Famed for its chameleons, lemurs and rainforests

My castle
in the
Giant baobab trees cast intimidating
silhouettes. Six of eight species of
baobabs, often called ‘upside down
trees’, are endemic to Madagascar;
TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm,
ISO 100, f5.6, 1/200.
Famed for its chameleons, lemurs and
rainforests that hoop and holler with diversity,
Madagascar is an ecotourist’s utopia. Less
well known, however, is what’s found a little
further offshore. Aaron Gekoski dives deeper
to find out.
PHOTOGRAPHS AARON GEKOSKI
8
9
WITH FLAPS OF ITS VIBRANT WINGS, MADAGASCAR HAS FLITTED IN AND OUT OF MY
THOUGHTS FOR SOME TIME NOW. PERHAPS I’VE WATCHED THE CARTOON OR THAT BBC
DOCUMENTARY ONE TOO MANY TIMES. EITHER WAY, I SUSPECT I DON’T FANTASISE ALONE.
Since
bolting
from
Africa
135
million
years
ago
and
later
Asia,
around
88
million
years
ago,
Madagascar
has
been
left
to
its
own
evolutionary
devices.
In
its
isolation,
a
cauldron
of
biodiversity
has
simmered,
conjuring
up
such
species
as
the
giraffe-­‐necked
weevil,
leaf-­‐nosed
snake,
Parson’s
chameleon
and
Helmet
Vanga.
Like
80
percent
of
the
animals
found
in
Madagascar,
these
creatures
exist
nowhere
else.
It’s
a
similar
story
with
the
plant
life;
more
than
13
000
species
of
plant,
of
which
around
three
quarters
are
endemic,
are
found
here.
Madagascar’s
six
separate
microclimates
have
manipulated
landscapes
worthy
of
their
inhabitants:
desert
and
the
sacred
spiny
forest
dominate
the
rural
and
undeveloped
southern
plains;
–Š‡Š‹‰ŠŽƒ†•‘ˆ…‡–”ƒŽƒ†ƒ‰ƒ•…ƒ”ƒ”‡•–”‡ƒ‡†™‹–Š”‹…‡ϐ‹‡Ž†•
and
surrounded
by
rivers,
valleys
and
mountains;
the
luscious
rainforests
of
northern
Madagascar
are
infused
with
a
unique
and
wild
blend
of
plant
life.
Madagascar
is
what
a
country
might
look
like
if
viewed
through
a
kaleidoscope:
vibrant
markets,
colour-­‐shifting
chameleons
and
the
bluest
sky
met
by
the
reddest
earth.
The
colours
I
wished
to
immerse
myself
in,
however,
lay
a
little
further
offshore.
Much
like
its
sacred
forests
and
expansive
deserts,
Madagascar’s
magical
reefs
have
long
beckoned.
Despite
being
a
less-­‐known
dive
destination
than
neighbouring
Mozambique,
these
waters
rarely
drop
below
25°C
and
offer
good
year-­‐round
visibility.
The
opportunity
exists
to
see
dolphins,
whales,
sharks
and
manta
rays,
along
with
an
impressive
array
of
macro
life.
In
which
case,
why
does
Madagascar
remain
off
our
nautical
radar?
In
order
to
answer
this
question,
I
set
off
to
wet
my
dreams
in
Madagascar,
my
castle
in
the
sky.
The
island
of
Nosy
Be,
meaning
‘big
island’
in
Malagasy,
is
the
country’s
most
popular
tourist
haunt.
Located
eight
kilometres
off
its
northwestern
coast,
this
volcanic
island
is
a
springboard
to
Madagascar’s
best
dive
sites.
I
arrived
shattered
with
girlfriend
Gemma
and
documentary
maker
Chris
Scarffe
in
tow,
following
a
series
of
heavy-­‐duty
jobs.
Over
the
past
six
months
we
had
lived
™‹–Š–Š‡•Šƒ”Š—–‡”•‹‘œƒ„‹“—‡ǯ••Šƒ”Ǧϐ‹‹‰…ƒ’•Ǥ
We
had
driven
4
000
kilometres
across
southern
Africa
to
report
on
Namibia’s
seal
cull.
And
before
arriving
in
Nosy
Be,
we
had
traversed
Madagascar’s
spiny
forest
in
hot
pursuit
of
the
‘turtle
ƒϐ‹ƒǯȋ›‘—…ƒ”‡ƒ†ƒ„‘—––Š‹•‹–Š‡‡š–‹••—‡‘ˆDiveSite).
Here,
we’d
barely
seen
another
car
in
weeks.
Nor
had
we
experienced
the
feeling
of
warm
water
over
our
grubby
bodies
or
been
blessed
10
™‹–ŠƒϐŽ—•Š‹‰–‘‹Ž‡–Ǥ—”‹‰–Š‹•–‹‡™‡Šƒ†‡ƒ–‡ǡƒŽ‘•–
exclusively,
zebu
with
chips
and
Coke.
