Six Months Below the Surface: My Time with Reefscapers
by Emily Holland
Hey everyone! My name is Emily and for the last six months I have filled the role of the Marine Biologist intern at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort and Spa. Growing up on the coast of southern California, I was surrounded by incredibly diverse ecosystems and would spend much of childhood rock pooling and searching for wonderful creatures. My grandma worked at an oceanarium in Maine and would regularly take me to visit aquariums and sea-life centres. I loved being able to observe marine life up-close and this sparked a need to learn more about the brilliant creatures in our oceans.
This need for knowledge led me to pursue a degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography so that I could learn about every aspect of the ocean. Upon starting my degree, I was immediately struck with a deep interest in Cnidarians. Over the course of my studies, I learned that the ocean is a delicate balance that can easily be disrupted by human interference. With several of my modules diving deep into coral reef biology and ecology, I learned how maintaining this balance can be detrimental to the survival of coral reefs. These reef ecosystems are home to 25% of all marine life on the planet and rely heavily on corals to preserve their biodiversity and health. When I learned how the effects of climate change were affecting the reefs and causing mass bleaching events, I knew I wanted to do something to help make a difference and conserve these unique animals.
I started my Reefscapers internship at Sheraton Maldives with a bang! Upon arrival, we dived straight into the coral spawning season for the first two months. This allowed us to perform night dives to observe the spawning of multiple coral species, which was absolutely captivating and a crazy experience to say the least. My mind was blown. By day, we would split our time between freediving and scuba diving across our coral garden sites. Here, I learned how to fragment and transplant coral onto our frames, perform frame maintenance and improve my underwater photography skills. Over the course of the internship, I saw my confidence grow and my skills improve as I settled into our home on the reef.
One of my favourite parts of working directly within our coral garden was to see how the coral created such a vibrant and bustling centre of life for so many incredible creatures. The crabs hiding between the coral branches, the curious rainbow wrasse that would always stop by and say hello; the shy pufferfish hiding beneath the frames and the persistent trevally looking for a snack. The reef really started to feel like home. Seeing the same fish every day, there were times I felt I really got know their personalities, swimming around me as I worked.
The Adopt-a-Coral programme was brilliant. Over the course of the six months we were able to plant 62 coral frames! It was so exciting to watch the project and our coral ‘garden’ grow with every frame. Over time, we would see juvenile fish, crabs and even nudibranchs moving in to the new frames on our ‘Heyo Reef’. This was incredibly encouraging, as you could actually see the objective of the project begin to take effect.
As part of my internship project, I created a series on Reefscapers’ Instagram entitled ‘Underwater Office’ that focussed on the work we do as marine biologists here at Reefscapers. It was so fun to be able to share our daily activities with the followers. I loved getting creative and teaching people all about the ocean in a different way.
Within all the work we did here at the Sheraton, there were many opportunities for guest interactions. Be that during our marine talks, our Eco-Sort activity, Junior Marine Biologist, Adopt a Coral, Dolphin Cruise or Snorkel Safari. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the internship as it was always so special to be able to see people’s faces light up as they learned something new. I felt so hopeful for the future of our oceans when I could see the passion grow in young children. It was amazing to see their confidence grow the more they learned and to hear them say “I want to be marine biologists when I grow up”; especially when they had been initially nervous about the sea. I formed connections with some truly wonderful people, with a genuine love for the ocean. I was always sad to see them go.
And on that note, it’s time for me to go. It has been such an adventure, that has taught me a lot. I am so incredibly grateful for the experiences I shared with my fantastic team here. Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone to be the best that I could be.
Thanks for everything!
Emily Holland 😊
