NORTH ISLAND DIVE RESORT -SEYCHELLES

North Island Dive Report - May 2010

Weather and Beaches
The beginning of March has been characterised by unusually large swells - so much so that we almost decided to cancel activities for a day due to a dangerous shore break at Petit Anse, which would have rendered zodiac transfers unsafe. Fortunately this was shortlived and the sea soon calmed down again. From the 13th of March onwards the sea conditions were fantastic and more like what we have come expect from this season. The visibility has also been great and has exceeded 35 metres on some days - making diving the order of the day, and rightly so.
The rough seas during the beginning of the month also assisted in shortening the beach in front of the dive centre somewhat. West Beach was hit very hard by the big swell and has all but disappeared from the front of the West Beach bar. The famous dead takamaka tree by the West Beach picnic spot has fallen over and has had to be removed. Honeymoon Beach has remained beautiful throughout the month.

Marine Life and Conservation
The highlight of the month has undoubtedly been the sighting of six manta rays off Cathedral, a dive site situated below the steep cliffs of the south of Silhouette Island. The family were spotted calmly swimming just off the deeper ledges of this reef, but quickly disappeared. Manta rays are particularly rare in Seychelles waters and especially around North Island. Unfortunately, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists manta rays (Manta birostris) as 'near threatened'. It's known that several populations around the world are severely depleted, some possibly already extinct, but not enough scientific research has been carried out to properly assess the species as a whole. Almost nothing is known about their population ecology, use of critical habitat, movements or reproduction, all of which are vital in order to accurately assess the state of the species - the lack of protection in most areas is directly related to the limited research that has been conducted on these amazing creatures.
As previously mentioned, a second (and now possibly even third) species of manta ray has been recently discovered within the world's oceans - this research has been conducted by marine biologist, Andrea Marshall, mostly off the waters of southern Mozambique. This is the most significant news to date to come out of ray research, and its importance is the marine equivalent of discovering an unknown species of elephant!
Manta rays, which are totally harmless and do not possess a stinging barb, are the largest of over 500 different species of rays and skates. We hope our sighting of this clan of six is not an isolated incident, and that we catch sight of this family again in our waters. If possible we'd like to identify which species they are.
The most unusual discovery this month, however, has been of a flying fish which was found at the back of the dive centre. I suppose it may be possible that it was picked up by a small water spout and dropped at the back of the centre, or it may also be possible that it was chased by a predator out of the water onto the beach, through the dive centre and out the back - either option seems equally unbelievable, but there it was. Very strange indeed - although, as they say, stranger things have happened...

Our dive centre turtle nest, which was laid during January and soon thereafter 'adopted' by the dive centre team, had to be relocated as it was situated too close to the lights of the dive centre and restaurant and the hatchlings were in danger of being attracted to the lights instead of the sea during their hatchling scramble to their new ocean home. We decided to relocate the nest further down the beach, between Villas #2 and #3 so that the eggs could hatch without concern for any surrounding lights.
Strangely, the eggs did not synchronise their hatching (as is normally the case) and numerous visits were required by the enviro team in order to continually release what hatchlings had hatched. A very strange hatching, but nonetheless most of the hatchlings managed to hatch naturally, with only a dozen or so requiring incubation in the enviro office before being released at a later date.

In respect to the current Protected Areas Project, North Island hosted various members of the project on a day trip to the island, including individuals from GEF, GIF and UNDP. This orientation also included a dive on Sprat City with the intention of showing Michelle Etienne and a colleague (from GEF) the types of reef structures North Island has to offer. Both were equally impressed with the condition of the reef as well as the fish life and fish species diversity found on this one small section of reef. Further clarification was also received that this site is in fact quite special and rightly deserves any form of protection that can be provided. Several species of coral that dominate this reef were also discussed in more detail, including their importance within the marine ecosystem and especially to North Island in the event that we are able to demarcate certain areas as protected.

In relation to the current Coral Bleaching Alert as of February/March this year, we are keeping a close tab on our reefs in order to pre-empt any wide-scale bleaching that may occur. Currently, Sprat City and Twin Anchors have shown almost no change apart from what is normally expected during a traditional summer season (selected corals are expected to show mild signs of bleaching by the end of the summer season). Coral Gardens has, however, shown a distinct change and particularly with the horned corals (Pocillopora spp.) and the clustered finger corals (Acropora spp.). While it is still unknown if these corals have indeed died, we will continue to monitor the reefs and coral gardens in particular for any further signs of bleaching. Apparently several outer islands have already reported severe coral bleaching in some areas which is particularly worrying.