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Experiences of past volunteers
"I would thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone"
Claudia Gray
I arrived at Reef Doctor in the heat of the Malagasy midday sun, to be greeted by another volunteer smiling sleepily from the hammock overlooking the ocean view. The project-coordinator then appeared, offered me some (slightly salty!) tea, and sat down to chat about what Reef Doctor does, and what life there would be like. Shortly afterwards the current peace-corps volunteer strolled up the beach, checked on the solar-powered oven, and shared out some incredible freshly baked mango-bread. When the rest of the team returned after the lunch-break, I was introduced to them all, the structure of the dive training, and many many pictures of the fish and corals I would soon become familiar with.
My time at Reef Doctor continued in this greatly enjoyable manner. I would thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone looking to spend a few weeks or months in the sunshine, diving into the amazing underwater realm, learning about a new country, and helping save a beautiful, but seriously threatened ecosystem. I could only stay at Reef Doctor for about 3 weeks, as I had many other adventures to pursue in Madagascar, but I wish I could have stayed longer, and would certainly return if the chance arises. The whole team is really enthusiastic about what they do, and so it is both easy and entertaining to learn all about their work, and provide some genuinely useful help in return. I was there primarily to learn how to scuba dive, but wanted to do this whilst being able to support coral reef conservation at the same time. Reef Doctor was the perfect place to learn about both.
The dive training was great. We went diving nearly everyday, and spent the hours out of the water going through theory and the required PADI tests. One of the real advantages of Reef Doctor is being able to learn to dive in small groups. Getting a lot of personal attention means you learn more quickly, and gain confidence rapidly. That means you are safer, and can enjoy yourself more. Towards the end of the course, we did some deeper dives on the exterior of the reef were particularly awe-inspiring. The great shimmering towers of fish schools above you, and the majestic columns and chasms made by the reef-building corals, are really unforgettable. Watching the science staff doing the survey, and some of the Malagasy staff members free-dive down to wave at us, was also pretty entertaining!
Back on land, I particularly appreciated being given the informal lectures, or presentations, on the identification of corals and reef fish, as well those on the scientific research and community projects that are carried out by Reef Doctor. There were also a lot of good teaching aids to assist with learning the fish species and types of coral that (if I had stayed longer) would have been essential for the surveys. I was taken on “point-out” dives by members of the science team to help with the learning, and shown a great number of exotic animals. The colourful nudibranchs (sea-slugs) were especially fantastic. I got to help with the sea-grass survey, which involved nearly all of the Reef Doctor staff, and the massive team effort made us all feel particularly triumphant when we got to the end of the work. The occassion required a celebration in true Malagasy style...Three Horses Beer all round, with the added joy of a stunning golden sunset over the sea.
The little collection of Reef Doctor buildings on the beach, complete with the friendly staff members (many of whom live on site), makes for a very interesting and enjoyable destination. The volunteer hut may be a simple construction, but it is very comfortable, and pretty charming when lit up by candles every evening. The meals are basically a lot of rice and beans, augmented with a variety of vegetables and meat, but any food tastes luxurious when you are completely spared the effort of shopping, cooking, and washing up! The views above and below water are undoubtedly extraordinary, the chance to get a good insight into Malagasy village life is readily available, and the temptation to ride a pirogue to the tourist resorts of Mangily for a good party is hard to resist! The Bay of Ranobe is certainly a special place, and I hope that many more people will share some of the great experiences to be had, and support the really important work that is being done there.