Luckily,
Madagascar’s
well-­‐
Ž‘˜‡†…ƒ––Ž‡–ƒ•–‡ƒŽ‘–Ž‹‡”‡‰—Žƒ”…‘™•ǡ‘Ž›„‡––‡”ȋ‡•’‡…‹ƒŽŽ›
when
dabbed
in
sakay,
Madagascar’s
lethal
equivalent
to
peri
peri).
In
short,
it
was
time
for
a
well-­‐earned
break.
But
more
pertinently,
time
to
strap
on
a
cylinder
and
get
down
to
some
off-­‐
the-­‐beaten-­‐track
diving.
Š‡ϐ‹”•–‘ˆ‘—”–™‘Ž‹˜‡ƒ„‘ƒ”†•™ƒ•–‘–Š‡‹–•‹‘”…Š‹’‡Žƒ‰‘ǡƒ
series
of
silver
basalt
islands
some
60
kilometres
north
of
Nosy
Be.
Less
well
known
than
the
southerly
Radames
Islands,
where
we’d
be
travelling
to
next,
the
Mitsio’s
are
a
great
choice
for
those
who
like
diving
in
isolation.
Our
vehicle,
home
and
dive
centre
for
the
week
was
Gecko,
an
11-­‐metre
catamaran
owned
and
operated
by
the
impeccable
Harriet
of
MadagasCat
Charters
and
Travel.
As
we
settled
in
and
cracked
open
a
Three
Horses
beer
our
stress
levels
immediately
halved.
We
were
on
our
way.
‘It’s
a
more
raw
experience,
diving
the
Mitsio’s,’
Jacques
Viera,
our
dive
guide
for
the
week
and
dive
manager
of
Sakatia
Lodge,
explained.
‘You’ll
hardly
see
any
other
divers
or
boats
during
the
trip,
so
if
you
like
empty
•‡ƒ•›‡–•–‹ŽŽ™ƒ––‘•‡‡•‘‡„‹‰ϐ‹•Š™‡•Š‘—Ž†Šƒ˜‡ƒ‰‘‘†–”‹’Ǥǯ
Jacques
went
on
to
explain
how,
over
recent
years,
local
and
‹†—•–”‹ƒŽϐ‹•Š‹‰˜‡••‡Ž•Šƒ†’Ž—†‡”‡†–Š‡ƒ”‡ƒǤ•–Š‡‘’‡”ƒ–‘”•
witnessed
their
catch
decrease
rapidly
they
moved
on.
There
is
•–‹ŽŽƒϐ‹•Š‹‰‹†—•–”›Š‡”‡ǡ‹’ƒ”–‹…—Žƒ”‘‡ˆ‘”•‡ƒ…—…—„‡”•Ǥ
Local
divers
work
with
rudimentary
equipment
and
training
–
one
of
them
had
disappeared
the
day
before
we
arrived.
The
Mitsio’s
provide
little
shelter
from
the
unpredictable
winds
–Šƒ–ƒˆϐŽ‹…––Š‡”‡‰‹‘ǤʹʹǦ‹Ž‡”‘—†–”‹’–‘ƒ•Š‡Ž–‡”‡†„ƒ›
every
day
was
necessary
to
escape
these
systems,
which
can
rage
without
warning.
After
a
superb
opening
night’s
dinner
of
tuna
carpaccio
followed
by
prawn
curry,
we
rolled
into
bed
with
broad
ϐ‹•ŠǦ‡ƒ–‹‰‰”‹•Ǥ•
‡ƒ†’‡‡‡†ˆ”‘‘—”…ƒ„‹™‹†‘™ƒ–
the
night
sky
that
engulfed
us,
we
prepared
ourselves
for
a
week
of
‘raw’
diving,
before
being
rocked
to
sleep
by
the
giant
cradle
that
is
the
Indian
Ocean.
—”ϐ‹”•–…‘—’Ž‡‘ˆ†ƒ›•™‡”‡•’‡–†‹˜‹‰–Š‡‘—””‘–Š‡”•Ǥ
Nesting
seabirds
including
frigatebirds
and
gannets
are
the
primary
inhabitants
of
these
grand
islands
and
deep
deep
diving
is
possible
here.
Most
life,
however,
is
seen
in
less
than
25
metres
‘ˆ™ƒ–‡”Ǥ‡™‡”‡–”‡ƒ–‡†–‘Žƒ”‰‡•…Š‘‘Ž•‘ˆ‰ƒ‡Ǧϐ‹•Šǣ–‘‘–Š›
„ƒ””ƒ…—†ƒ–‘”’‡†‘‡†’ƒ•–—•ƒŽ‘‰™‹–Š•‘‡•‹œ‡ƒ„Ž‡ȋ†‡Ž‹…‹‘—•
Ž‘‘‹‰Ȍ‹‰ϐ‹•ŠǤŠ‡™ƒŽŽ•™‡”‡†ƒ•Š‡†™‹–ŠŽƒ”‰‡„Žƒ……‘”ƒŽ
my castle in the sky
T he colours I wished t o immerse myself in, however, lay a lit t le furt her
offshore. Much like it s sacred forest s and expansive desert s, Madagascar’s magical reefs have long beckoned.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Chris grabs some footage of a hawksbill
turtle; TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/125.
