Northern KZN Camp for Turtle Monitoring

Turtle monitoring is not always the ideal volunteer job in paradise as most marine volunteers may think. Turtle monitoring is an exhausting task which requires many hours of dedicated work by our marine volunteers, mostly in an isolated area or remote coastal location. Monitoring turtle nest sites is mainly a night time activity when turtles are most active, which means marine volunteers have to be prepared to make do with a lot less sleep! Counting hatchlings, collecting biometric data and marking nest sites can however be an extremely rewarding experience, especially considering the conservation benefit to both loggerhead and leatherback turtles which are both found in the area.  Marine volunteers stay inside the coastal reserve near the southern border of Mozambique.  Days are spent around camp entering data onto computers, doing camp chores or just enjoying the tropical summer weather and the surrounding African bush veld.  A huge bonus is that the marine volunteer camp is ideally located right on the beach!  Volunteers can swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean right at their door step and enjoy the cool evening breeze in the late afternoon…

Diving Sodwana Bay – South Africa’s Underwater Paradise

 

While every diver in South Africa knows Sodwana Bay, it is still a relatively well kept secret on the international diving scene, compared to destinations like the Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef and Indonesia. Despite this, the various reefs in this tiny coastal town in KwaZulu-Natal, less than 200km from the border with Mozambique, is comparable with many of the world’s most vaunted destinations.

Having personally conducted surveys of divers in the area earlier this year, I found that the large majority of divers – both local and foreign – voted Sodwana as one of their top 3 favourite dive destinations. So what makes the reefs here so special?

As one of the most southerly coral reef systems on the planet, Sodwana lies right at the edge of the range of many tropical reef species, while this part of the western Indian Ocean is relatively isolated from other tropical reefs. Situated in the heart of the isiMangaliso Wetlands Park in a Marine Protected Area, the diversity on these reefs is virtually unparalleled; diving in Bali for six months I saw many fish on the reefs, but I would also see the same species all the time – the Angelfish, Butterflyfish, Parrotfish and other common reef dwellers like Coachmen, Moorish Idols and Damselfish making up the vast majority of sightings.

The sheer diversity of species on the reefs in Sodwana Bay never ceases to amaze and virtually every dive throws up another species that slipped under the radar on previous dives. The unique reefs, which unusually consist of about 80% soft corals, will amaze even the most experienced and well-travelled diver. Not only this, but the number of different dive sites here mean that you will never get tired of diving the reefs – each dive provides a novel experience and Two Mile Reef alone is home to 15-plus individual sites.

‘Caves and Overhangs’ boasts stunning topography, with beautiful swim throughs and caves where shy species like the Shortspined Porcupinefish hide out during the day, while ‘Stringer’, just south of Two Mile, is a paradise for Stingrays and Honeycomb Moray Eels, hunting amongst the crevices in tandem with Potato Bass and other large predators.

‘Anton’s’, at the southern tip of Two Mile, bursts with activity and I have been lucky enough to see the exquisite, prehistoric Bowmouth Guitarfish – related closely to both rays and sharks – on this reef, as well as the uncommon and alien-looking Unicorn Filefish.

For the more experienced diver, the further reefs in Sodwana offer the chance to come across a number of larger sharks including Bull, Tiger, Ragged-Tooth and Scalloped Hammerhead and even (if you’re lucky) the shy and elusive Leopard Shark.

Manta Rays, Barracudas and several species of turtle are regularly sighted on all of the reefs, while the macro life is equally as stunning. Sodwana rivals Indonesia as a Mecca for nudibranchs – colourful, intriguing and often miniscule sea slugs including the fabulous Spanish Dancer – while other hidden treasures include the peculiar Frogfish (a type of anglerfish that is an expert at camouflage), Paperfish and even seahorses.

Boat trips to Five, Seven and Nine Mile also offer a good chance of being able to slip into the water and snorkel with Whalesharks – the ocean’s gentle giants – or playful pods of dolphins, while between August and October Humpback Whales calve in the waters of the Bay, providing world-class whale watching.

With visibility ranging from 10 to 50m, divers can usually expect 25m-plus, crystal water in calm conditions, while rougher days offer the added experience of a thrilling ‘rubber duck’ surf launch in the trusty hands of an experienced skipper…  The unique reefs, which unusually consist of about 80% soft corals, will amaze even the most experienced and well-travelled diver; Sodwana Bay truly is a diver’s paradise.

Contact us now for more information on the the Coral Reef Conservation Project !