Marine Savers at Four Seasons – 2021
April’s Activities
Come and see the jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) on display at our Marine Discovery Centre, and stop by to meet Luna, the newest patient admitted to our turtle rescue centre. Learn about the latest NOAA coral bleaching reports as we enter the seasonally warmest time of year; read our coral propagation updates on ‘massive’ corals, and catch-up with our Instagram photo feeds.
Welcome to our Fish Lab
This month, we invite you to an exclusive behind-the-scenes photo tour of our Fish Lab!🐟 See the many weird and wonderful marine creatures inhabiting our aquariums and breeding tanks, and meet our marine biologists hard at work 365 days per year. Then enjoy the latest photo, video and news roundups from our teams of Coral and Turtle experts.
Jenn’s Maldives Marine Diary
Hi! My name is Jenn, and I am the new Reefscapers Marine Biologist at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa. I was incredibly lucky to land this job in the midst of the global pandemic, and I am very excited to share my Marine Savers journey with you! My job role, experiences, thoughts and feelings … a rollercoaster ride, long before I set foot on this tropical island paradise!
Meet Maanee, Marine Biologist
Born and bred in the Maldives, Maanee grew up with the ocean in her backyard! From an early age, the natural beauty of marine life captivated her, and she decided to follow her passion by studying the conservation of marine environments. After graduating 🎓 in Tropical Environmental Biology, Maanee interned with us for 3 months, and is now a valued full-time member of our team at Kuda Huraa.
Updates From Our Marine Centres
Watch our latest Zoom video call to learn about all of our marine projects! Then join a live Q&A with some of the team, and enjoy the virtual tour of our Marine Discovery Centre at Landaa Giraavaru. On Valentine’s Day, we transplanted two special heart-shaped frames with Pocillopora corals … made with love by Kuda Huraa’s Dive Team.
Turtle Ocean Enclosure
This month, we have been upgrading our large ocean enclosure in the lagoon at Landaa. It enables our rescue turtles to improve their swimming and diving skills in a safe environment, before releasing them back into the ocean. We also have news of our on-going “Flying Turtles” program, and you can read about the latest analysis techniques in our coral identification AI project.
Marine Savers at Four Seasons – 2020
December’s Dolphins – Join our resident marine biologists on a dolphin-spotting excursion, taking photographs to help identify unique individuals. Venture down to our Fish Lab to catch up with the Jellyfish and see our new Clownfish display tanks, and after meeting our Hawksbill turtle hatchlings, go beachside to wave goodbye to a very special ❝ Sunset ❞ …
November News – All the latest updates from our marine biology teams at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, as we ramp up for the start of the tourist high season here in the Maldives. We have some interesting photographs fresh from our Fish Lab, where we grow algae, Artemia and Rotifers to feed our aquarium residents, and there’s an update on our sea turtle behavioural study using ‘enrichment devices’.
Turtle Toys! – Join Dafne, our resident turtle veterinarian, as she introduces our turtle patients to ‘enrichment devices’ to stimulate curiosity and encourage interactive behaviours. Catch up with our Reefscapers coral propagation experts, as they don scuba gear to construct a customised reef. And then enjoy a varied video selection of marine megafauna, including turtles, mantas and whale sharks.
September Surprises – Reefscapers coral frames contribute to the amazing biodiversity of the natural reef, and provide an important habitat for many species of reef fish. Come and join our coral biologists as they tend and replenish some of our deeper coral gardens. And then visit our Marine Discovery Centre at Kuda Huraa, to meet 2 new surprise specimens in our aquarium!
August’s Coral Propagation – Join our Reefscapers coral propagation experts as they work above and below the waves, transplanting coral fragments to regenerate the reef. Take a visit down to the Fish Lab to see our Clownfish eggs and baby jellyfish, and then come and meet our rescue turtles, successfully nursed back to full health and returned to the big blue.
