August Marine Expedition: Arwen, Lucy, Ella and Kiah
Sunday – Arrival
The journey to the Love The Oceans base was long, but we met Lena (the Marine Program Coordinator) and Yudmila (the Lead Marine Biologist) further out so they could pick us up. It was great to sit in the back of the truck and get to know each other in preparation for 5 weeks of research, data collection and experiences. Within just an hour of arriving at base, we were already seeing humpbacks in the water, breaching and blowing continuously super close to shore! It was amazing to see these beautiful creatures so close to us, and none of us had ever seen anything like it. The whole team welcomed us and we were introduced to everybody properly at the communal dinner of spaghetti bolognese (although much more traditional Mozambican cuisine would be served over the next few days).
Monday – Training week begins!
We started off with a general overview workshop of how Love The Oceans works and how it came to be as an NGO. This was a great way to begin, as it gave us such a comprehensive understanding of the way LTO works with the local community towards their goal of having Jangamo established as a Locally Managed Marine Area. We also got our first onland walk through of the transects we would be completing to monitor coral reef health within this bay. On top of this, LTOs scientific staff provided us with training on how to use CoralNet software, and it felt like we were already gaining key data handling skills. This would be used to log all transect data for their long term databases. We also engaged in a Science and Social Media lecture that really highlighted the impact of using social media wisely as a tool for awareness and education.
Tuesday – Diving Deeper
On Tuesday we delved further into our biological knowledge by engaging in a lecture about nudibranchs that we would see on this coastline. This was followed by an intensive day of fisheries lectures which set us up for the identification and logging that we’d be doing the next day down at Guinjata fishing hut. It was really great to see the different methods of catches that local fishermen use and the kinds of specimens that each bring in – we also got to do an ID quiz to test our skills before we were sent off the next day!
Following this was a discussion of whale sharks and manta rays, both species that we may see whilst on our expedition.
Wednesday – Fisheries Training
On Wednesday we went out to fisheries early at 5:30am, catching the morning sunrise as it came over the ocean in the distance. Fisheries is a game of patience as we waited for the next fishermen to arrive, where we recorded their method of catch as well as the quantity and species of fish. This is a time sensitive activity, as it’s vital we don’t delay the fishermen by taking a long time with their catch. But in our downtime, we filled it with rockpooling, solving riddles and chatting to people that walked by! All catches are photographed and logged in the afternoon, which was a trying but helpful experience to have (luckily we managed to get into the swing of things and there wasn’t too much to log).
Every night we’ve come back to delicious local dishes cooked by the chef, Eugenio, including matapa, couve and piles of white fluffy rice. It’s always an early night after dinner as people rise early in the morning and we’re working throughout the day.
Thursday – First Dives
On Thursday morning, we were all excited but slightly nervous for our first dive as some of us hadn’t dived in over a year! After getting kitted out we headed over to do our first boat launch. Luckily it was quite a small swell so was nice and easy! We all loved our check dive and our first experience of the underwater life here even if it took a bit of practise to get back on top of our buoyancy. After a short break between dives we headed to a different dive set to complete a coral transect. Placing the quadrat against the surge was difficult but it was really fun to learn scientific skills underwater.
Friday
Friday was another round of lectures for us! We discussed privilege and the Mozambique culture in the area, as well as catching up on our biology with a whale lecture, and finished off early, leaving us with free time to explore the area and relax.
Saturday
Saturday morning we woke up later and walked to the dive centre for a deep dive at Manta reef! Once we had sorted our equipment, Ella got a briefing on her skills as she is starting her advanced course. We then got a group briefing on the dive site and the many animals we would get an opportunity to see. Obviously there was no promise of Mantas but the thought of being around the cleaning stations and having a chance at diving with them was amazing. We then launched the boat and started the 10km journey to the site. On the way we saw many whales breaching and tail slapping and it was incredible to see from the boat! The dive itself was beautiful! We managed to see many different types of eel even a large honeycomb eel. After Ella finished her skills we managed to see a leaf fish before we went through an underwater mini canyon. After this we ended the dive and at the safety stop some managed to see mobula rays swimming by! We returned to the boat and made the journey back to the bay. On our way back we were greeted by a turtle and shortly after a pod of bottlenose dolphins. It was an amazing ending to a great fun dive.
When we returned, it was a quick changeover to helping in the community swimming lessons ran at LTO, teaching kids survival skills so they can be safer if they become involved in the marine sector. We finished off Saturday with an evening watching documentaries about LTO’s Field Assistant Bento and the Community Outreach Manager Pascoal. These showed their journeys from being unable to swim to swimming instructors and divers, working here at LTO. Bento joined LTO through one of LTO’s school internships – the Ocean Conservation Champion Program – set up as part of the community outreach projects. The filmography was incredible and it was a perfect end to the day, especially after our time in the pool earlier.
Sunday
For Sunday we chose what activity we wanted to do in our free time. There was a collective agreement on surfing, and so we headed to Tofo in the morning to have our lessons. The surf shop was amazing and had so many cute tops, rashies and hoodies on sale as well as some awesome board designs. The guys there gave us such a great lesson and there was a lot of improvement (with all four of us able to stand by the end). The photographer on the shore managed to grab some really good quality shots so we’ll always be able to look back on this experience. After our surfing experience we had loads of time to look round Tofo itself, and got some amazing food (empanadas and burgers) alongside various cold drinks. There was a stall selling sugar cane juice with lemon and ginger and it was so refreshing after such a hot day. Before heading back we stopped at the Sunset Lodge for dinner and games, and watched the sun go down over the horizon in the distance. The whole ride back we stargazed under the clear sky, and went straight to bed, ready to do it all over again.
