News
Mauritius Joins the War on Plastics
More than just a pretty face, Mauritius is an island with an environmental protection policy that takes pollution and plastics control very seriously indeed. Littering is controlled with fines ranging from Rs 2000 (E45) for a first offense to Rs 10 000 (E250) and a year in jail if you do it again.
Within 8 hours direct flight from Europe and a 2 hour time difference, Mauritius has year-round warm water, clear visibility, and the coral reefs are re-growing. Diving in the North is exceptional, and it is a real pleasure to dive in clean, clear, warm water, to walk on beautiful white beaches, and to breathe clean air. The endangered Green Turtles are returning to the Island, and there are now 11 on Turtle Rock, various sizes.
Plastic shopping bags are banned. Textile manufacturing companies supplement the income lost to Chinese competition by sewing sturdy woven IKEA-type shopping bags. All the supermarkets sell them, branded with their logos, well designed and well-constructed. If you forget yours on a shopping trip, you might be offered a thin, recycled bio-degradable bag or a paper bag for your stuff, but its no to plastic bags throughout the island.
There are recycling bins for plastic bottles and glass outside the supermarkets, and there are more than 36 recycling companies registered in Mauritius. Recycling of bottles and other plastics has become a good business for Surf-rider, a small company in the North. They collect the plastic bottles and packaging materials, and turn them into planks, gates benches and dustbins.
The Maxi-Clean teams of ladies in their orange overalls sweep and clean the streets and beaches every day, and this policy protects the sea and the reefs from pollution.
Most hotels in Mauritius are owned by Mauritians who assist Government by spearheading the war on plastics, coral reef protection and recycling. Of course, it’s in their best interests to preserve the marine environment, as tourism accounts directly and indirectly for 26% of the Mauritius GDP and Mauritius has built its reputation on its clean sandy beaches and pristine lagoons.
It’s easy to impose fines for littering, to have clean-up days and to prosecute offenders, but at a very deep grass roots level, the Mauritius Hotel chains and the local NGO Conservationists are working together to teach the next generation about conservation.
One example, and there are many, is The Attitude Group of Hotels under the leadership of Jean Michel Pitot. He has gone much further with conservation than recycling, sewerage reticulation, water conservation and re-educating the population. He has also replanted the mangroves around the rocky parts of the island in the North to prevent coastal erosion.
It’s refreshing to meet a hotelier who refers to his staff as family, encourages them to participate in profit sharing, and who is both humble in his accomplishments and respectful of his environment. He looks at to the next generation for the future of Mauritius and wants to ensure that the island retains its benign simplicity and family values.
In addition, his family of Attitude Hotels has sponsored Reef Conservation by building the REEF Nauticaz Oceanographic Resource Centre and paying its staff. REEF visits schools throughout Mauritius, teaching kids about the reefs, the ocean, and how they can help to preserve this extraordinary Island.
Diving Mauritius is beautiful, with white sand, blue water and colourful soft corals. But even more, it’s reassuring to know that you will see only blue when you are diving with the sharks beneath Shark Island, or enjoying a safari to Confetti bay and Djabeda wreck, or checking out an Anemone Clown fish on Reef Garden.
- Words: Jill Holloway
- Images: Ian Haggerty
- Copyright: Ocean Spirit
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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