Eco Dive Travel Guide

21/06/2022

Help us spread the word, please share this post!

08/06/2022

If you’re looking for a worthwhile ocean conservation project to donate to on , this is the project that I lead in Utila (.utila) We’re monitoring and treating corals with stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), and organizing an awareness & education campaign. We’re making all this happen on a very tight budget and are currently relying on individual donations to carry out our diving activities. All donations go directly to our project and truly, every dollar makes a difference!
・・・
This World Oceans Day, we would like to send a big shout out to our amazing volunteers and donors! Without their dedication and generosity we would not be able to do what we do. Since Oct/2020 we have conducted monthly monitoring of 10 sites, and since Dec/2021, we have also been able to carry out monthly treatment interventions at 6 sites around Utila. A lot of planning, time, effort and funds go into these activities, and every hour and every dollar that has been donated to our project has made a huge difference to Utila’s precious reefs. 🙏💙🌊

We plan to continue our monitoring and treatment efforts every month, but we are in need of funding to help us do so! If you are able to donate, every dollar makes a difference! Please use our direct donation page (https://bit.ly/donate-utila, link in bio), facilitated by Roatan Marine Park, and you may choose one of the suggested amounts or write in any amount.

Big thank yous also go to .HN .FISHERIES NOAA Coral Bay Islands National Marine Park for the support. And don’t forget to like, follow, and share our page .Utila!

.utila with

13/05/2022

24/04/2022

Frustration among scientists as many islands, hard hit by Covid and hurricanes, struggle to fight stony coral tissue loss disease

31/03/2022

⚠️ Emergency situation! ⚠️
The Atlantic Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) has reported that a large number of the long spined sea urchin, Diadema antillarum, are dying in the Eastern Caribbean in February and March 2022. Accounts of this happening are spreading throughout the Caribbean and we are asking that local and visiting divers alike look out for this sad and worrying event happening! Diadema are vitally important to the reef as herbivores that eat all the algae growing that may impede coral growth. The last time there was a die-off of this species, it was one of the major factors towards the population of Acropora plummeting and why they are now the subject of not just our Coral Restoration Project but of projects all over the Caribbean. In the aftermath of SCTLD, it is essential we do all we can to prevent this from happening again.
To find out more and to help us and AGRRA by reporting any healthy, sick, or dying Diadema to the link below: https://bit.ly/3IQ0nGZ

---

⚠️¡Situación de emergencia!⚠️
La Evaluación Rápida de los Arrecifes del Golfo Atlántico (AGRRA, por sus siglas en inglés) ha informado que una gran cantidad de erizos de mar de espinas largas, Diadema antillarum, están muriendo en el Caribe Oriental en febrero y marzo de 2022. Los relatos de este suceso se están extendiendo por todo el Caribe y estamos pidiendo ¡Que tanto los buzos locales como los visitantes estén atentos a este evento triste y preocupante! Los diademas son de vital importancia para el arrecife como herbívoros que comen todas las algas en crecimiento que pueden impedir el crecimiento de los corales. La última vez que hubo una mortandad de esta especie, fue uno de los principales factores de la caída en picado de la población de Acropora y por qué ahora son el tema no solo de nuestro Proyecto de Restauración de Coral sino de proyectos en todo el Caribe. Después de SCTLD, es esencial que hagamos todo lo posible para evitar que esto vuelva a suceder.

Para obtener más información y apoyarnos a nosotros y a AGRRA reportar cualquier diadema sana, enferma o moribunda al siguiente enlace:https://bit.ly/3IQ0nGZ

29/03/2022

22/03/2022

with
・・・
On Saturday the staff participated in a very important workshop to kick-start an exciting project!! 🙌🏽

Partnering with .hn, we have adopted a dive site in which we will be responsible for monitoring and treating colonies that are being affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).

Pictured, you can see us tagging colonies and applying the antibiotic epoxy to corals with affected lesions. We hope through our efforts we can control the spread of this disease and prevent threats to surrounding colonies!

Basically, we're coral doctors. 🧑🏽‍⚕️

Huge thank you to for the incredible training and mentoring! 💙

10/03/2022

03/03/2022

Swampy is here to remind you that the close season for the spinny lobster has oficially started. With lobster populations diminishing every day it is important to respect their reproductive season. Also, remember to buy conch only from suppliers registered in DIGEPESCA.

31/01/2022

For a split second, I thought I might be swallowed whole by this giant streaming straight for me. However, whale sharks have no interest in eating anything larger than a shrimp. At the last moment, it veered off and brushed gently past. At 40,000 pounds and over 20 ft long, whale sharks are the largest fish in the world. I’ve always found it ironic that their preferred food source is plankton, one of the smallest creatures in the ocean. Their gentle natures and tendency to wander over vast distances make them particularly vulnerable to practices like shark finning. Today is the last day to vote and finally end the shark fin trade in Europe. Please visit only.one/stopfinning to join our campaign and help us stop this cruel practice.

01/01/2022