Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 3 & 4

Week three and four on the Marine Conservation Project was spent continuing the fish spots with the adult and juvenile species, but now we also needed to size each fish to the accuracy of 1cm. This seems like a fairly easy process however it is a little difficult as water magnifies the fish. After a few sessions I found my accuracy was almost perfect. Next step was to start monitoring. This is when things got quite tricky.

Imagining floating at a constant depth of about 15 meters, only using your breath to maintain buoyancy, holding a one-meter T-bar in front of you to count fish in a 2 meter cubed box, navigating a perfect straight line for 30 metres using a compass while being swayed gently with the current, and holding an A4 slate with various species of fish listed on it, then recording a tally of the fish species and size as you swim slowly along the 30 meter transect line. Hearing it is one thing, doing it is a whole set of challenges all wrapped together. The first time I tried the transect I felt quite overwhelmed. The second time however, I felt much more comfortable and a lot more confident that I could actually collect some data that could be used for the research of the biodiversity of the coral reef.

Some of the highlights while diving during week two and three were seeing Nurse Sharks, turtles, Southern Stingrays, Spotted Eagle Rays, Tarpons and Barracuda.

Some days ended up being non diving days due to weather. On these days we had lectures on Mangrove, lagoon and reef ecosystem relationships, Taxonomy and First Aid.

On our day off on week 3 a group of us decided to goto the Northern hemispheres largest coral atoll called Banco Chinchorro to do some diving and check out the giant iguanas and crocodiles on the island. It was a 2 hour boat ride from Mahuahal in choppy seas. As we got close to the island we were greeted by a pod of about 20 dolphins. They stayed with us for about 5 minutes, riding the bow of the boat and swimming besides us, jumping out of the water. It was a lovely surprise and everyone was very excited to see them. Some people seeing dolphins for the first time. It was a lovely reminder that it is so much nicer to see dolphins in their natural environment rather than in a place like Sea World. The diving at Banco Chinchorro was lovely. The coral was extensive and regularly we would see single pieces of coral and sponges that were bigger than us. On the dive we saw a Spotted Batfish, a nurse shark, Loggerhead Turtle, as well as heaps of Parrotfish, Wrasses and even saw a few Spotted Trunkfish.

Towards the end of week four I had an amazing dive with bunch of Barracuda, walking back into shore I was stung by a stingray in the foot. The pain was intense and felt like a stinging ache in shot in waves in my foot sending it into spasms. The treatment was to immerse my foot in scalding hot water. NOT FUN! Pain subsided in about 90 minutes luckily. I'm bruised at the point of entry. The pain disappeared completely and I was left with a small bruise which I still have now 4 days later. No current problems with the wound. I’m now waiting for my stingray superpowers to metamorphasise!

I just had an awesome snorkel with giant puffer fish, 4 squid, lots of surgeon fish, trumpet fish and juvenile damsels. One squid hung around us for a good few minutes then flashed translucent and inked right in front of us! So cool to see that right in front of you!


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Bridgette Gower’s Photostream

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 2

After a day and a half time off in the nearby peaceful town of Mahuhual, I had my antihistamines and cortisone cream supplies ready for round two with the Mosquitoes and Bastard flies. I felt confident I could combat them his time.

Having already passed my fish identification exam early in Week 1, I was well on my way to starting the fish monitoring program. This program has been setup with Amigos of Sian Ka’an for the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and the University of Quintana Roo to monitor the fish numbers in the area to record how their numbers have been affected by tourism, local fishing and other impacts. The data collected is part of a long-term research project spanning several years. There are 70 fish that are on the initial target list ranging from Parrotfish, Snappers, Grunts, Groupers, Triggerfish, Butterfly Fish, Angel Fish, Filefish and Barracudas. We also report any mega fauna such as dolphins, stingrays and turtles. Although we are yet to see dolphins, I have seen two Leatherback Turtles and a Bull Ray. One diving group saw a massive two meter Spotted Eagle Ray the largest they have reported. We are also counting the number of Lionfish seen as they have become a pest in the area and their numbers are getting out of control. They will predate on any breed of fish and they have no predators in the area. Such a shame to view such a beautiful and highly evolved fish as a pest!

Once I had done two or three trainee fish spots with an instructor, it became evident that the majority of fish on the reef were Ceaser Grunts and French Grunts. You would often see them swimming in large schools, sometimes with Blue Stripped Grunts. On most dives you would see a range of Parrot fish, including the Princess Parrot, Redband Parrot, Stoplight Parrot and Striped Parrot. Occasionally we saw the huge Midnight Parrot and the Rainbow Parrot, at about a metre long. Awesome! Also seen regularly is the very cool Black Durgan, part of the Triggerfish Family. A stunning fish with Dorsal and Anal fins that move from side to side like vertical wings. One of the nicest to be around are the Grey and French Angelfish, always swimming in pairs, can grow to about 20-30cm long and are quite friendly, often coming right up to divers and staring us in the eye, then just hanging around while we continue to look around.

