Welcome to My Office

My Walk to Work

I have been on site for a few weeks now and am getting settled into life with Blue Ventures Expeditions. Here is a virtual tour of my new office (and home!).

The expedition camp is based within a hotel in Andavadoaka called Coco Beach. The hotel is set upon a sort of headland to the south of the village. To get there you walk along the beach or across the football pitch. It isn’t a hotel in the traditional sense of the word but instead rooms (for volunteers, BV staff and paying guests) are actually individual bungalows or huts.

The camp is split nicely into two areas which are separated by sand dunes – although everything has a sea view! The first area contains reception, our dining area and the bar and restaurant. Next to this are some of the guest bungalows and the BV staff huts. Currently my hut is the green one – but more about that another day.

Welcome to Coco Beach

Across the dunes and around the corner is my “office”. Here you can find Nosy Cao aka the classroom and Bat Cave aka the dive shed. This area is also where the volunteer huts are (which they share with about 4 people in each) so there is no excuse for them to be late!

I predict I will be spending a lot of time in Nosy Cao in the next year. It’s here that all the presentations and “dry” teaching happens. This includes lessons for SCUBA courses, information on the work BV does and, my area, marine science training. It’s a well-stocked room with a projector and screen, computers for the volunteers to use (when the electricity is on) and lots of other books and resources. This classroom also comes with a pretty inspiring view.

Nosy Cao - our classroom

The Bat Cave is where to go for all things SCUBA. It houses the equipment lockers where we keep all out kit safely tucked away as well as Bic (the dive manager’s) workshop and various other bits and pieces required for underwater living. Next door is a kitting up area as well as a place to rinse out the kit after diving and hang it up to dry.

Bat Cave - the diving zone

The headland its self has a statue of Mary atop it and is a great place to get a good view of the beaches, rock and sea around site. And there are usually some friendly local boys that love having their photo taken hanging around here too. There’s also a bench which I think I will spend time chilling out on whenever I get the chance. It’s dedicated to some field scientists that passed away while on expedition so is a really nice place to stop for a minute and think.

Views of the village, dive boats and the volunteer huts from Mary

But right now I am in working away in Nosy Cao and think it’s time to get one with learning some more coral names!