14/Nov
We get to the beach as Yara was planning to do nudibranch survey at the rock pool with the help of Will while Sabrina would do an underwater clean up. When we get to the beach we see a small eyed stingeray dead on the net, on the side three devil rays also dead. The dead devil rays view is unfortunately very common in Zavora. Too often fishing nets are put in a place where the devil rays usually cross. Almost every day 3-4 devil rays die in Zavora victims of fishing nets. With a sadness feeling we go to the rock pool. We get a lift with the boat so we don’t need to walk with our heavy tanks. However we cannot get to the rock pool in the place that we usually do because there was a net around there, so we need to go by the north part. Bad idea. The waves are breaking there and made we roll as potatoes over the urchins. When we finally managed to get to the rock pool our bodies had some scratch and spines, but well since we were there better to go underwater and relax a bit. Nothing as the silence and the peace of the underwater world to make one happy. Big mistake! It was not at all a relaxed experience. We got to the rock pool and we counted 5 fishing nets in a 150m2 tidal rock pool! We started dive and see all these fishing nets covering and tangled in corals. Piece of corals everywhere. Then Yara looks and see a small hawksbill turtle tangled in the net, who knows for how long. She called Sabrina that is close by and both managed to free the turtle, but soon it feels its body free, the turtle swan away as quick as it could. Everybody got worry about the turtle as the rock pool is now a real trap pool, but we don´t see any signal of the turtle. After that everyone only want to take the kilos of piece of fishing nets left from another days out of the rock pool, there is no way we could concentrate in nudibranch search. In the south part of the rock pool Yara found the turtle, again tangled, this time in another net. Unfortunately Sabrina and Will were too far and could not see it. So she started to try free the turtle (without cut the net) and got tangled herself. A fisherman comes close by and she asked his help. He looks down with his mask and says that he is scared of turtle and leave. Yara managed to free herself and continuous work in the turtle when Sabrina see it and came to help. Finally Yara and Sabrina together release the turtle and decide that would be better to move the turtle out of the rock pool. When they were about to get out of the water the turtle escaped swimming as fast as it could. We spread ourselves around the nets in the rock pool, surely the turtle would get tangled again, in the end that was a trap pool. It is unbelievable - the rock pool, one of the best snorkel site in southern Mozambique , our favorite nudibranch site with lots of undescribed specie, now is not a rock pool anymore, it is a deadly trap pool full of broken corals. We continuous our search. Will finds the turtle; it is again tangled in a different net in the north. We all get there and untangle the poor animal so tired of fighting to survive. This time we must move the turtle out. Sabrina holds the turtle while Yara takes her gear out to be able to go out of the pool with the turtle, Will holds the gear. Yara gets the turtle and look to the better place to release the turtle. The turtle get some long breath. In one side out of the rock pool lays the fishing nets where the mantas died a day before, in the south site at the launching area more fishing nets. There is only one place the north area where there are too much waves for nets. Waves are better than nets. The turtle swam away hopefully far from the nets. Job done and high tide starting to come, time to leave the rock pool. What a day!
We get to the beach as Yara was planning to do nudibranch survey at the rock pool with the help of Will while Sabrina would do an underwater clean up. When we get to the beach we see a small eyed stingeray dead on the net, on the side three devil rays also dead. The dead devil rays view is unfortunately very common in Zavora. Too often fishing nets are put in a place where the devil rays usually cross. Almost every day 3-4 devil rays die in Zavora victims of fishing nets. With a sadness feeling we go to the rock pool. We get a lift with the boat so we don’t need to walk with our heavy tanks. However we cannot get to the rock pool in the place that we usually do because there was a net around there, so we need to go by the north part. Bad idea. The waves are breaking there and made we roll as potatoes over the urchins. When we finally managed to get to the rock pool our bodies had some scratch and spines, but well since we were there better to go underwater and relax a bit. Nothing as the silence and the peace of the underwater world to make one happy. Big mistake! It was not at all a relaxed experience. We got to the rock pool and we counted 5 fishing nets in a 150m2 tidal rock pool! We started dive and see all these fishing nets covering and tangled in corals. Piece of corals everywhere. Then Yara looks and see a small hawksbill turtle tangled in the net, who knows for how long. She called Sabrina that is close by and both managed to free the turtle, but soon it feels its body free, the turtle swan away as quick as it could. Everybody got worry about the turtle as the rock pool is now a real trap pool, but we don´t see any signal of the turtle. After that everyone only want to take the kilos of piece of fishing nets left from another days out of the rock pool, there is no way we could concentrate in nudibranch search. In the south part of the rock pool Yara found the turtle, again tangled, this time in another net. Unfortunately Sabrina and Will were too far and could not see it. So she started to try free the turtle (without cut the net) and got tangled herself. A fisherman comes close by and she asked his help. He looks down with his mask and says that he is scared of turtle and leave. Yara managed to free herself and continuous work in the turtle when Sabrina see it and came to help. Finally Yara and Sabrina together release the turtle and decide that would be better to move the turtle out of the rock pool. When they were about to get out of the water the turtle escaped swimming as fast as it could. We spread ourselves around the nets in the rock pool, surely the turtle would get tangled again, in the end that was a trap pool. It is unbelievable - the rock pool, one of the best snorkel site in southern Mozambique , our favorite nudibranch site with lots of undescribed specie, now is not a rock pool anymore, it is a deadly trap pool full of broken corals. We continuous our search. Will finds the turtle; it is again tangled in a different net in the north. We all get there and untangle the poor animal so tired of fighting to survive. This time we must move the turtle out. Sabrina holds the turtle while Yara takes her gear out to be able to go out of the pool with the turtle, Will holds the gear. Yara gets the turtle and look to the better place to release the turtle. The turtle get some long breath. In one side out of the rock pool lays the fishing nets where the mantas died a day before, in the south site at the launching area more fishing nets. There is only one place the north area where there are too much waves for nets. Waves are better than nets. The turtle swam away hopefully far from the nets. Job done and high tide starting to come, time to leave the rock pool. What a day!
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