OUUEG, Kenya and coral conservation

The Marine Conservation Project is based at A Rocha Eco Lodge and Conservation Centre, Watamu, right on stunning white sandy beach that stretches for miles. Benjo, founder of the project, was our guide to all things above and below the water, and made sure we had a fabulous time. His local knowledge, so, so valuable. The staff at the centre are amazing, welcoming and so friendly. Fantastic food, and fresh fruit to die for.

from Boyi:

This is my first trip with OUUEG and I couldn’t have asked for a better one! It was just amazing to be able to go beyond fun dives and actually get our hands stuck in doing something for the ocean. I loved learning about reef ecology and the local community’s interactions with conservation in nightly briefings. In my opinion it’s unique opportunities like this that make OUUEG so much more than a diving society. And the people, of course! It’s the best welcome I could’ve had as a new member.

from Matt:

Benjo arranged a diving trip to Watamu in Kenya. David, Boyi and I went along. We helped with efforts to restore the local coral reef. It was two scuba dives a day. We had the option of fun diving; but we all preferred the coral conservation dives; so that is mainly what we did. The restoration had a number of activities, such as weeding; collecting samples; and planting the samples. It was all incredibly rewarding; for example weeding the reef left it unrecognisable, and way healthier than before.

I didn’t know much about corals before this trip. I learned a lot from the briefings; Benjo’s expertise was apparent.

Watamu is a lovely spot with plenty to do in the afternoons and evenings after dive. There is a marine conservation zone, so the sea life was in good shape. The turtles were a particular highlight for me.

We stayed at A Rocha, a conservation charity. This was way better than staying at a hotel; it got us a lot more involved with the local community than would otherwise have been the case.

It was my first visit to East Africa, and it was brilliant; I cannot recommend it highly enough, can’t wait to go back.

from David:

When the opportunity came up to go to Kenya and dive I couldn’t really say no. I’d only ever been to Egypt, so to see more of Africa seemed like a no brainer and to help give something back to the conservation of the oceans a fantastic opportunity.

Benjo put together a fantastic diving programme, inside and outside the local reef. Our local dive operators, Harry and Tina, from Turtle Dive and their awesome team, looking after us and keeping us safe. Starting with an easy shake down dive, with Benjo introducing us to the very basics of coral observation, ecosystem and recognition.

As the week progressed, with great nightly briefings, we went on the hunt for ‘Corals of Opportunity’ (broken storm damaged pieces), gathering them in shopping baskets. Then onto underwater coral garden weeding (under the watchful eye of some local green turtles), before the nursery reefs and the coral tables. Finally planting baby corals back onto old lost coral heads.

The trip flew by. The sunsets (and sundowners) were amazing. If you get a chance, go. You’ll have a fantastic time. Thank you to Benjo, everyone at A Rocha and to Turtle Dive.

If you want to know anything about corals and coral conservation please reach out to Benjo, he really is an amazing coral conservation guru.