There have been a couple of days of bad visibility in the near shore dive sites recently, so after a couple of aborted dives, it was all we could do to keep our spirits up. Then amazingly the Fish Bowl dive site got rediscovered (and GPS’d), and we had one of our best dives ever. Even Mark was excited about the great visibility. We saw so many fish like Spotted Tobies, a Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray, a
Trumpetfish and so so much more. Sadly though, according to the staff here, Fish Bowl is not looking its best since the cyclone. It is probably the worst affected site, with very little coral surviving and the substrate largely being covered by turf algae. On our way back on the boat, we then had another thrill after about seven dolphins were spotted leaping out of the sea!! We can’t say we actually got to swim with them, but what a brilliant way to end a dive.
The other day we celebrated International Womens day with a parade in the village. The Blue Ventures women joined the Vezo women as we formed a long line and marched through the long sandy streets of Andavadoaka, as they sang in beautiful harmony in Malagasy. We ended in the town square and stood in the blazing sun as the men marched around us and saluted the flag, but then all the villagers began to sing the national anthem and it was worth the heat, as they sang beautifully and again in perfect harmony. International womens day ended with a party at the epi-bar with lots of dancing!
