St. Regis Vommuli
This month, we created 4 new coral frames of various sizes, kindly sponsored by guests, the resort, and online. We also conducted 14 maintenance snorkels/dives and monitored a total of 18 existing frames – our twice-yearly monitoring involves cleaning and repairing frames, and uploading new photographs to our website for our kind sponsors 🙏
To check the progress of your frame, please visit our dedicated St Regis monitoring page where we upload new photos every 6 months or so.
🪸 Coral Reef Maintenance
During May of the 2024 global coral bleaching event, the Maldives entered the initial peak of thermal stress, causing up to 90% coral bleaching on our house reef. By contrast, during May of this year, the NOAA Coral Reef Watch alert level for the Maldives was reduced to “Watch” as the seasonally elevated sea surface temperatures started to decline. By the second week of the month, the beginning of seasonal rainstorms and stronger currents contributed to lower water temperatures, reducing thermal stress on our reefs.
The shading structures that we installed in April were removed from the restoration site. Monitoring had shown that the previously shaded coral frames exhibited better resistance to bleaching than the unshaded frames. Although no widespread bleaching or temperature-related coral mortality was recorded, a localised outbreak of Drupella snails was observed on several of the oldest coral restoration frames. We first started seeing this increase of Drupella in the previous month, and during May the significant predation resulted in some mortality. Management efforts in the coming month will focus on the removal of dead coral colonies and manual extraction of snails from affected frames to help control the outbreak and reduce further impacts on our restoration site.
Marine Education & Awareness
🤿 Marine Biology Excursions – Two Turtle Quest excursions were conducted this month, with a total of 12 guests participating. Additionally, megafauna sightings were recorded during routine maintenance visits across various sites around the island. We started seeing an increase in octopus sightings at the Adopt-a-Coral site. The most common sightings were blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays.
📱 Socials – A new reel was published this month to open the call for the marine biology internship. We hope to welcome our new intern next month!
Sheraton Full Moon
This month, we built 13 new coral frames (adding ~530 coral fragments to the reef), kindly sponsored by guests and the resort, and we ended the month by planting frame number SH931. We monitored (cleaned, repaired, photographed) a total of 94 existing coral frames across all our sites, uploading the photos to our website for our kind sponsors. We actively replace any dead corals, adding a further total of ~1000 new fragments to our existing frames, and continue to spot and remove any corallivorous species.
To see the progress of your own frame, please visit our dedicated Sheraton monitoring page where we upload new photos every 6 months or so.
Reef Maintenance
Blue Hole & Water Villas – Water temperatures remained elevated throughout much of the month but have begun to decrease in recent weeks. The shallow reef sites continue to show signs of heat stress, although conditions are improving as temperatures cool. Repopulation efforts at these sites have remained limited to avoid placing additional stress on recovering coral colonies, and the sites will continue to be closely monitored.
Dive Centre – With the coral spawning season now complete, additional time was available to carry out maintenance work at the dive centre. We continued to clear dead coral off the pyramids and removed the remaining coral from the rope nursery and placed it at the same depth on the base of one of the pyramids. This month, we also began trialling a new shallow coral planting area adjacent to the dive centre at a depth of 2m. Using dead coral colonies, we have started constructing a rubble reef structure and have planted several frames with resilient coral species. This site will be closely monitored over the coming months to assess coral survival and growth in this shallow environment.
Coral Predation – A total of thirty Drupella snails was removed from the coral sites this month, located at the Dive Centre and Blue Hole. Most of these were from a singular colony of A. muricata.
Coral Reproduction Research
– May Full Moon (1 May) – we carried out night dives for 3 nights over the full moon period, and recorded spawning in 2 species of Acropora.
– May New Moon (16 May) – our night diving sessions continued for 8 nights over this period, and recorded spawning in 3 species of Acropora.
