scientific cruises

Since 2015 every year we take part in the Scientific Cruise in the Maldives organised by the ISSD (International School for Scientific Divers) and Albatros Top Boat tour Operator, together with the fundamental support of the University of Genoa (Italy).

The first Scientific Cruise happened in 1997 and since then, professors and researchers from the University of Genoa have been collecting data and studying the Maldivian reefs.

During these 25 years of activity, they surveyed a total of 11 atolls around the Maldives, and with this strong historical series of data, many publications and projects have been developed.

This special cruise is a unique learning and sharing opportunity for all the participants. Many students come from the University to learn about the Maldivian reefs and to experience different surveying methodologies.

Different research teams have done different surveys and analyses over the years. For our team, it is a great opportunity to confront and learn more about our own reefs.

As Save the Beach Maldives we focus our efforts on teaching Reef Check (RC) Protocol to the students and certifying them as Eco-divers. We believe that the RC protocol is a complete and effective protocol to start learning about coral reefs.

In the past couple of years, our team has been developing a new survey method, inspired by the RC, to comprehensively view the reef health state by considering more pertinent and actual descriptors.

The data collected will be analysed and further details will be shared in the report. The analysis will be led atoll by atoll, and within the atoll, the difference between inner reefs and outer reefs will be highlighted. Thanks to the substrate descriptors each reef will be characterised within three depths: Flat, 7m and 15m.