Diva Maldives opens the first Marine Biology Centre
Born in Italy, Chiara brings her expertise to Diva after gaining international experience in Cape Verde, Vanuatu, as well as several other Maldivian islands. Her adventure in the Maldives started in 2001 when she became a PADI Dive Master. “The Maldives are every marine biologist’s dream due to their incredible biodiversity and I’m really excited that I had the opportunity to work in this interesting and challenging region. Diva Maldives in particular, due to its position in the South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area, offers the unique opportunity to observe and work on whale sharks. The team at Diva is very keen on developing awareness on the protection and conservation of this still little-known and charismatic animal” says Chiara. Chiara also holds the position of Community Liaison Secretary for SAMPA C.I.C., and as such she helps promote and advises on environmental awareness topics amongst the local communities and the government agencies involved in managing the Marine Protected Area.
About the Marine Biology Centre
Located at the heart of the island, the Marine Biology Centre is an interactive learning centre, where our guests’ marine experience is enriched through direct involvement in the on-going research. The centre also leads all upcoming activities related to the recently established SAMPA C.I.C. Amongst the various activities for guests of all ages, the Centre offers an information area that provides the unique opportunity to use I3S, a special software that was originally developed by the US space agency NASA to observe changing patterns of stars, now aptly adjusted to identify distances between spots on the whale sharks skin pattern in a given area and consequently their uniqueness. The Centre uses this software to provide regular updates on the researches conducted within the SAMPA and most importantly allows all the guests of the resort to see whether the whale shark they have seen during one of their excursions has been seen before or is new to the researchers.
The latest addition to the list of whale sharks currently tracked was the recent amazing discovery made by one of the Diva guests who identified an unknown whale shark never seen before thanks to the I3S software. “It was a small animal, only about 3.5 - 4.5 m long, of unknown sex unfortunately. The shark was in very good health, with no signs of injury. The size of the shark shows its young age” confirms Chiara. In contact with the Ecocean’s team based in Australia, both teams have confirmed the unmatched event and coded the shark as WS159–Stephanie, named after the guest who reported it.
Whale Sharks Education Day
To bring all the guests closer to the marine life of Diva, the Centre organizes a weekly educational day to raise and deepen the awareness of the local community of whale sharks. A full day program, the day starts at the Centre with interactive presentations and briefings about whale sharks, sea shells, reef fish and carries on with a boat trip in company of the Marine Biologist, focused on dedicated reef snorkeling and whale sharks spotting. The next step of the trip is a visit to a nearby island inhabited by its native Maldivian population, where the guests have the opportunity to meet some of the oldest fishermen of the village; the fishermen will share with them the timeless whale shark fishing techniques in use before the establishment of the original Marine Protected Area, and the guests will then be treated to a typical Maldivian light lunch. Once back on the island, the guests will go back to the Centre, where the guests will be able to identify the whale sharks spotted during the day with the I3S, under the guidance of the marine biologist.