My fish spot dive records are at 100%, so now it’s time to learn the Juvenile fish list! Some of the juveniles are on the adult list and they look completely different. Plus there is a whole range of Wrasse’s and Damselfish we need to learn, as well as the Banded Coral Shrimp and the Long Spine Sea Urchin.

The weather turned bad during Week 2, and we had to goto Plan B for two days. This meant catching up on Lectures on Ecology of the reef, Threats to the reef and Coral. Also it meant time on some base activities such as a beach cleanup, convincing me completely that plastic is humans gift of cancer to planet earth. The amount of eroded broken off small pieces of plastic lying on the beach is truly disgusting and it is killing our marine life as many of them mistake it for food.

Also there was time for some beach volleyball, swimming, snorkeling and laying around in hammocks. Nice!

The last part of week two was not so pleasant for me as I got some kind of stomach bug and was making many visits to the toilet and many visits to the floor as I was regularly feeling faint. I decided to ride it out in the Hotel Nationale in Mahuhual for a day and then continue with my day off here. Once I got enough strength to stand up I looked at my legs and discovered that whilst in my comatosed state, the flies and mosquitoes used me as an all you can eat buffet and feasted on my legs. Up till this point, I was winning round 2, but they got the best of me in my weakest hour.

As I am typing this, feeling a lot better and have my strength back, off to Chetumal on the border of Belize tomorrow for some much desired supplies like more cortisone cream and mosquito repellent, (not sure if it helps that much) tofu, cordial, chocolate and olives.

See more pics here…
Bridgette Gower’s Photostream

Marine Expedition Base Camp Week 1

The GVI staff met us at the Hotel Colorado and we were briefed on some basics on safety procedures and general information. My first impressions of GVI were that they were very organized and do things by the book following strict procedures, rules and regulations. It was very impressive.

A 5 hour bus trip South to Mahahual and then a taxi ride to the base camp. My first impressions of the camp was that it was isolated, serene, beautiful…. But very basic conditions. Our cabins are basic bungalow type structures with thatched roofs and bunk beds. A sand floor, with limited storage meant that a hammer and nail was quickly sought to create some makeshift hangers for clothes and other items. Mosquito nets were essential as we very quickly discovered. Most people started getting bitten straight away from the local parasite ‘Bastard Flies’. Appropriately named as people say ‘Bastard!!’ when they bit you. Sometimes welts about 5cm across would appear. We were all quickly covered from head to toe in bites and quickly learned the ‘Punta Gruesa dance’, waving arms and legs about constantly to avoid any bugs landing on us. The camp runs on minimal electricity provided by solar panels. There is no electricity in the cabins and it is really only used for absolute essentials. We are allowed 1 ‘army style’ showers every 4 days. So we are turning water off when not using it, and standing over a bucket to collect the water to flush the toilets. That’s right, no flushing toilets, only bucket flushing! It’s amazing how one can adapt to such a simple life!

Participants in the Marine exhibition were assigned to either Fish or Coral. Mine was fish, and I have to say I’m very happy about. After getting the textbook ‘Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas’, I was overwhelmed and concerned that I would not be monitoring until the last week of the exhibition. So I decided to knuckle down in the first 48 hours and study the fish. I had to learn 70 fish by Family and Species. After several revision and flash card sessions I decided to take a test and got 85%. ‘Not bad for a first test’ the scholars said. So I madly studied for another 24 hours and then decided to have another test. 98%. Success!! A pass was 95%. The next step was to start identifying the fish underwater which was a whole other ball game because guess what…. Fish move!! Sometimes you only get a glance and they’ve hidden under a rock. The way this was practiced underwater was we would dive with a staff member, they would point to a fish and we would write it down on our slate and either give us the ‘Ok’ or ‘think again’ signal. I managed to get most of them correct although I was having problems with differentiating between Blue Striped Grunts, Caesar Grunts, and Grey Snappers. Apparently this is very common at first and to the untrained eye, you would understand why. They all look the same! By my third ‘Fish Spot’ dive I was getting 100%.

I’ve now declared war on the bugs and are constantly wearing long pants and long shirt and always wearing insect repellent and burning citronella coils.

Daily life at the base involves getting up at 5.45am ready for chores or duties at 6am that rotate on a daily basis between Kitchen – cooking, cleaning and preparing the Palapa (eating area), Communal – cleaning toilets and bathrooms, Grounds – raking the sand on the base to stop sand flies breeding, and Boats – preparing the boats and dive shop for the day ahead. I must say having done all the duties that I enjoyed the kitchen duties the best, and everyone else seemed to enjoy me being on kitchen as we received a lot of compliments on our days cooking as well as a camp acknowledgment of a ‘Michelin Star’ for outstanding achievements on duties! All that Galley experience on the Sea Shepherds ships obviously came in very handy!

The first week went by fairly quickly and a lot of it was understanding how the camp runs. Whenever you are not diving there are other volunteer duties on base that are required in order for the day to run effectively. They include Radio – a CB radio setup, for the boats so that they are in contact with the base. As well as Compressor – to fill the diving tanks with air so we can dive. If you are not on a particular duty you can relax and enjoy the surroundings. Although there isn’t really much time for this as there is always something to do to help out.

