Media Centre for Wildlife Research and Community Development in Kenya

Mellisa Pepper

Jambo!
We wake bright and early to the sounds of Rachel singing “You are my sunshine”… it’s the start of a marine day. Marine days are great fun! After a yummy breakfast of pancakes we head out on the water in search of dolphins, turtles, whale sharks, manta rays and other wonders of the sea, on board the mighty Stingray. With captains Kyla, Hugo, Rachel or Shaffi at the helm ably assisted by trusty captain Haruni we plod up the channel between Shimoni and Wasini Island into the Kisite- Mpunguti Marine Protected Area.

If we’re lucky we may spot a pod of humpback dolphins cruising along the channel... not today, but as we travel further into the reserve we come across a pod of bottlenose dolphins off the shelf south of Kisite Island. It’s always incredible to see dolphins in their natural environment, performing peduncle dives, tail dives, belly ups and bow riding.

When we spot a group of dolphins we have a series of forms and tasks to carry out as part of GVI’s ongoing research within the marine reserve and park. After making note of general environmental conditions such as cloud cover, swell and wind direction in the Event Log we record the sighting and carry out a dolphin behaviour survey. If we are able we then carry out photo identification of individual dolphin dorsal fins which each have specific markings. During the course of the morning we may also spot a turtle or two, which we again record on data sheets. After a morning out on boat we head back to Wasini Island in time for a generously prepared lunch of bean burgers salad and flat bread, a GVI Kenya specialty! The trip back to the island is usually great fun as we pick up speed bouncing over the waves and getting refreshingly wet!

The afternoons generally consist of data entry into the computer and trip to the mangroves to carry out bird surveys or mangrove clean ups with the collection of flip flops which are recycled into unique crafts by members the village and plastic bottles which are recycled in Mombasa, again earning community members money whilst cleaning up this important marine environment.

Overall camp life is a lot of fun, once you get use to the drop toilets, the resident noisy goats and the buckets showers. The community is fantastic; extremely welcoming. You get a true taste of coastal African life. The kids never forget your name, and you literally get treated as part of the family. It’s an experience of a life time.

Mellisa Pepper