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Shoals Rodrigues

Associations Organisation Scuba Diving (English)

Service:
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Company description Shoals Rodrigues is a Marine Research, Training and Education organisation.
The new organisation was established in September 2001 to continue the work which had been started by the Shoals of Capricorn Programme, an initiative run by the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Society in the UK.
The Shoals Rodrigues Centre has become a vibrant focal point for activities connected to the lagoon and the seas around Rodrigues.
Shoals Rodrigues uses three complementary disciplines of Research, Training and Education to underpin our aim of raising the level of understanding about the marine environment. This is achieved through visiting international scientists, the involvement of local trainees and using educators to nurture the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge of school children.
The central ethos of our work is that sustainability and conservation can only come about through the sharing of knowledge. If the work we have started is going to have a future, then it is important that we have a solid foundation of people who have the knowledge and confidence to continue.
Some words about our training programm.
With only two permanent foreign staff, the emphasis is on harnessing and developing the skills of people in Rodrigues. This training often takes place as local staff, volunteers and government personnel work alongside international staff and visiting scientists. There are also courses leading to recognised qualifications in diving, first aid and life saving.
The development of these skills, and the confidence to use them is vital for the sustainability of the work into the future.
Our local staff, government counterparts and volunteers are trained in techniques for scientific monitoring such as coral reef transects and fisheries data collection. We encourage visiting scientists to develop long term scientific programmes and to visit at regular intervals to build on these skills and monitor the progress of the work
We also give training to fisher groups to broaden their understanding of ecology and begin a working relationship for the development of our fisheries monitoring projects . These sessions also encompass skills and knowledge which are vital for working in the sea such as coastal dangers, first aid and swimming.
We are already close to achieving one of our training goals: fully qualified instructors in diving, life saving and first aid amongst the local members of Shoals Rodrigues.
Our single storey building has three air-conditioned offices and a large open-plan laboratory and classroom area. It is equipped with audio-visual facilities, aquaria, scientific apparatus, a reference library of both books and scientific papers and computer work stations for public use.
Location description: Some info about Island of Rodrigues:
You will need to look very carefully at your old school atlas if you are to find the island of Rodrigues. Surrounded by hundreds of mile of sea on all sides, you should find a tiny speck by finding Madagascar, working east past Mauritius and out into the Indian Ocean.
In the extreme south east of the Mascarene plateau which runs from Seychelles Rodrigues is something of an anomaly. It rises out of a steep sided ridge running in an an east to west direction, yet sharing a comparatively recent formation with Reunion and Mauritius.
Rodrigues` volcanic origins have left a steep cone indented with twisting valleys, bluffs and scattered rocks which give the impression of being much larger than its 18km by 9 km dimensions.
On the east coast you have a choice of around 20 beaches on which to be alone on. Walking down the hillside you are buffeted by the strong south easterly winds which have brought the waves over three thousand miles from Australia. With a prevailing south easterly wind and current the east coast is dramatic with big swells crashing onto a coral reef bench of porous rock.
Facing the waves as they are driven over the reef edge is an exhilarating experience. They are driven into the porous rock sending fireworks of foam into the air. Not surprisingly the cream coloured limestone rock looks haggard and misshapen.
At Anse Bouteille and Trou D`Argent, the reef breaks the waves only a few metres out and the water spills over into sheltered pools which are perfect for snorkelling.
The edge of the lagoon has now left the shore and widened bell-shaped towards the west. Here in the south there is a huge expanse of protected, shallow water. There are a number of low-lying islands made up of plates of the ancient limestone found at various points around the island. Ile Gombrani and Ile aux Chat have pretty beaches which can be visited for picnics. Ile Hermitage is a more imposing basaltic island which sits like a castle in the midst of its moat.
In the far west of the island the shoreline is rugged and bordered by the sharp limestone rag. These bays are more protected from the prevailing winds, and the bays are still and muddy. Colourful fishing pirogues are drawn up onto many of the beaches and the morning`s octopus catch are swinging stiffly on hangers as they dry in the sun. Far out to the west are the islands of Cocos and Sable, two sand cay islands which have been designated as reserves in order to protect the breeding colonies of Noddies and Fairy Terns.
The Indian Ocean remains, on average, the cleanest in the world and the seas around Rodrigues still remain mercifully clear of the sort of pollution which clogs many of the world`s coastlines. Continued respect, sustainable harvesting and protection of the delicate ecosystem will be vital to ensure that it remains this way.

Website: Preview http://www.shoals-rodrigues.org by Thumbshots.org http://www.shoals-rodrigues.org
Shoals Rodrigues carries out research, trains local people and educates
children about the seas and coral reefs around the Mauritius Island of Rodrigues.

Contact information:
Phone: 00 230 831 1225
Fax: 00 230 831 0287
Street Address:
Pointe Monier
Port Mathurin
Rodrigues
Mauritius
Spoken language(s): English
Open: from 09-00 till 17-00
Local time:  GMT + 4 Abu-Dabi, Erevan, Baku, Tbilisi
Note: No guarantee is made to the accuracy of these details.

If you are a representative of Shoals Rodrigues , you may update your options or details in our scuba diving directory. Please use contact form or email us at info@divingfinder.com.


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