July’s Turtle Treatments – Monthly reports and photos from our resident marine biologists at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru. Down in the fish lab, see how our baby jellyfish are developing in their specialised rearing tanks. Meet our turtle experts treating several sea-turtle patients, and join us on the beach for the big day … releasing them back into the ocean!
June’s Juvenile Clownfish – Join our turtle experts as they treat our in-house patients, and follow Shakti’s journey on our turtle-tracking satellite map! Take a trip to our Fish Lab, where we breed 3 different species of Clownfish, and raise the juveniles to adulthood (along with our Moon Jellyfish). Then, enjoy a birds-eye view of Reefscapers’ creative work, plus there’s an exciting overnight discovery on the beach …
May’s Marine Methodologies – All the latest news and updates from our marine biology teams at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru during May. The seasonally elevated ocean temperatures are adding extra challenges down in our Fish Lab, and we are continuing to monitor for coral bleaching out on the reef. Meet our rescued turtle patients, as we nurse them back to health and try to overcome their buoyancy syndrome.
Four Seasons’ Armando Talks Sustainability – Join Armando Kraenzlin (Regional VP of Four Seasons Resorts Maldives) for a hard-hitting Q&A session with acclaimed travel writer and sustainability expert Juliet Kinsman. As COVID-19 has emphasised a need for more transparency in the travel & tourism industries, Armando & Juliet discuss everything from greenwashing and single-use plastics, to advanced sustainability in the Maldives.
April’s Activities – We’re producing Artemia and Rotifers to feed our Clownfish, and there’s some surprise new arrivals … furry coral crabs! Our sea stars have almost regenerated their missing arms, and there’s a video collection of our sea turtle patients. Discover the latest NOAA coral bleaching predictions, and read about the major project milestone for our reef-monitoring AI catamaran …
Turtles: Inside & Out – It’s business as usual in our Fish Lab during March, as we make improvements to the Clownfish breeding tanks, and study developing eggs under the microscope. There’s a fascinating X-ray view of our rescue turtle patients, and you can enjoy behind-the-scenes experiences with our Reefscapers teams as they start working on 2 unique coral rescue projects …
10 Years of Turtle Rescue! – We have reached a very special milestone at Marine Savers: our 10-year turtle anniversary! Ever since rescuing ‘Oceane’ back in March 2010, we have been caring for sick and injured sea turtles found in Maldivian waters. Over the last 10 years, our Centres have admitted 272 sea turtle patients, and our increased expertise is making a modest but important difference to the regional turtle populations.
February’s Fishy Tales – Meet the new residents of our large marine aquarium, and see how the sea star regenerations are progressing. Join the students from Kamadhoo school, as they gain hands-on experience with our Reefscapers coral regeneration project. And watch the latest videos from our turtle rescue & rehabilitation centres, before waving a fond farewell to favourite friends.
Ellie’s Life at Landaa – Hi! I’m Ellie, the marine biology intern at Landaa Giraavaru. Having recently graduated in Zoology, I am taking a year out to gain work experience … and what an incredible experience it has been so far! It’s challenging to learn all the relevant fish & coral biology so quickly … but the Marine Savers team is amazing, and it’s a tropical paradise here!
Updates From Our Marine Discovery Centres – Go behind the scenes as we deep-clean the Fish Lab, and see how bacterial contamination can be the main enemy of healthy fish larvae. Read how oil spills can affect marine life, although thankfully Tara the juvenile Olive Ridley turtle was rescued just in time. And meet our resident heron (pictured), who has a very unlikely fishing partner … !
Maanee’s Marine Biology Blog – It’s Maanee’s final month with us, and she’s been a huge help with our turtle rescue patients. Learn about the different personalities that each turtle displays, and read how we nurse them back to health before release back into the ocean. Plus there’s the story of Tara, the juvenile Olive Ridley turtle found covered in oil, who receives a special spa treatment … a mayonnaise massage!