Mantis shrimps, with their vibrant colours and bold nature, are
great fun to photograph; TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO
100, f18, 1/200 Ikelite DS-51 strobe. Pirogues are light and small
enough to be carried onto land between fishing trips; TECH SPEC:
Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO 100, f9, 1/160. Madagascar’s reefs
are teeming with hard and soft coral formations; TECH SPEC: Canon
40D, 10–22mm, ISO 200, f9, 1/100 Ikelite DS-51 strobe.
The smaller of Nosy Iranje’s two islands,
Nosy Iranje Kely. These beautiful atolls are
famous for the hawksbill turtles that come
ashore to lay their eggs; TECH SPEC: Canon
40D, 10–22mm, ISO 100, f10, 1/100.
13
my castle in the sky
trees,
sea
fans
and
whip
coral.
Tragically
malproportioned
mappa
’—ˆˆ‡”ϐ‹•ŠϐŽƒ’’‡†–Š‡‹”Ž‹––Ž‡ϐ‹•‹•—……‡••ˆ—Žƒ––‡’–•–‘ƒ˜‘‹†
my
lens.
Annoyingly,
I
spend
my
life
taking
photographs
of
things
that
want
to
run
away
from
me.
Giant
white
sea
cucumbers
with
–Š‡‹”ˆ—›ϐŽ‘™‡”›Ǯˆ‡‡–ǯ™‡”‡ƒŽ•‘”‡Ž—…–ƒ–‘†‡Ž•Ǥ†ƒ•
hawksbill
turtles
nonchalantly
chowed
the
unappetising
looking
…‘”ƒŽǡ‡’‡”‘”ƒ‰‡Žϐ‹•ŠŽ‹–—’–Š‡”‡‡ˆƒ”‘—†—•Ǥ
So
far,
so
good.
My
favourite
dive
in
the
Mitsio’s,
however,
was
the
only
shallow
site,
the
childishly
giggle-­‐inducing
Two
Tits.
This
ƒ„•–”ƒ…–’ƒ‹–‹‰‘ˆƒ†‹˜‡•‹–‡•‡”˜‡†—’ƒ˜‡”‹–ƒ„Ž‡ϐ‹•Š›ˆ‡ƒ•–‹
crystal
clear
conditions.
It
reminded
me
of
diving
in
Asia,
packed
full
of
life
and
colour
as
well
as
dramatic
rock
formations,
gullies
and
•™‹Ǧ–Š”‘—‰Š•Ǥƒ”‰‡ˆ”‹‡†Ž›„ƒ–ϐ‹•Š’—”•—‡†—•–Š”‘—‰Š‘—–ƒ†ƒ
big
old
brindle
bass
sullenly
gave
us
the
eye
before
skulking
past.
A
•‘”‰ƒ•„‘”†‘ˆ–”‘’‹…ƒŽϐ‹•Š•‡ƒ”‡†‡‘–”ƒ‹Ž•‘˜‡”–Š‡”‡‡ˆǤ
Eventually
the
weather
succumbed
to
the
sky’s
grumbles
and
the
wind
roared.
We
made
our
way
back
towards
Nosy
Be
to
dive
around
the
island
of
Nosy
Sakatia.
On
the
way
we
were
treated
to
some
serious
humpback
action
as
a
succession
of
mothers
and
calves
breached
in
front
of
Gecko.
When
they
concluded
their
show,
I
slipped
into
the
water
as
a
pod
of
around
40
bottlenose
†‘Ž’Š‹•’‘™‡”‡†’ƒ•–ǡ–Š‡‹”‘˜‡‡–••‘ϐŽ—‹†ƒ†ƒŒ‡•–‹…
they
could
have
been
generated
by
special
effects
experts.
Our
luck
with
pelagics
continued
on
our
dives
as
a
four-­‐metre
ƒ–ƒǡ™‹–ŠϐŽƒ’•‘ˆŠ‡”‰‹ƒ–™‹‰•ǡ…‹”…Ž‡†–Š‡…Ž‡ƒ‹‰’‘‹–ƒ–
ƒ–ƒ‡‡ˆ™Š‹Ž‡‘„Ž‹‰‹‰ϐ‹•Š‹„„Ž‡†’ƒ”ƒ•‹–‡•‘ˆˆŠ‡”Ǥ†–Š‡
from
beauty
to
the
beast
–
at
the
dive
site
Seven
Little
Sharks,
we
„—’‡†‹–‘ƒƒ‡•–Š‡–‹…ƒŽŽ›Ǧ…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡†Š—’Š‡ƒ†’ƒ””‘–ϐ‹•Šǡ
™Š‹…ŠŽ‘‘‡†Ž‹‡–Š‡Ž‘˜‡…Š‹Ž†‘ˆƒ’ƒ””‘–ϐ‹•Šƒ†‘Š‡””‹…ǡ
the
Elephant
Man.
