Sitraka Rabenasolotina

Sitraka joined our August 2008 expedition.

One day in my expedition in Andavadoaka

After a nice day of monitoring the fantastic baobab tree, I awake at 6am in my hut with a great view of the Mozambique Channel.

After a shower, I read a book on a hammock just outside my hut until 8am, time for breakfast. Just after, I kit up for the 9am dive, it's my first deep dive for my PADI Advanced Open Water, I am excited, what will happen? But it was wonderful, at a good dive site called 007, when my depth gauge indicate the depth of 30.2 metre, I was amazed, I've done it and at this depth, I can see big gorgonians, sea cucumbers, and a lot of fish. Fantastic, I would like to do it again!

At 1:30pm, we have lunch; everyone talks about what they've done in the morning. Some have seen humpback whales during the whale watching, others have taken some photos of seafans underwater. At 3pm, I assist for a lecture given by an enthusiastic field scientist of Blue Ventures. It was about whales, sharks and sea turtles, I find it very interesting.

5 pm, me and three volunteers teach English for the ecoguides in Andavadoaka, it's very pleasant because the students are funny. At 7pm, time for 'Vaovao' (news).You can tell what's fun during your day. At 9:30pm, I sleep and I look forwards to the next day - a trip by pirogue (traditional canoe) for sea cucumber monitoring.

-Sitraka Rabenasolotina