Page 48 - feb2024

February 2024 February 2024
people to do. We established

Club Mer for teen-agers and
taught them marine biology and
even taught them to dive and
carry out marine research. We
also taught octopus fisher-
women to swim – it is quite
amazing that they waded out
into the lagoon wearing long
skirts and sweatshirts and yet
couldn’t swim. They arrived for
their lessons with supermarket
plastic bags tied around their
hair. I doubt if they ever learnt to swim but …
Prince William came to Rodrigues to help with Club Mer during his ‘gap-year’ . His
security guards said they had nothing to do because Rodrigues was so safe. He
‘chilled out’ on the beach with the local kids and even taught them to play rugby –
where else would he have been able to do that.

In the Seychelles I ran marine teacher training courses, worked with marine park
rangers, the marine training college, boat-trip operators and schools. I even
added a marine element to the National Curriculum. Despite their white beaches
and clear waters ‘to die for’, it is amazing that few local people can swim or ever
go to the beach. They have a very negative attitude to the sea.
It is very gratifying that in both Rodrigues and the Seychelles, much of the work
started by Shoals, is being carried on.
I was fortunate enough to be awarded a Millennium Fellowship award to travel to
Tobago in the Caribbean to assist with a research project on land crabs, After our
three weeks work two us stayed on and explored the
island in a hire car. The Tobago roads through the
rain forest are challenging in an ancient Datsun
Sunny!
I trained as a diver and spent many years diving both
in sunny climes and locally, in the UK. You don’t have
to travel to exotic places to see varied and
abundant marine life – we have got it here. We just
don’t have the visibility to see it so well! I must have
spent many happy hours under Swanage pier. The
pier piles are covered with marine life and it is shallow
and your air lasts for ages. I went to dive in the Red
Sea with a group called the Jolly Boys. My friend,
Linda and I were honorary Jolly Boys! The ‘boys’
believed in covering as much of the seabed as

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