BELAL AND CANDICE

Two cyclones in ten days, but then again, I knew my departure was in the island’s cyclone season. I found myself cyclone watching, first Belal and then Candice. Mauritius was in the path of both. 15 and 16 January 2024 Belal caused flash floods in Port Louis, turning streets into rivers. Widespread flooding was more than expected. Mauritians were still cleaning up the destruction of Belal when Candice formed and started moving in their direction. My flight of 23 January was cancelled. Candice had some grace in the aftermath of Belal and I arrived less than 24 hours later, eager to see my Lion Mountain across Grand Port, as well as my friends. We landed in a thick mist and soft rain, the terminal building was not even visible as we taxied towards it. My Lion was in hiding!

I was fortunate to have a friend staying at the resort where I previously did some great recreational diving from.  He planned to do his Padi Open Water Course there. I wanted to dive with him and was fortunate in that the centre allowed me to join on his 2 last qualifying dives. The Dive Centre owner warned me that the reef I was diving on 7 months ago looked very different after the cyclones. Nothing could have prepared me for the change! Three rivers run down into the lagoon of the Grand Port of Mahebourg. The catastrophic amount of water that flushed into the sea, left the previously pristine white seabed brown. Sediment covered the coral and much more. I waved my hand over a Ball Sponge and the sediment rose like dust into the water above it. There is not enough waves inside the reef to clean away the sediment. It will take time. For the first time in my life I felt I needed a duster and broomstick. So much cleaning!

Curious enough there was a surprising amount of marine life still living on the reef. As I looked closer I noticed coral bleaching on some of the coral. I was told that the water temperature rose to 31°C during December. When I dived here 7 months earlier it was averaging at 26°C.  We did see my beloved Moorish Idol fish, bannered in black and yellow, brining me the happiness he has carried through history. A single mermaid coloured Parrotfish to welcome me back, a black Nudibranch on a patch of white sand and two fragile Dragon Face Pipefish. A huge white Moray Eel was not in hiding but curled between some rocks. His size surprised me. When you only see their heads peek from a hole they appear quite harmless. Then abundance! A school of white Trumpetfish. Ball Sponges were plenty, but dusty with sediment. We also saw some Bubble Coral, lying like a bunch of grapes and there was a black starfish.

The dive was 59 minutes at 17m on Anemone Garden, 10 m visibility and 28°C, while the last metre was 30°C. The contour of the reef negated the need for a safety stop.

I must mention that my friend’s dive instructor introduced me to bubble rings! Vertical ones floating upwards while growing bigger and bigger and horisontal ones being pushed away from him with carefully clenched fists. I am awestruck. A new goal – I have to learn the technique! While it was my first dive in more than just a couple of months, I felt happy with my scuba technique! The bubble rings momentarily drew my attention away from the sediment and bleaching, but an extreme sense of sadness and helplessness overcame me, once back on land. 

Here I am. Three months planned to assist on a Coral Nursery. At these temperatures I can’t imagine any Coral fragments surviving on a shallow nursery. I need to find out what the situation is and whether the conditions have changed the plans. On an island, like 8 months ago, nothing can be predicted. Even more so with global warming and climate change! Time will tell. In the meantime the fishing boats of the local fishermen are out of the water.

By Lynette Gerber-Lochenkov