Reefscapers Maldives
I was lucky to spend the day with the marine biology team at the Four Seasons resort in the Maldives. I spent the day with coral biologist, Shona, who took me through the steps of what it takes to grow back the coral lost from the reef bleaching events in recent years.
Stage 1: The coral embryos, on a surrogate rock.
Stage 2: The coral babies spawning.
Stage 3: Coral teenagers! The spawning coral latches onto old ‘shell’ pieces of coral and starts to regrow - you can see the new growth on the tips here.
Stage 4: The matured coral is then places onto a frame.
Stage 5: The finished frame is then place into a nearby reef in the ocean.
These frames will be the foundation for growing a new section of reef in areas where the coral has died out from bleaching effects.
Reefscapers also have a turtle sanctuary - turtle biologist, Bethany, introduced me to one of their rescues, Ari, who is a double flipper amputee. I was surprised to meet such a friendly and playful creature; she brought me all of her various toys one at a time to show me, and was keen to explore my camera lens.
The rescued turtles are given dog toys to play with!
Ari is an Olive Ridley turtle, known for their ‘eyeliner’ look.
Ari is distinguishable by the ‘ice-cream cone’ marking on the back of her head. Here, she is playing with a frame made for her by the team.