Our first day off came fairly quickly but certainly we all felt as though we could do with a break from the bugs and would love to have a proper shower and sleep somewhere, which had a floor and clean sheets! I have befriended a group of the older crowd from the exhibition and we decided to head into the local town of Mahahual for the night. We found a very cute little hotel on the beach with some lovely cabins and a lovely Texan owner who gave us a GVI discount and some very handy info about the town. Free Wifi, allowing me to catch up on my Internet, Skype and phone time, as well as upload photo’s onto my laptop etc.

So tonight we head back to camp after getting some washing done, restocking on some much needed pharmaceuticals (mainly to combat mosquitoes and bastard flies) and another set of long sleeve pants and top for round 2 of the war on mosquitoes.

Cancun & Playa del Carmen

On arrival and check in at Sydney airport I quickly learned that I got a complimentary upgrade due to some mix up with putting me into a group booking. Lovely! So I had a lovely window seat in Premium Economy and sat next to a nice old man who helped me find blankets and pillows and ignored me for the next of the flight. A Stilnox tablet after lunch and I was out for the majority of the flight and quickly arrived in Dallas/Fortworth, Texas. A quick transit through the airport and back to another gate and another plane due for Cancun, Mexico.

On arrival in Cancun I anticipated being met by a nice young Mexican, smartly dressed in uniform, holding a sign with my name. Ideally he would escort me to a nice car that would chauffeur me to the Hilton. Alas, my fantasy was just that, and there was no one holding a sign with my name on it, nor a sign for the Hilton. I stood around the waiting area for minute or so, obviously looking quite lost because I had plenty of Mexicans asking me if they were going where I was going. Eventually a man came walking around and I heard a version of my name being spoken, something like ‘Gover, Gover’. “Yes… Gower’ I said, he showed me to his van. Lesson 1: Don’t expect too much from Mexico.

I arrived at the Hilton and had my first Mexican meal. Chicken Fajitas and a Margarita! Nice! Life was good! The next day I decided to go to the nearest phone company where I could arrange a Mexican SIM card. Tel Cel was suggested as the phone company. AUS $14 got me a SIM card and AUS $40 got me 3GB/1 month of data. Pretty good really! They even set it all up for me and made sure it was in English and everything before I left the shop! Sweet! I was now connected to the world via Facebook. I spent the next couple of hours checking out the shops at the shopping centre La Isla, and had some lunch, Chicken Burrito and a Margarita – Yum!!

Cancun, is very touristy, specifically developed for the American tourist market. Not my cup of tea really, as I suspected, but I was ok to visit for a couple of days. Next stop Playa del Carmen, an hour South down the Yukatan Peninsula. I caught a cab into the centre of Cancun to the main bus station, then catching a bus to Playa. It was a fairly easy process, even with basic Spanish.

My first impression of Playa del Carmen is that again it was very touristy, and quite similar to Kuta, Bali. Perhaps it’s the proximity to the beach. I decided to be brave and chance it with a very local restaurant as I was starving and couldn’t be bothered to look for something decent. I quickly learned that they didn’t speak any English and also, I didn’t speak any Spanish, because everything I thought I was saying was promptly greeted by a blank stare! At least they were smiling.

That afternoon I succumbed to a climate change cold, and started to feel quite exhausted and stuffed in the sinuses. I took it pretty easy and didn’t do too much but hang out at the very cute little Hotel Colorado.

The next day I thought I would brave the heat and head to Walmart to get the last of my supplies before I head to the GVI base. On the way I detected an Australian accent and got talking to some Aussie guys. One of them lived in Playa running his own business and the other was traveling. Finding my supplies in Walmart I was waiting in the checkout and felt suddenly quite ill. I realized I was going to pass out and I put my head down to try and get some blood to it. Nope, that wasn’t enough, I had to sit down. So I did, right at the checkout. I almost lost consciousness and couldn’t talk. People around me were helping me and got me a cold drink and some smelling salts. Then a wheel chair! Drama! They wheeled me out of the checkout area and I managed to pay and get my supplies without speaking. They then wheeled me out and got me next to the ice machine and gave me some ice to cool me down. I eventually gathered enough strength and was able to walk out of there unassisted. Whoa! That wasn’t fun! I think it was a combination of my low blood pressure, the heat, my cold and exhaustion from preparing to leave Australia.

Later I met up with some other girls who were also staying at the Hotel Colorado, and who were also going on GVI expeditions. We decided to go and have dinner down on the main street of Playa Del Carmen and check out the local scene. Lots of men walking around with guitars wanting to sing to you for a tip. Street hawkers trying to lure you into their shops to spend much needed Pesos. Playa is very touristy and completely aimed at tourists, mainly American, on their annual summer break, catching a bit of sun. Plenty of diving operators and tour operators. We saw a man with two lion cubs, luring people in for photos then asking for a tip. I hate to think what the future is for those beautiful creatures. : ( Also a man with very cute little monkeys and iguanas.

We checked out a few touristy shops and headed back to the hotel. The GVI staff were going to meet us at the hotel at 7am to take us to the Marine Exhibition base camp.