A
night
dive
at
Mierials
Garden
exposed
us
–‘–™‘Žƒ”‰‡‰”‡‡–—”–Ž‡•ǡƒ’ƒ–‹‡–’‘”…—’‹‡ϐ‹•Š–Šƒ–Šƒ†ƒ
…‘ƒ–‘•‡”‡‘”ƒ•–—…–‘‹–•Š‡ƒ†ǡŠ‘”•‡•Š‘‡…”ƒ„•ǡ‘”‡„ƒ–ϐ‹•Šǡ
gurnard
and
some
funky
short-­‐tailed
sea
dragons.
Diving
the
wreck
at
Mahavelana
offered
a
pleasant
change
to
all
the
animal
action,
and
the
site
Banc
Louis
was
swamped
by
•…Š‘‘Ž‹‰ϐ‹•Š•—…Šƒ•’‹…Šƒ†Ž‡„ƒ””ƒ…—†ƒƒ†„Ž—‡ϐ‹‡†
‹‰ϐ‹•ŠǡƒŽ‘‰™‹–Š…”‘…‘†‹Ž‡ϐ‹•Šƒ†ƒ„Ž—‡•’‘––‡†•–‹‰”ƒ›Ǥ—”
ϐ‹ƒŽ†ƒ›‘
‡…‘™ƒ••’‡–‘–Š‡„‡ƒ—–‹ˆ—ŽŽ›ƒ‹…—”‡†…‘”ƒŽ
lawns
of
Unicorn
Reef.
Jacques,
himself
a
photographer
and
cameraman,
was
a
superb
guide.
In
over
12
000
dives
he
has
not
lost
any
of
his
enthusiasm
and
went
out
of
his
way
to
ensure
Chris
and
I
got
the
images
we
needed.
The
crew
had
been
outstanding,
with
the
chef
toiling
relentlessly
to
conjure
up
one
tasty
titbit
after
another.
We
departed
Gecko
with
bodies
soothed
and
eyes
gleaming
from
what
they’d
been
treated
to.
If
the
weather
is
on
your
side,
the
Mitsio
Archipelago
is
great
for
divers
who
want
to
avoid
the
crowds
yet
still
see
megafauna.
It
was
time
for
a
week
on
land
before
our
next
liveaboard
in
the
Radames
Islands.
Š‡ϐ‹”•–•‡––Ž‡”•ƒ””‹˜‡†ƒ–ƒ†ƒ‰ƒ•…ƒ”‹…ƒ‘‡•Ǥ–™ƒ•ƒ”‘—†
300
BCE
and
they’d
made
an
exhausting
trip
all
the
way
from
14
my castle in the sky
Borneo.
They
were
left
in
relative
peace
until
the
7th
century,
when
they
were
joined
by
Arabs
who
established
trading
posts.
Later
on
in
the
16th
century
the
Portuguese
joined
the
party.
It
wasn’t
until
the
end
of
the
19th
century
that
Madagascar
was
…‘Ž‘‹•‡†„›–Š‡”‡…Š„‡ˆ‘”‡ƒ…Š‹‡˜‹‰‹†‡’‡†‡…‡‹ͳͻ͸ͲǤ
”‡•—Ž–‹‰”‹…Š…—Ž–—”ƒŽŠ‡”‹–ƒ‰‡‹•”‡ϐŽ‡…–‡†–Š”‘—‰Š‘—–
Madagascar
–
in
its
people,
food
and
architecture.
The
Malagasy
have
a
unique
Afro-­‐Indonesian
look.
A
walk
around
Antananarivo,
the
capital,
is,
as
one
would
imagine,
similar
to
strolling
through
the
streets
of
19th-­‐century
Provence
while
the
cuisine
is
infused
with
’—‰‡–•‹ƒϐŽƒ˜‘—”•Ǥ
‹˜‡‹–•‹•‘Žƒ–‹‘ˆ”‘–Š‡”‡•–‘ˆ–Š‡™‘”Ž†ǡ
Madagascar
contains
a
lively
mix
of
cultures,
past
and
present.
We
hopped
off
Gecko
and
made
our
way
to
Ambatoloaka
village,
the
main
tourist
haunt
of
Nosy
Be.
Ambatoloaka
village
consists
of
a
dense
strip
of
restaurants
and
bars
offering
decent
options
for
accommodation
and
dining.
