Radio 4 Brings You Richard Nimmo….
For all those interested in Madagascar and Blue Ventures we have some essential listening for you. At 10am on Saturday 15th July our very own Richard Nimmo will be appearing on Excess Baggage on BBC Radio 4. If you are...
Notes from a small hammock
It’s been a while since the last blog update and lots has happened in the meantime. An expedition has ended, a new one has started, staff have come and gone. I’ll try and cover everything that’s happened here on site,...
New UK Expedition around the stunning Argyll Islands, West Scotland
During 2006, we are delighted to be able to offer a programme of survey expeditions to the West coast of Scotland, in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society, The Sealgair Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. The expeditions will aim to...
Staff leaving
This week has been a sad one for many on site as it has seen the end of the road here for two of our staff members, Minna Epps and Mark Woodford. They arrived at almost the same time, in...
Howdy From Andavadoaka
The sun just dipped below the horizon at 5:37. As we approach winter solstice, the days do indeed continue to grow shorter. While many folks in Alaska or Sweden will watch the sun pass through the sky without setting on...
update from expedition medic Jo Osmont
“We’ve been on site for 10 days now and everyone is settling in really well. It’s a friendly group and everyone’s getting on brilliantly. We’ve been working hard learning allsorts of new skills – 3 of the guys have passed...
Andavadoaka Research Update
Latest Andavadoaka research news available at this link
A Smooth Start
At the ungodly hour of 5 am in the morning, sleepy yet upbeat volunteers braved the ‘murky’ shores of Tulear to embark on their epic voyage aboard Batifavia, the much loved boutre, destination Andavadoaka. Armed with pizzas, umbrellas and mountains...
Ali’s on the road at last!
A quick update from Ali Miller, who after 6 months working as an intern in BV’s London office is finally on the road to Andavadoaka with the May expedition team… All volunteers have arrived safely in Tulear and have enjoyed...
Octopus are Growing, Volunteers are Diving
This week does marks an important event here in Andavadoaka: the reopening after several months closure of the three octopus ‘reserves’. The fervent hope amongst villages and NGOs alike is that, having been left to their own devices for nearly...
A Fond Farewell From Celia
We’ve had a spate of bad weather recently which has made diving difficult or impossible – roaring winds from the south being the culprit. The sea looks pretty calm this morning though so with any luck the visibility will improve...
It’s Goodbye from Expedition 20
The last few days of the expedition were immense. All the difficult things were less difficult and all the amazing things were more amazing. The last few diveswere exploratory or recreational and we found a new site, Lovo Be, which...
And a Little Bit More
It’s a very low tide in Andavadoaka today and the inviting blue sea that was lapping at the beach this morning has retreated almost to the fringing reef, leaving large expanses of brown reef flat to be baked quietly in...
And Now From Our Lovely Interns On Site Sabrina & Leanne
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...
Celia Colquhoun-King Reporting from Andavadoaka
Zebu: Malagache cow with impressive set of horns Zebu cart: cart with rudimentary suspension and two zebu attached. Zebu cart to the baobabs: obscure form of torture invented by staff for staff and volunteers. It was something of an impromptu...