Blogs from Mahé, Seychelles, Africa - page 13

One of the remarkable things about the Seychelles is the diversity and uniqueness of the flora and fauna. There are a huge number of plant and animal species that are found only in these islands. It is in this way a lot like the Galapagos Islands, those remote islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru which were the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. It could easily have been the Seychelles that served as the catalyst for Darwin’s theories. On these 100 plus islands are found flightless birds, bug eating plants, the mythical Coco de Mer palm tree and giant Aldabra land tortoises which can weigh up to 150 kg and live for up to 200 years. Before the arrival of humans, the Seychelles was an archipelago dominated by reptiles, birds ... read more

Yes that’s me in the picture with Vice-President Belmont of the Seychelles. We were two of the guests at the inauguration of the new high speed boat, the Cat Cocos II, which will run twice daily between Mahe and Praslin Islands. As part of the festivities, a selection of Seychellois high society was taken for a sunset cruise this evening around the north end of the island. How, you might ask, have I managed so quickly to infiltrate myself into the upper strata of Seychellois society a mere five days since my arrival? The answer is my not so secret weapon: the Rev. Christine Benoit, my supervisor for the internship, who was called upon to stand in for the Bishop and bless the Cat Cocos II before its launch. I, the Canadian seminarian, as I ... read more

Hey everyone, Hope all is well back in the states, sorry i havn't written in a while, but i have been quite busy with this intern position. I have been leading about 8 dives a week with the new volunteers teaching them their fish and coral and they are nearly ready to be surveying. Last week on Anzac day, after a coral spot dive, we got to swim with and 8 foot manta ray that wandered into the bay, which is the highlight of this phase so far. Lately we have been busy fixing our other boat, Dexter Crabtree, which we just recently sent over to Curieuse island (where our other satellite camp is located) so we can begin diving and surveying over there. Just last wednesday Cap Ternay (my current home) was bought by ... read more

Hey everyone, Hope everyone is well and enjoying the spring weather. its hot as hell here, but i'm loving it. i havn't been in to town lately because i despise civilization and it is becoming a chore, but hearing from all of you makes it worth while. Silhoutte was just as beautiful as the first time. we saw 3 groups of turtle hatchlings which ranks pretty high on the most amazing things i've ever seen list. also the weather was beautiful and i got to climb every day. we are now in the interphase part where all the expedition members are gone ( i have been initiated as staff now ) and it is soooo relaxing. yesterday we took the boat out to Therese island for a barbeque, frisbee, and laying on the beach. and ... read more

Hey everybody, just rolled into victoria for the last time in a while. i am leaving this saturday to spend a week on sillhoutte island doing turtle hatchling surveys and hangin out with the native giant tortoises hector, carl, and the rest. the previous groups have seen lots of nesting turtles so it is likely that we will see plenty of hatchlings. yesterday marked the end of the first five weeks and we had our five week bbq. Plenty of fried yard bird and hot dogs (the first meat we've had on base) rum punch, complete with pineapple that i gathered from the hills, and Seybrew. The end of the first five weeks also means that four members of our group havce left us and 12 more arrive tommorow so things are about to get crazy. ... read more