We
stayed
at
Hotel
Sarimanok,
a
new
dwelling
which,
whilst
very
much
still
a
work
in
progress,
was
ideally
located
and
showed
potential.
An
idyllic,
palm-­‐fringed
beach
was
peppered
with
traditional
boats,
dive
vessels
and
luxury
catamarans.
Whilst
the
ubiquitous
tourist
tat
was
peddled
on
the
beach,
sellers
were
always
polite
and
never
pushy.
English
is
not
spoken
widely
in
Nosy
Be,
but
a
good
deal
of
gesticulating
and
‘s’il
vous
plaits’
or
‘non
mercis’
go
a
long
way.
Given
that
Nosy
Be
is
supposed
to
be
Madagascar’s
hub
of
tourism,
there
wasn’t
an
abundance
of
tourists.
Visitors,
in
–Š‡ƒ‹ǡ™‡”‡•—”Ž›•‹Ž˜‡”ǦŠƒ‹”‡†”‡…Š‡‘•…‘‘–‡”•
accompanied
by
young
Malagasy
women.
Other
than
this
slightly
undesirable
scene,
the
lack
of
chattering
tourists
clad
with
maps
and
cameras
pleased
the
three
of
us
no
end.
Our
trip
to
Madagascar’s
most
colourful
diving
destination
was
with
dive
centre
Oceane’s
Dream.
But
before
this,
manager
Paul,
scuba’s
Gerard
Depardieu,
took
us
on
a
double
tank
to
Tanikely
marine
reserve.
Lying
just
a
few
kilometres
away
by
boat,
Nosy
Tanikely
is
the
most
popular
day
trip
out
of
Nosy
Be.
‡ŽŽ’‘Ž‹…‡†„›†‹Ž‹‰‡–’ƒ””ƒ‰‡”•ǡƒ”‹‡Ž‹ˆ‡ϐŽ‘—”‹•Š‡•Š‡”‡Ǥ
It
is
an
awesome
shallow
dive
and
snorkelling
site.
It
also
has
a
„‡ƒ—–‹ˆ—Ž„‡ƒ…Š‹ˆ›‘—…ƒ„Ž‘…‘—––Š‘•‡•‹Ž˜‡”ǦŠƒ‹”‡†”‡…Š‡
donning
tight
speedos.
In
two
gin-­‐clear
dives
we
saw
crocodile
ϐ‹•ŠǡƒŽ‡‘’ƒ”†•Šƒ”ǡ–™‘Šƒ™•„‹ŽŽ–—”–Ž‡•ǡ–‹–ƒ–”‹‰‰‡”ϐ‹•Šǡ
•–‘‡ϐ‹•Šǡ‰”‘—’‡”ǡƒ„Ž—‡•’‘––‡†”ƒ›ǡ—†‹„”ƒ…Š•ǡ’ƒ””‘–ϐ‹•Š
and
more.
Members
of
this
giant
marine
ecosystem
inhabited,
ate
and
darted
through
many
types
of
stunning
coral.
This
was
truly
spectacular
diving.
ƒ˜‹‰Šƒ†‘—”ϐ‹ŽŽ‘ˆǮ‹…‡ǯ†‹˜‹‰ǡ™‡’”‡’ƒ”‡†‘—”•‡Ž˜‡•ˆ‘”
our
liveaboard
on
Lady
Corsica,
a
13-­‐metre
catamaran.
Our
dive
guide
for
this
trip
was
Donatien,
an
uber-­‐chilled
out
and
likeable
”‡…Š†—†‡™Š‘Ž‹˜‡†ˆ‘”†‹˜‹‰Ǥ•‡†™Šƒ–Š‡™‘—Ž†„‡‹ˆ‘–ƒ
dive
instructor,
Donatien
looked
at
me
quizzically
and
shrugged
as
if
he’d
never
even
considered
not
being
a
dive
instructor.
Much
like
the
Mitsios,
The
Radames
are
renowned
for
their
wall
dives
and
the
potential
for
deep
diving,
so
the
cutesy
marine
The delicate skeletal frames of giant sea
fans dwarf everything else around them;
TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO
100, f5, 1/160, no strobes.
15
my castle in the sky
Diving t he wreck at Mahavelana offered
a pleasant change t o all t he animal act ion..
Dive guide Jacques Viera assists photographer
Aaron Gekoski by shedding light on the wreck;
TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO 200, f6.3,
1/50, twin DS-160 strobes set on low power.
Ž‹ˆ‡‘ˆƒ‹‡Ž›™‘—Ž†„‡ƒ†‹•–ƒ–†”‡ƒǤ—”ϐ‹”•––™‘†‹˜‡•ƒ–
Black
Wall
and
West
Kalakajoro
were
greener
and
lumpier
than
we’d
become
accustomed
to.
