Endemic to the Maldives, they thrive in almost all reefs. They could very well be the most photographed fish around. Even so observing them is an obsessive thing.  The relationship among their family, the mutualism with its host anemone and many other aspects of their behaviour.

Known as Vandhumaafaru-adi to the local community, Hanifaru is a bay like lagoon located in Baa Atoll (a Northern Atoll in Maldives). During the south-west monsoon huge groups of Manta Rays congregate at this spot during times of plankton accumulation. Mantas could be found here in over a hundred at times and they are often joined by Whale Sharks. This is indeed a spectacular site to see. The south-west monsoon is from April to November.

Years ago locals used to visit here to catch Whale Sharks. But with the rise of diving tourism and the Whale Shark getting a protected status by law this has stopped. Divers have been visiting this site since the 90s and seeing the significance of this place started to voice out to protect the place. On the occasion of World Ocean Day and World Environment Day of 2009 the government stepped up and declared Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Angafaru and Alif Dhaalu Atoll Maamigili as Marine Protected Areas.

Adh. Maamigili is located in South Ari Ari Atoll. In fact it’s the southernmost tip of the atoll. The whole of the area is frequented by Whale Sharks. Local experts state that it is possible to see Whale Sharks in Ari Atoll 365 days a year. The only times they don’t see is when the sea gets too rough and it is difficult to ride around on a boat.

These sites being declared as Marine Protected Areas does offer a bit of a piece of mind but more needs to be done to ensure that it just not stay as a place that is protected on paper. The need to be monitored and research should be done in a responsible way. Divers and snorkelers should follow a code of conduct that ensures that ensures the normal behavior of Manta Rays and Whale Sharks is there.  Some dive operators are already following such guidelines.

Click here to read the news article about the protection of the sites.

To read about Bluepeaces efforts to protect Hanifaru click here.

Tehnical Divers doing their decompression stop in blue water

Technical diving is a kind of diving done that goes beyond the limits of main stream recreational diving. To move on to technical diving, divers need to have experience, extensive training, a greater degree of mental and physical fitness and it involved the use of specialized equipment.

Technical diving or tech diving for short, branches out to several varieties or categories. It includes Search and Recovery, Wreck Diving, Cave Diving, use of Rebreathers and so on. All types have their own prerequisites and training. And divers would need to complete prerequisite courses and log enough number of dives before progressing.

A couple of diving instructors coming from the Technical Diving International (TDI) agency are working to introduce technical diving into Maldives. The current diving regulation made by the Tourism Ministry doesn’t allow such diving so a set of technical diving guidelines need to be made before starting it. Maldives is famed as a diving destination ever since the birth of tourism but has been lagging behind rest of the dive destinations in the field of technical diving. But technical diving guidelines needs to implemented well here and the Tourism Ministry, who is in charge of monitoring the dive centres need to step up to do the job.

On the 9^th of November these 2 dive instructors who came with the backing of the larger and well established technical diving agencies, met with Tourism Ministry officials, local dive operators and members from the Divers Association of Maldives for an informative workshop on technical diving. More such forums will be held in the future. Current ongoing work for the process includes gathering information, gathering statistics and making a draft Technical Diving Guidelines.

Rest of the world has embarrassed technical diving. While there are some concerns it something which plays an important part in underwater exploration, conservation, research, increase of safety and dives, etc.  As one tech Instructor puts it “Technical diving doesn’t necessarily mean going deeper and staying longer but rather diving in such environments not reached by recreational divers and returning to the surface safely”.

What is your opinion on this?

All photos provided by Ben Reymenants

To get updates on Technical Diving in Maldives on faceboook click here.

350 surface balloons up

On October 24^th which is the international day of climate action of the 350 campaign, 350 divers from the Maldives dived for 24 hours. “we want ways to reduce climate change” was the message given in a multitude of ways.

DAM was joined by the Swimming Association of Maldives and Maldives Windsurf Association.

“SOS from the frontline: Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth. With less than one degree of global warming, the glaciers are melting, the ice sheets collapsing and low lying areas in danger of being swamped. We must unite in a global effort to halt further temperature rises, by slashing carbon dioxide emissions to safe level of 350 parts per million.

