Ile des Pins and my last week

Several days since my last entry ... it's been two days already since I got back from l'Ile des Pins, yet it could just as well have been yesterday... I've said it before but man time flies. This will probably be a short entry as I've got so much to finish and tidy up before my departure for Wallis on Saturday at 8 am. However I wanted to post a quick update.

So let's backtrack -- Saturday evening -- we drove out to Patricia's house for her birthday party. Lovely flat, super spacious with a great balcony. The ambiance was smiley and relaxed - lots of rum and tasty wine .... and of course lots of tasty bits of food! Patricia got absolutely showered with presents -- some very bright pink sparkly sandals, a cute sexy top, little trinkets and a necklace. iIven how early we had to leave the next day for our fieldtrip to l'Ile des Pins we finally peeled ourselves off the couches at around 1am. The night was super clear and the sky full of stars. So weird to not find your bearings in the sky at night! At home Julie and I made some 'tisane' and sat out on the deck until 2:30am chatting and giggling. She is a really wicked girl and I am going to miss her a ton when I leave... 'fieldtrips' are remarkable that way, you get to live so intensely with people for a short (or long) period of time, get pretty close in a relatively short period of time and then you just take off... but it's :o) to get to meet such incredible people.

On Sunday then we take a 30 minute flight over to the island - the sky is cloudy so we can't see the reef :o .... makes for an all more surprising and flabbergastingly exciting flight home!!!!

Claude meets us at the airport -- upon arrival we drop our stuff off, gear up, pick up the rental car and drive to our first survey site. The weather is cloudy and the sky looks threatening... but we're determined and excited and nothing will stop us!

We're meant to survey a number of locations that were chosen from their 'seagrass' signature (i.e. the way they look) on satellite images.

The first two sites are seagrass beds alright - we record the species present as well as any algae mixed into the bed and write down a short description, including depth, substrate etc...

After a lunch break where we eat possibly the longest and biggest sandwich I've ever faced!!! we tackle the next site -- here, surprise surprise no seagrass, but lots of algae!!! ahhhh mapping from satellite images is one hell of a tricky business!!!! Algae and seagrass can look so so similar!!! ... emphasising the importance of going on the ground and finding out what it is you're looking at!

We're pretty dead tired byt he time we get home and so get to bed not too late following dinner.

On monday we've rented a boat. Jean Louis will be our 'marin' for the day - he's smiley and super cheerful. He's also a diver and a local and so knows all the sites we're meant to survey really well. He giggles when we mentioned we're looking for seagrass -- saying, you won't find any at any of those sites... but if you're keen I can show you where to find some grass!!!

We still survey all the algal beds which we thought were seagrass beds... and add the two sites Jean Louis takes us to.

The weather is GORGEOUS by now ... though we have a westerly wind blowing -- which NEVER happens!!! I tell you some little funny man always plays tricks with you those days you need to go out onto/into the water!

I can't believe my eyes -- the water is absolutely crystal clear, a multitude of turquoise, dark blues -- nature at its most stunning. A couple of clouds in the sky emphasise the sharpness of the light, lending the rocks that jut out of the water a more marked contrast. This place is absolutely surreal. The terrestrial horizon is lined by tall 'pins colonaires' typical of the island --- and the reason why it is called the Isle of Pines in the first place. To think that people (ME) get to work in places like this makes me burst out laughing!!!! No matter the weather this truly *IS* paradise!!!!

I love my work :o) -- and I get to learn so much!! Claude, the algologist, is in 7th heaven with all the algae we come across. She is an amasing teacher, and doesn't tire of my questions - and which one is this again? and how do you call this one? but this one looks exactly like this one!!! pointing out details time and again on how to differentiate between the multitude of green, brown and variations thereof, I pull out of the water.

The diversity is mindblowing -- truly. At one site, we go explore a little adjacent reef -- HUGE red gorgonians stretch their fans out into the water. I've never seen anythign like it - they are BEAUTIFUL. Big fish swim in and out of crevaces, clown fishes dance in their anemones, every now and again being courageous they dart out towards you as if to say, hey, you're in my space, get lost!

As light falls -- it's winter here and we're close to the equator so the sun sets early, at around 5h30 pm, we cruise back towards the hotel and snorkel our last site --- right in front of the hotel. To gloriously finish the day, this is a seagrass bed :o)

We download all the pictures we took to help us describe the sites and literally fall into bed after a tasty and hearty dinner.

Claude takes off the next morning early, whilst Serge and I stay on the island to go see the mayor and thank him for allowing us to carry out our surveys. Customary law is still in effect here and a number of sites are considered tabu on and around the isle. Trespassers will be severly punished. As such, anyone wishing to carry out any research needs to ask permission not only from the official authorities but also from the chiefs. It took close to 6 months for the chief to authorise this mission - and so we wanted to be sure to thank him. He's busy in a meeting and so we leave a message... and go on to do one more site before enjoying the island as tourists.

There is no doubt about it this island is truly magnificent -- and New Caledonia at some of its best. To me this is definitely one of the most amasing sites I've ever visited on the planet.

I've added a couple of pictures so judge for yourselves ;o)