Roundup from Landaa and Kuda Huraa – Read the latest news on marine education & awareness, and look back over the coral propagation program with our Reefscapers experts. Venture into the Fish Lab for a guided tour of our jellyfish aquarium, and see our Clownfish breeding updates. There’s good (and sad) news of turtles entangled in ghost netting, and discover the latest tech developments in our unique AI reef-monitoring catamaran.
Maanee’s Marine Life – Kihineh, and greetings from the jewelled-necklace of the Indian Ocean! My name is Maanee, and I’m one of the fresh faces interning with Marine Savers at Kuda Huraa. Not a day in my experience has been anything short of sensational, as every aspiring marine biologist must consider the opportunity to live and work here as a dream and privilege. But let me be the first to tell you that caring for sick & injured turtles is a full-time job … !
Marine Savers at Four Seasons – 2019
Marine Life from Lab to Ocean! – We refurbish our large marine aquarium, and take a microscopic look at the fish eggs from our breeding pairs of Maldivian Anemonefish. Catch up with REEFSCAPERS coral biologists, and learn about the ‘sea turtle stranding season’ in the Maldives.
Reefscapers Dynamic Duo! – Meet Martyna and Sorin, 2 dedicated interns working on our coral restoration program at Kuda Huraa. Join the dynamic duo as they start maintaining 2,000+ coral frames, collecting & transplanting coral fragments for 7 solid hours in the water each day! 💙
Updates From Our Marine Biology Teams (Sept 2019) – See the Maldivian anemonefish eggs, and watch the Linckia sea star regenerating itself from a single arm. Meet our apprentices and volunteers, helping out with our Reefscapers coral propagation projects.
Turtle Tracks, Jolly Jellies & Fishy Tales – Local school children learn about marine conservation, and come face to face with the Aurelia jellyfish in our Kreisel tank. Join us at the Baa Atoll Turtle Festival, and then follow Peggy’s oceanic journey on our interactive satellite map.
Meet Olivia, an English post-graduate student of Tropical Marine Biology. She joined us at Landaa to research our Reefscapers coral propagation programme as part of her Master’s degree.
Marine Savers May Musings – Read about the Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) in our dedicated Kreisel tank. Our ‘Flying Turtles’ project has taken an interesting turn, and learn how you can contribute towards Maldivian turtle conservation by sending in your turtle photographs for ID.
Learn about Lotte’s new life at Landaa – helping with our Clownfish and jellies in the Fish Lab. There’s time to propagate some corals with our Reefscaping team, before caring for the injured turtle patients at our rescue centre and kick-starting the ‘Flying Turtles’ programme.
Updates From Landaa & Kuda Huraa (April 2019) – Take a front row seat at the Microplastics Workshop to learn about the adverse effects of plastic pollution on whale sharks in the Maldives. And then meet the thriving jellies in our new Kreisel jellyfish tank … the perfect home.
Chathu’s Story – Chathu spent ten weeks as a marine biology intern at Landaa Giraavaru, learning about the different marine biology programmes, including Turtle care, the Fish Lab and Coral propagation.
Monthly Marine Roundup (March 2019) – Fly over Kuda Huraa’s lagoon for a great aerial view of our REEFSCAPERS coral frames! Meet the juvenile flying fish down in our Fish Lab, and discover why March has been a record month for strandings of sea turtles around the Maldives.
Louise’s Life at Landaa – I am currently working on my Master’s thesis with the Reefscapers team. For my project, I will be assessing the growth rate of the coral frames that are located around the island as part of the reef restoration programme.
Meet Marine Intern Julia – There are large numbers of adult Olive Ridley turtles drifting to the Maldives, trapped in discarded (ghost) fishing gear, often wounded and dehydrated. We are busy turtle feeding and monitoring, and discussing our conservation efforts with resort guests.
Sea Turtles And Plastic – The effects of the 8 million tonnes of synthetic waste entering the oceans each year is a huge and growing concern. Plastic debris is being discovered across the entire marine ecosystem, from plankton and corals, to crabs, seabirds, turtles and whales.