With the coral spawning season now concluded, we can reflect on what has been an exceptionally successful and rewarding period. This season saw widespread spawning across several coral species, including many colonies that were transplanted following the 2024 bleaching event. Observing these restored corals not only survive but reach reproductive maturity and contribute to the reef’s natural recovery has been a significant milestone for the project. The season highlighted the resilience of our coral gardens and demonstrated the long-term value of restoration efforts. It was particularly encouraging to witness one of the largest spawning events recorded since the bleaching event, providing hope for the continued recovery and replenishment of surrounding reef ecosystems.
Coral Bleaching Surveys
Bleaching surveys were started at the end of March, due to an observed seasonal increase in water temperatures which is affecting the Maldives as a whole. Although bleaching remains widespread across the monitored colonies, the increase in healthy colonies from 18% to 23% and the reduction in moderately to severely bleached colonies between 15 May and 3 June suggests that some corals may be beginning to recover. There is hope for the water to cool down so we should see some corals showing less signs of stress.
Dive Centre – 320 coral colonies were surveyed, on the small frame structures 4.5m depth located to the right of the coral pyramids. Following an initial rapid decline, coral health began to stabilise, with healthy colonies bouncing back slightly to 50%. Meanwhile, signs of partial bleaching decreased marginally to 45% while fully bleached colonies held steady at 6%.
Water Villas – 320 coral colonies were surveyed throughout the month. Following an initial rapid decline, coral bleaching severity stabilised between May and June. Healthy corals levelled out at around 50% while fully bleached colonies remained steady at 6%.
Gili’s Reef
This month, we welcomed Fiona and Scott Gili, generous sponsors of Gili’s Reef created in memory of their son, Edward. Established in 2022 and consisting of 38 coral frames, the reef stands as a beautiful tribute. During their stay at Sheraton from 25–31 May, they experienced warm hospitality across all departments. The Reefscapers team guided them on five snorkel trips, including four visits to Gili’s Reef and one to the Water Villas site. Marine life was abundant, with highlights including four hawksbill turtles and an anemonefish guarding its eggs! It was a privilege for us to play our part in hosting Fiona and Scott on their first visit to the island, and we look forward to welcoming them back again in the future.
Marine Life
🎙️ Marine Talks – An impressive total of 43 guests enjoyed marine talks this month over twelve sessions, averaging 40 minutes.
🐬 Dolphin Cruises – Six dolphin cruises were attended, with Spinner dolphins making up the majority of the species that we spotted. Several potential cruises were cancelled due to an overly choppy sea (which makes cetaceans difficult to spot in the waves).
🤿 Snorkelling Excursions – Eight snorkel safaris were joined this month, visiting 3 different local sites. Overall, monthly megafauna sightings included blacktip reef sharks, hawksbill turtles, and pink whiptail rays, along with spotted eagle rays, marble rays, and nurse sharks. An increased number of turtle sightings were recorded, as they were likely seeking shelter in calmer waters around the island during several stormy days this month.
Marine Education & Awareness Activities
♻️ EcoSort Challenge – 3 EcoSort challenges were carried out this month, enjoyed by 11 guests and lasting on average 40 minutes.
👨👩👧👦 Junior Marine Biologist – After our official launch last month, we welcomed three new ‘Junior Marine Biologists’ across three activities. We have created a new PowerPoint presentation for attendees aged 8-9 to grab their attention in a productive way. We look forward to seeing how this works going forward.
📱 Instagram – during May, our whole Reefscapers team uploaded 4 posts, 9 reels, 40 stories. Our best performer was a collaboration with Irish Country Magazine made about Katelyn and her work here at Sheraton, clocking up an impressive 25k views.
World Turtle Day
World Turtle Day was celebrated on 23 May and guests were invited to participate in a turtle shell painting activity, decorating turtle shell templates. A special marine talk focusing on the sea turtle species found in the Maldives, their ecology, and the conservation challenges they face was conducted. The activity provided an enjoyable way for guests of all ages to engage with marine conservation while learning more about the importance, and how to protect sea turtles and their habitats.
