Dive Review of Blue Ventures Conservation in
Africa/Madagascar

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Blue Ventures Conservation, Oct, 2008, by Dan Purnell, Wa, USA ( Reviewer 6 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 4541.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Blue Ventures is a very successful London based conservation non-profit, operating in Southwest Madagascar. They have had a very positive influence on the Vezo fishing communities around Andavadoaka. They work very closely with the local villages. Results so far include the establishment of octopus no-take zones, establishment of marine protection areas (MPAs), shark, fish and octopus catch monitoring programs, protected beaches for turtles, seagrass studies, solar cooking and family planning programs. Many of the marine conservation accomplishments stem from strong community support and the scientific data collected by volunteers. The diving is not on par with places like Bonaire, PNG and Indonesia. Diving around Andavadoaka is mostly on recovering reefs and proposed reefs for MPAs. Although some of these reefs have seen little or no previous diving activity, many have been damaged by fishing, cyclones and coral bleaching. The objective for diving on these reefs is to collect scientific data. Blue Ventures is trying to determine which reefs have the ability to recover and are resilient. These reefs will be candidates for future MPAs. If you are mostly looking for pristine recreational diving, then Andavadoaka is not for you. You should also expect to average only 1 dive per day, regardless of what the London office or literature says. Currently, Blue Ventures only has the capacity (i.e. boats, motors, dive masters) to comfortably handle 12-15 volunteer divers (this is my estimate). They will, however, take additional volunteers, which limits the number of dives per day. If you have an experienced group of divers who want to dive more that 1 dive per day, I would suggest that you negotiate a custom charter, which would limit the number of volunteers, with Blue Ventures. I believe that Blue Ventures would be open to this. That all said, an expedition with Blue Ventures offers a unique, memorable and rewarding experience for the adventuresome. You get to experience life in a Vezo fishing community, and participate in many local activities. You get to learn and apply marine science techniques involving reef health, sea grass and fish biodiversity. The location is very remote, and the scenery is breathtaking. The local people and Blue Ventures Staff are wonderful. If you are a new diver, or are looking to become a DiveMaster, the dive instruction is exceptional. Although the diving is "so -so", it will be very interesting and rewarding. Doing science provides a whole new dimension to your diving experience. The scientific data, collected by Blue Ventures volunteers, is a major driving force behind marine conservation decisions around Andavadoaka and across Madagascar.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Indonesia, PNG, Yap, Palau, Bonaire, Honduras
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	74-78°F / 23-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Depth and time - 45 - 55 min
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Blue Ventures Conservation in Africa/Madagascar

Blue Ventures Conservation, Oct, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Blue Ventures Conservation in
Africa/Madagascar