Endorsed by the Cabinet of Republic of Maldives on 17th of October 2009”

President of Maldives endorsing a stement from underwater

The cabinet meeting wasn’t a small feat. Behind it all, planning and carrying out every last detail was the Divers Association of Maldives (DAM). For the past 2 months DAM members have been planning this event as part of an action for the 350 campaign.  A team of local scuba diving professionals worked day and night to make this a success. On the parts of filming and broadcasting DAM was joined by veteran director Tedry Niyaz and members of Fahudh Studio.

Everything was well choreographed. Which cabinet member is diving with whom? When do they move? How to move? Waiting for the queue to start was an almost breath holding moment. And when the time came it went on like it was a well rehearsed play despite the cabinet members being fairly new to being underwater and the President and Vice President not being present in the previous day’s rehearsal. The President emerged from the blue and swam between 2 Flags of Maldives and took his seat. With the sound of a shaker the meeting began. And the rest was history!

All photos by Mohamed Seeneen (Sindi)

Fore more pictures check out the DAM flick page. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diversmv/sets/72157622633432865/

The science is clear but the politicians haven’t made up their mind yet. Not all of them. And most of them are not on the same level on ways to combat climate change. So to make them listen and to make them care a movement called 350 started some years back. The focus is on the number 350 which stands for 350ppm of carbon in the atmosphere. Currently the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere is 387ppm and it is continuing to rise. We need to bring it down to 350ppm which is the maximum we can have. Otherwise life as we know would cease to exist. Humanity will suffer and the earth would just die out.

On October 24th which is marked as international day of climate action, people from all around the world, all countries and territories would be having actions which promote the number 350. The idea is to have many demonstrations so as to grab the attention of the media and make the world leaders listen to the people.

In Maldives several activities are going to take place. And one of the key events on the international day of action is the 24 hour Underwater Rally organized by the Divers Association of Maldives (DAM). 350 divers, diving in teams are going to spend 24 hours underwater. The message DAM is giving is that Maldives is sinking and it’s more than just a country being lost to the sea. A unique heritage is gone. An irreplaceable ecosystem is being destroyed. The rally would be one of a kind.

Another event organized by Divers Association of Maldives is the first ever underwater cabinet meeting. The President of Maldives along with all the cabinet ministers are going to meet underwater while using scuba. Using hand signals and slates they are going to endorse and sign a message from the people of Maldives to the world leaders meeting at Copenhagen this December for the Conference of Parties (COP 15).

One might think what direct benefit would come out when the cabinet meets underwater and from the underwater rally. There is none! Almost all the actions of October 24th are symbolical. So are the events organized by the Divers Association of Maldives. It is so as to grab the attention of people and make them aware of the number 350. To get the world leaders to implement ways to reduce to amount of carbon to 350ppm and below. We are on the edge. With just a couple of steps forward Maldives along with a number of other vulnerable countries will be lost beneath the waves. We ask everybody not to sign our suicide pact.

To lean more about 350 visit www.350.org
To follow the 350 events of dam check out www.dam.org.mv
Visit the DAM facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Divers-Assoication-of-Maldives-DAM/119403063518?ref=ts Photos by Mohamed Seeneen (Sindi)

T

]]> http://saltwaterpeople.com/climatechange/350itismorethananumber/feed 0 http://saltwaterpeople.com/biodiversityandconservation/sharkfishingbanmaldives http://saltwaterpeople.com/biodiversityandconservation/sharkfishingbanmaldives#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:22:48 +0000 Zim http://saltwaterpeople.com/?p=167 On March 1st of this year, the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has banned shark fishing in all Atolls of Maldives. The range extends to 12 nautical miles from the edge of each atoll. This step was taken so as to protect the reef shark stock of the country which has now declined to a serious level.

The fisheries ministry is working to ban oceanic shark fisheries as well and to put a total ban on export of shark products by next year. We need to pressure to make this happen.

Shark fishing being done in broad day light at Ari Atoll

It has taken years to bring about this change and it would not have happened if not for the dedication of a lot of people in various sectors.

Right now the major concern is to enforce these regulations.

For more information check out

http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=6096

pictures taken at a local island

all species of sharks are fished

whale shark researchers and dive staff from a resort in Baa Atoll...

...hitches rides and harasses these animals. site: Baa Atoll Hanfiaru.

Maldives Whale Shark Research Program (MWSRP) has identified this individual as "Joey". This whale shark had been indentified first from a previous photo (taken with Tanya Streeter) with its fin intact.