Véronique Vanacore runs the dive center Octopus Diver in Praslin, Seychelles. For several years, she and her team have placed the protection of coral reefs at the heart of their actions.
Photo above: © Nicolas BarraquéHow did you decide to get involved in coral restoration ?
Praslin is a site very frequented by tourists. For several years, we have witnessed multiple coral bleaching events (1998, 2010, 2016 …). Not wanting to remain idle, we collaborated with a local NGO, Nature Seychelles, to acquire coral restoration techniques (nursery, replanting) and experiment with these techniques on our reefs.
What actions do you take daily with your divers?The most sustainable action is « gardening ». It involves replanting coral fragments freshly broken by swells, large fish, or disrespectful divers. The originality of the method lies in its simplicity of execution, no « epoxy » glue, « reef balls » or cement… we wedge the still-living fragments into natural crevices. Thus, our divemasters and instructors take pride in seeing some of « their » corals grow and settle permanently on granite.Do you have any new projects underway?Among our local divers, we have an English marine biologist, Jay McBride. His expertise, enthusiasm, and availability have allowed us to engage in a project in partnership with the Seychellois authorities and more specifically the SNPA (Seychelles National Parks Authority). It involves restoring the most damaged area of the Marine Park, around Saint Pierre islet. Our team will be involved in the nursery construction as well as all restoration stages: fragmentation, grafting, collection, transplantation, and monitoring.
Find all eco-friendly dive centers at: http://guide-centres-plongee.longitude181.org/