However
we
did
see,
through
the
‰Ž‘‘’ǡ•‘‡Œ‘„ϐ‹•Šǡ–”‡˜ƒŽŽ‹‡•ǡƒƒ’’ƒ’—ˆˆ‡”ϐ‹•Šǡƒ„Žƒ…•’‘––‡†
’—ˆˆ‡”ϐ‹•Šǡ•ƒ’’‡”•ǡ‰”‘—’‡”ǡ’‹’‡ϐ‹•Šǡ‘”‹‡–ƒŽ•™‡‡–Ž‹’•ƒ†ƒ
large
hawksbill
turtle.
In
the
evening
we
stopped
off
at
beautiful
–ƒ‹‘”ƒƒ†’Š‘–‘‰”ƒ’Š‡†–Š‡Ž‘…ƒŽ•Šƒ—Ž‹‰ϐ‹•Š‘ˆˆ–Š‡
lovingly
hand-­‐crafted
boats
they
call
pirogues.
The wreck at Mahavelona was sunk in
May 2007, creating plenty of nooks
and crannies for divers to explore;
TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm,
ISO 200, f6.3, 1/100, no strobes.
16
The
next
morning
was
the
one
we’d
been
waiting
for:
Greg’s
Wall,
perhaps
Madagascar’s
best-­‐known
dive
site.
Greg’s
Wall
features
a
tight
30-­‐metre-­‐long
swim-­‐through
at
around
35-­‐metres,
where
divers
exit
in
front
of
a
massive
pinnacle
populated
with
giant
fan
coral.
More
daring
divers
can
continue
to
50-­‐metres
plus.
Devastatingly,
a
mask
mix-­‐up
ensured
my
dive
was
spent
in
foggy
ignorance.
I
saw
what
I
believed
to
be
our
ϐ‹”•–Ž‹‘ϐ‹•Š‘ˆ–Š‡–”‹’ǡ†”ƒƒ–‹…ƒŽŽ›•‹ŽŠ‘—‡––‡†ƒ‘‰•––Š‡
giant
fans.
Though
for
all
I
knew
it
could
have
been
Aslan
himself.
And
then
maybe
a
couple
of
mobulas?
I
gave
up
speculating.
Afterwards,
Chris
and
Gemma
smugly
assured
me
it
was
a
topographically
breathtaking
site
before
pondering
how
it
may
have
looked
50
years
prior
to
the
arrival
of
the
big
industrial
ϐ‹•Š‹‰˜‡••‡Ž•Ǥ
Our
next
dive
was
at
Alimady
and
turned
out
to
be
the
cleanest
dive
of
our
trip
with
40-­‐metre-­‐plus
viz.
A
perfect
current
swept
us
along
this
vast
aquarium
and,
again,
the
topography
was
amazing.
Again
we
pondered
how
it
might’ve
looked
with
vast
shivers
of
•Šƒ”•ƒ†‘–Š‡”„‹‰ϐ‹•ŠǤ—–‹–†‹†ǯ–ƒ…–—ƒŽŽ›ƒ––‡”Ǥ‘”‘…‡
decided
to
enjoy
complete
peripheral
vision,
tucked
the
camera
to
my
side
and
blissfully
rode
the
current.
After
this,
we
took
to
the
reefs
around
the
pretty
island
of
Nosy
Saba,
which
contained
one
resort
and
a
temple.
A
shallow
night
†‹˜‡ƒŽŽ‘™‡†‡Ž‘–•‘ˆ–‹‡–‘’Žƒ›™‹–Š›‡™ϐŽ‘™‡”›ˆ‘‘–‡†
friends
and
a
feisty
mantis
shrimp,
which,
with
its
goggly
eyes
and
luminescence,
was
a
great
photographic
subject.
Three
Rocks
was
another
wall
dive
similar
to
Greg’s
Wall,
replete
with
sea
fans.
It
supplied
me
with
my
favourite
photo
of
the
trip
–
a
diver
silhouetted
amongst
the
skeletal
fans.
This
image
epitomised
for
me
the
deep
diving
in
Madagascar,
the
feeling
of
‹•‘Žƒ–‹‘ƒ†‹•‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ…‡ƒ‘‰•–†”ƒƒ–‹……‘”ƒŽˆ‘”ƒ–‹‘•Ǥ
17
my castle in thestrap
sky
Our
afternoon
dive
at
West
Nosy
Ovy
rivalled
Tanikely
for
coral
diversity.
A
large
black
blotched
ray
and
giant
honeycomb
moray
•–ƒ”–‡†’”‘…‡‡†‹‰•™‹–Šƒ„ƒ‰„‡ˆ‘”‡ƒϐŽ‡‡–‘ˆ—„‹“—‹–‘—•
—‹…‘”ϐ‹•Š‘•‡†–Š‡‹”™ƒ›–Š”‘—‰Šƒ…‘”ƒŽ„—ˆˆ‡–‘ˆ—•Š”‘‘•ǡ
•ƒ—•ƒ‰‡•ƒ†…ƒ—Ž‹ϐŽ‘™‡”ǡƒŽŽ•‡”˜‡†—’‘‰‹ƒ–’‘Ž›’’Žƒ–‡•Ǥ
—”‡˜‡‹‰™ƒ••’‡–ƒ–ƒ”ƒƒŠƒƒ›ǡƒ•ƒŽŽϐ‹•Š‹‰˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡
where
traditional
boats
are
produced.
