New people, new monitoring, new animals...
The new week in Pez Maya has brought with
it four new arrivals – we welcome Fergus and Emma from Australia, Sissie from
Denmark and Stephan from Scotland to our base here in Pez Maya. Already Stephan
has started his Open Water course with Ben, while the others have started on
their fish and coral spots already. Older volunteers too have been making good
progress: Dov has begun to practice monitoring with Sarah, having learnt all of
the adult and juvenile fish species as well as how to size them
underwater. Those surveying corals are
also racing on: Jonas is well on the way to conquering Coral Communities spots
while Malin, Michelle and Jemima are all tackling Point Intercept. Coral
Communities is the survey of diseases and other threats affecting the growth
and life of the corals – tell-tale teeth marks of hungry parrotfish munching on
the coral for example. Point Intercept surveys the algae, sponges and other
organisms which coexist with corals – including, we were thrilled to find out,
anemones just like the ones in Finding Nemo (apparently a highly educational
film)!
Our marine neighbours have also been out in
force this week, keeping those tracking incidental sightings busy in the
evenings. Two turtles, one a Hawksbill and one a Green turtle, were seen on the
same dive, with several spotted by Captain Jim`s eagle eyes from the boat.
Plenty of large lionfish have also been sighted, and probably already earmarked
by Ben and his spear-gun for a weekend feast. Less welcome creatures have also
arrived on land – the detested mosquito has been trumped by the
even-more-despised horsefly, which has wreaked havoc on several people´s
ankles, legs and arms. Hard-earned (and perfect) tan lines have been ruined by
small red bites, while the most popular evening activity has become the
challenge of eluding these pesky flying menaces. The hammocks seem to be the
most popular refuge, with a number of afternoons being spent there
horsefly-free.
Others have stepped up to the task of
filling the diving tanks more regularly. With fewer people on base this month,
the girls have had to stand in for the boys who are usually much more keen to
jump onto the tank compressor. Sophie even used the opportunity to learn some
new fish species in between switching the tanks over. Other daily tasks have
also proved more strenuous – pushing our boats, Vision and Ka’ay, out in the
morning and pulling them back up the beach again in the afternoon is the
perfect opportunity for the boys to show off their muscles (or, in some cases,
build up a few…).
This week also sees the launch of another
physical challenge – the three day 150km cycle ride: the Mayan challenge.
Taking place at the end of May, volunteers will raise money towards
the Punta Allen recycling centre through sponsorship, the website for which is
in the process of being set up. Strangely, when attempting to set up the link
to the Punta Allen charity, the Imperial War Museum in London popped up as an
option for sponsorship…perhaps they want to donate one of their centuries old
bicycles to the effort!
As the end of the week draws near we are
all excited for our evening fiesta, to get to know our new recruits a little
better, practice the weekly limbo contest and, of course, to enjoy the
ever-popular Friday evening feast. Rhu has already been cooking up cakes,
biscuits, shortbread and a number of other goodies in the past weeks, and
kindly sharing them with (strategically) loitering volunteers. The standard of
staff-provided treats has been very high (and long may it continue…)!
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