14/06/12 Tough Day At the Office

The seasons are changing here. The sea is getting colder, only 27 degrees C (a dream right?), and the plankton have arrived, sometimes stinging you as you float in the water after a dive, making visibility decrease.

But everything else on base is pretty constant. Surveys continue, and last week we ventured out to L'ilot, a cluster go giant granite rocks off the point past Beau Vallon. The tiny island takes an hour to get to, gliding on Manta across the waves. Eight of us descended to conduct a survey, swaying in the surge. The reef there is so different, a splash of soft coral and common coral.

And on the way home, you couldn't help smile, that very afternoon we went to the President's Village orphanage and snorkelled with the kids. And by snorkelled I mean we splashed around with them, playing games and jumping off rocks. A reminder that we're here not only for the coral but for the kids.

14/06/12 Tough Day At the Office