Baramahamay
is
also
famous
for
its
lemurs
and
mangrove
crabs
which,
cooked
in
a
rich
curry
sauce,
didn’t
disappoint.
The
crabs
that
is,
not
the
lemurs.
Crustaceans
digested
overnight
and
the
next
morning
we
†‹˜‡†‘—–Šƒ›‘ǤŠ‹•…‘–ƒ‹‡†ƒ‰”‡ƒ–‡”†‹˜‡”•‹–›‘ˆϐ‹•Š
than
any
other
site
we’d
dived
in
Madagascar:
more
big
conked
—‹…‘”ϐ‹•ŠǡƒŽ‹’’›’‘–ƒ–‘„ƒ••ǡ•Ž‡‡‘„—Žƒ•ǡ•Š‹‡”‹‰
•…”‹„„Ž‡†ϐ‹Ž‡ϐ‹•Šǡ•–‡ƒŽ–ŠǦŽ‹‡†‘‰–‘‘–Š–—ƒǡ’‡”ƒǦ•—”’‹•‡†
„‹‰‡›‡–”‡˜ƒŽŽ›ǡ‘”‡—‹†‡–‹ϐ‹‡†‰”‘—’‡”•ǡ—•…—Žƒ”’ƒ‹•Š
mackerel,
thousands
of
charming
garden
eels,
a
feisty
clown
–”‹‰‰‡”ϐ‹•ŠǤ–Š‹›‘—‰‡––Š‡‹†‡ƒǤ
And
our
day
was
to
get
even
better.
Cue,
Nosy
Iranja.
Cue,
heaven.
Connected
by
a
two-­‐kilometre
spit,
Nosy
Iranje
consists
of
two
islands.
One
is
privately
owned,
the
other
contains
a
boutique
lodge
and
small
village.
Visitors
can
stay
with
locals
for
around
US$10
a
night,
but
hotel
rooms
are
rather
pricier.
After
hiking
to
the
islands’
lighthouse,
we
stopped
to
take
in
–Š‡ƒ‰‹ϐ‹…‡–˜‹‡™•Ǥ•‹ˆ™‡Šƒ†ǯ–†‘‡‡‘—‰Šˆ‡ƒ•–‹‰ǡ
here
was
another
banquet
of
colours.
What
lay
before
us
were
multiple
hues
of
green
that
sprouted
from
the
deep
red
earth
Žƒ›‡”•‘ˆϐŽ—ˆˆ›™Š‹–‡…Ž‘—†…ƒ•–‹‰‘˜‡”•Š‹‡”‹‰–—”“—‘‹•‡
waters
hung
in
a
cobalt-­‐blue
sky.
I
could’ve
got
lost
in
the
village
of
Nosy
Iranje
for
some
time,
ditched
my
bag,
speared
fish
for
dinner
and
gone
feral.
Sadly,
our
packed
schedule
meant
a
couple
of
hours
had
to
suffice.
Anyway,
there
was
more
diving
to
be
done.
The
shallow
dive
of
the
ƒˆ–‡”‘‘™ƒ•ƒ”‘—†—‰ƒ”‘ƒˆ•Žƒ†ǡƒŽ•‘‘™ƒ•–Š‡‹ˆ–Š
Brother,
and
legend
has
it
that
it
upped
sticks
to
escape
from
its
other
brothers
in
the
Mitsio’s.
A
pleasant
hour
was
whittled
away
™‹–Š•‘‡ϐŽƒ–™‘”•ǡœ‹ŽŽ‹‘•‘ˆ…Ž‘™ϐ‹•Šǡƒ„Ž—‡•’‘––‡†”ƒ›ǡ
•…‘”’‹‘ϐ‹•Šƒ†•‘‡…”ƒœ›Ž‘‘‹‰—†‹„”ƒ…Š•Ǥ
We
spent
the
evening
exhausted,
yet
elated,
at
Russian
Bay.
This
small
enclave
is
renowned
for
being
one
of
the
best-­‐protected
anchorages
in
the
Indian
Ocean.
In
1905
45
Russian
boats
containing
nearly
15
000
people
waited
here
for
three
months
before
heading
for
war
with
Japan.
—”ϐ‹ƒŽ†‹˜‡was
at
Shark
Point,
a
supposed
hot
spot
for
grey
reef
sharks.
Shivers
of
up
to
60
sharks
are
occasionally
spotted
here.
