a cheery London greeting and a speedboat, weary but contented volunteers were delivered gently onto the beach, where a short trot up some steps found us at the huts that were going to be our homes for the next month and a half.

We all slept well that night.

Waking up the next morning generated as many sets of wide eyes as the previous night's arrival had done. Our row of huts neatly dotted across the top of a baby cliff overlooking what was appearing to be our own private beach and it was (and still is....never get bored of that view) glorious.

The next few days were a blur of briefings and benthics and bowel movements (er...for some) and books and basic science training and maybe the odd beer or two - all in the name of science and group bonding, of course.

We are roughly half way through the expedition now and those fish aren't looking as baffling at all, the benthic has been well and truly nailed by 99% of us by now, (ahhh what inspiring, patient, helpful and empathic scientists we have to aid us on the path to underwater enlightenment) we are idly humming the choruses of Malagasy pop songs under our breath and local greetings to the Andavadoka villagers roll off the tongue with ease. Home from home.

It still amazes me, at the end of another packed day, at what we have the opportunities to do here, both in and out of the water. Diving and learning and whale watching and pirogue riding and boat marshalling and local school teaching and foot-balling (er, getting stuffed by the the local village team - yeah but we let them win...) and volley-balling and guitar playing and camp-firing and generally getting stuck in and getting the most out of an amazing place and a great group of people.

4th September, First impressions from some of Blue Ventures current volunteers

Carla Reardon:
I've been here for just shy of 3 weeks now, and what a whirlwind 3 weeks it's been! In the first week I completed my Advanced open water training and we had benthic lectures and tests. I've been on 2 exploratory dives to sites which have never been dived before! Saw some Blue Spotted Rays and beautiful shoals of fusiliers which curiously surrounded us for a closer look- it was awesome.
On our last day off all the volunteers helped with some algae farming and then headed to a lovely little restaurant in another bay close by for a lunch of prawns, rice and fruit, with a beautiful walk back along the white sandy beached coast.
The weather and the sun is really starting to heat up now, so helping to record fish monitoring data the other day on the beach at Andavadoaka was scorching. But it was great to see the local women working as a team to record weights and species of fish the local fishermen had caught and I got some great photos.
Yesterday we snorkelled through the mangroves at sunset to see fish juveniles we've learnt about in our lectures. As the tide was going out, the current gently carried us through- although this did cause some minor volunteer pile ups at times!
This morning was an early start with breakfast at 7- but the promise of seeing whales from the Blue Ventures whale watching platform on a nearby island was enough to get me up! Three hours later with 2 tail sightings excitedly recorded, I and my fellow volunteer took a graceful midday pirogue journey back. With a malagash 'thank you', learnt from our malagasy lesson earlier that week, we climbed the steps in the cove where our huts are sited. Just in time for lunch, we had a chance to catch up on the mornings diving activities including some of the first benthic transects completed by volunteers.
No doubt tonight will feature the usual routine of chilling on hammocks outside our huts watching the sunset and consuming vast amounts of peanuts! Then followed by dinner, card games and a visit to one of the Epi-bars in the village along the beach.

Over the next week I hope to successfully learn my fish species, I've learnt a few already and recognising species underwater feels so satisfying. But along with baobab mapping and shark fishing monitoring there's plenty of other things left to experience- can't wait!

Geoff Long:
You're probably aware by now that Blue Ventures Expedition 24 are into their third week at Andavadoaka. Personally, I have completely lost track of what day it is and the only reason I know that 2 and a bit weeks have passed is that we've had two 'party nights'! This event signifies the end of the 'working' week here and provides the chance for volunteers and staff to let their hair down, knowing that they are free to relax the following day. Without going into too much detail, Expedition 24 have made the most of these evenings and have more than entertained the locals with their exotic dance moves.... Tom's double-jointed salsa number really gets the crowd going, he definitely has a career outside Environment Impact Assessment, and Stephanie Post (or Echinostephus as she is commonly known, after that household invertebrate the burrowing Echinostrephus sea urchin) can always be guaranteed to shake her glow-sticks after a word or two of encouragement.. Personally, with my 37th birthday looming on the last day of the expedition I have to say I can't quite keep up with all these young'uns, but I have tried my best and haven't got too much grief for going to bed early on a few occasions!
As far as the diving and conservation is concerned, things are progressing steadily with the first scientific data coming in from 'Benthic enabled' volunteers (Benthic is anything growing/living on the sea floor in case no one has mentioned it). It's a good feeling to think I have started to identify (at least at a basic level), the coral that I have just stared at in so many places around the world! The next big challenge is fish identification and following yesterday's introductory lecture we are all reeling from the long list of species that we have to know. Spotting the differences in a book can be tricky, but underwater whilst tackling buoyancy, fast fish, currents and swell is going to be a real challenge!
In general life is good - with the only major stresses coming from those tricky decisions like how many 'Bolo' to eat (local chocolate bar) and whether the condensed milk supplies will last as it is vital for daily life support for most people, being ladled into tea and coffee, onto biscuits, into rice, on bread and neat for that pure sugar rush. Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone have it 'on the rocks' yet, but with 3 and a bit weeks to go, I'm sure it will happen...
That's all for now - I'm exhausted after offering to paddle a pirogue across to Nosy Hao (about 2km). I was successfully showing that a Vazaha (European) could do a good job of it, that was until I got to our destination and collapsed on the beach in a pool of sweat and started to blackout... They all found it very amusing as you can imagine!

Geoff Hensgen
Since arriving in Tulear, Madagascar on July 9, 2006, I have navigated a cyclone of adventure that begins at 6:40 a.m. every morning, and does not let up until bedtime underneath a marvellous blanket of stars every evening. Abby and Jan, Blue Ventures Dive Instructors, have worked me through two levels of scuba training, and have showed me safe passage into an incredible underwater world. Both instructors have a mix of charisma, seasoned dive experience, passion for nature, and uncompromising standards for safety and dive protocol.
With almost three weeks of expedition passed, my focus is now on wrapping up my final tier of benthic survey tests, and learning a vast list of fish species and families. Blue Ventures has put a lot of time into ensuring their volunteers are capable of surveying reef fauna accurately - through lectures, computer and live diving tests, you study and practice until you pass muster, or else you cannot participate in scientific surveys - no exceptions.
Scuba and science training have made up a large part of my days thus far, but they are just a piece of a vast tapestry of experiences. Conservation work begins and ends with people, and Blue Ventures has provided a myriad of opportunities to interact with the people of Andavadoaka. Some of them work directly for Blue Ventures, and are rapidly gaining skills in science, expedition management, and English. We also interact with the locals on a daily basis, through fisheries monitoring, whale watching, exploratory hikes to neighboring villages, and adventures to the local Epi-bar for warm beer and sweltering rum. We even played a football match against a determined set of young men who would not accept anything less than victory, or a tie. Trips to town have also included teaching English, and I am eager to visit a church on Sunday to hear singing that is reputed to be angelic. These are just a few of the ways that we try to forge bonds and relationships with the local people, as their trust is a prerequisite to making any progress whatsoever towards achieving conservation goals such as modifying fishing methods and protecting reefs.
The resident scientists and expedition managers are very committed to conservation efforts. Beyond scientific research and data collection, they are working with local village administrators and presidents to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA). While the MPA is still in its infancy, I strongly believe this is an initiative that is critical to helping the local people establish management practices that help them live off the land in a sustainable manner, and prepare for the inevitable forces of human population growth, development, and tourism. The final outcome is something that will only become clear over a large span of time, and I hope Blue Ventures will bring volunteers and scientists to Andavadoaka for a long time to give the people and wildlife in this area the best chances for long term survival.