Now Available: Our Half-yearly Marine Debris Report
In partnership with African Parks, BCSS collects marine debris at five carefully selected locations on Benguerra Island. The data gathered from the collections conducted from January until the end of June have been analysed and are now accessible through our half-yearly report. The team has spent a total of 72 hours at the sites, collecting marine debris that has been brought to our Waste Management Facility at the BCSS station, where it was analysed based on the type of waste and type of plastic. The last six months yielded a total of 1.020 kgs, of which the vast majority is plastics.
Positions Open For Dive Master Internships Late 2022
Are you considering becoming a PADI Professional? Our Dive Master Internship enables you to transform your passion into your career. Located in the heart of the Bazaruto Archipelago on Benguerra Island, our dive centre will enable you to dive coral reefs that are home to over 2000 fish species, while encountering megafauna like manta rays, sharks, dolphins and seasonally humpback whales. Our experienced dive instructor, Mauro Jije, will mentor you for the three-months period to make sure you will step off the island feeling confident to work as a Dive Master. During your stay you will be contributing to marine science research and work together with experienced scientists.“The Bazaruto Archipelago consists of beautiful reefs hosting many coral species, fish species and megafauna, but much of the park is yet unexplored. By diving untouched reefs, pinnacles and plateaus, we are currently developing a dive map featuring numerous of dive sites unknown by other organisations. It is very special to be able to find new reefs and to be the first one to dive it!” – Mauro Jije, Diving Manager and Dive Instructor
Wildife Highlights
Numerous humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were sighted last month in the Bazaruto Archipelago, as July marks the arrival month of these gentle giants to their winder breeding grounds. One particularly exciting encounter included five male humpback whales escorting a female humpback and her calf. The team spotted the whales after a dive south of Magaruque Island, south of Benguerra Island. Other interesting sightings include reef manta rays (Manta alfredi) at cleaning stations located south of Benguerra Island and smooth hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna zygaena) at several locations in the park. A highlight of the month was coming upon of a blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) on a dive northeast of Benguerra Island. The marlin was displaying hunting behaviour and seemed very curious about our interns Gabriele and Davide, whereafter it changed its focus to dive manager Mauro, who had to purge his regulator to scare off the animal.
Volunteers’ and Interns’ Contributions
Our interns and volunteers have been immersed in the day-to-day activities of the BCSS station, including recording occasional sightings of megafauna (both from the boats and underwater) and marine debris collections and data analysis. In order for our interns and volunteers to correctly identify marine life, the team provides lectures combined with practical point-based lessons while diving. The interns and volunteers also spent time scanning through papers and articles as part of their literature reviews with on-site scientists and completing PADI dive courses with our experienced instructor Mauro Jije.
We still have some Dive Master internship and volunteering positions available for the next few months. There’s availability from November onwards for our Marine Science Internships. To secure your spot, simply apply here.
Permaculture Update
At BCSS we supply our kitchens with plenty of nutrient-rich, fresh produce which we grow locally. The on-site gardens have been designed based on permaculture principles, adopting arrangements observed in flourishing natural habitats. The produce of fruits and vegetables are a product of carefully selected land and sustainability practices such as zero-waste efforts, rainwater usage and a closed-loop system of maintenance and harvesting. By building our gardens further we are expanding our permaculture site to increase the supply of on-site grown fresh produce. Our gardeners have been planting cabbage, carrots, leafy greens (e.g. spinach), herbs and lettuce.
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