Time flies—we’re more than halfway through our program! Following a memorable surf trip to Tofo, our second practical week was full of data collection and painting.

One of our groups painted at schools all week, including maps of Africa, greenery, and marine animals including their names. Despite not being able to teach to the kids this program due to some complications, we still got to interact with local children and witness them admiring our work.

While the first group was at schools, the other group was collecting fisheries data at Paindane for the first half and completing coral reef transect surveys during the second. We’ve been pretty fortunate this week to have some sunny weather and flat sea conditions to work in.

It has also been yet another amazing week for whale sightings—you can see many pods starting to breed, getting more comfortable and closer to the boats, and hear fantastic whale songs while diving. Pretty neat if I do say so myself.