Unfortunately,
we
only
saw
two
skittish
individuals
along
with
a
big
school
of
black
snapper.
However,
as
we
wriggled
out
of
our
BCDs
and
handed
them
to
skipper
Richard,
a
large
pod
of
dolphins
surrounded
Lady
Corsica.
It
must
have
been
a
school
day
–
calves,
barely
a
couple
of
months
old,
propelled
themselves
‘—–‘ˆ–Š‡™ƒ–‡”ƒ†’‡”ˆ‘”‡†ƒˆ‡™’ƒ••ƒ„Ž‡ϐŽ‹’•„‡ˆ‘”‡„‡ŽŽ›
ϐŽ‘’’‹‰„ƒ…‹–‘–Š‡™ƒ–‡”ǤŠ‡‹”‡ˆˆ‘”–•™‡”‡‡‘—‰Š–‘‹†—…‡
ƒˆ‡™ǮƒŠŠ•ǯƒ‘‰•––Š‡‰”‘—’ƒ†‘ˆˆ‡”‡†ƒŠ‡ƒ”–Ǧ™ƒ”‹‰ϐ‹ƒŽ‡
to
a
packed
and
unique
dive
adventure.
Our
schedule
for
the
fortnight
had
gone
something
like
this:
™ƒ‡ǡ‡ƒ–„”‡ƒˆƒ•–ǡ†‹˜‡ǡ‰‘ϐ‹•Š‹‰ǡ†‹˜‡ǡŠƒ˜‡•‹‡•–ƒǡ‡ƒ–ˆ”‡•Šϐ‹•Šǡ
dive,
eat
more
delicious
food,
drink
cocktails,
sleep
happily.
Repeat.
It
may
have
been
a
touch
indulgent,
but
it
wasn’t
half
enjoyable.
As
we
sailed
back
to
Nosy
Be
contentedly
slurping
Malagasy
˜ƒ‹ŽŽƒ”—ƒ†…‘…‘—–‹Ž…‘…–ƒ‹Ž•ǡ™‡”‡ϐŽ‡…–‡†‘‘—”–”‹’Ǥ
Somehow
‘the
eighth
continent’
had
surpassed
our
expectations.
Madagascar,
with
all
its
endemism,
is
as
magical
and
beguiling
a
place
as
anywhere
on
earth.
Thankfully,
it
is
still
relatively
—–‘—…Š‡†„›–‘—”‹•ǯ•ƒ”ƒ—†‹‰ϐ‹‰‡”•ǡ„—––Šƒ–ƒ‡•‹–ƒ
†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–ƒ†‡š’‡•‹˜‡’Žƒ…‡–‘–”ƒ˜‡Ž–‘Ǥ–ǯ•ƒ…–—ƒŽŽ›…Š‡ƒ’‡”–‘
ϐŽ›–‘—”‘’‡ˆ”‘‘Šƒ‡•„—”‰–Šƒ‹–‹•–‘ϐŽ›–‘ƒ†ƒ‰ƒ•…ƒ”Ǥ
Our
experience
of
Air
Madagascar
–
one
of
only
two
airlines
with
™Š‹…Š–‘ϐŽ›ˆ”‘‘Šƒ‡•„—”‰Ȃ™ƒ•ˆƒ”ˆ”‘ˆƒ˜‘—”ƒ„Ž‡Ǥ—”
ϐŽ‹‰Š–•…Š‡†—Ž‡•™‡”‡…Šƒ‰‡†–™‹…‡ƒ––Š‡Žƒ•–‹—–‡ƒ†™‹–Š‘
warning.
Service
was
poor,
safety
checks
sporadic
and
lazy,
and
all
of
this
made
their
extortionate
fees
hard
to
stomach.
However,
brave
the
trip
and
airfare,
and
you’ll
be
welcomed
by
wonderfully
hospitable
people.
Outside
the
airports,
the
service
everywhere
was
exceptional,
the
food
varied
and
tasty.
Madagascar
is
a
breathtaking
country
in
terms
of
plant
and
animal
life.
Whilst
the
pin-­‐up
species
of
Malagasy
tourism,
such
as
cutesy
lemurs
and
colour-­‐shifting
chameleons,
may
grab
the
headlines,
there’s
enough
coming
out
of
the
blue
to
keep
even
the
pickiest
diver
happy.
During
the
trip
I
was
swamped
by
a
pod
of
dolphins,
engulfed
by
a
gigantic
manta
ray
as
it
was
cleaned,
and
treated
to
shows
of
acrobatics
by
humpback
whales.
The
seascapes
at
the
deep
dives,
with
their
giant
sea
fans,
were
spectacular.
Some
of
the
shallow
sites
held
a
sparkling
array
of
soft
and
hard
coral
and
™‡”‡’”‡‰ƒ–™‹–Š–”‘’‹…ƒŽϐ‹•Š–Šƒ–…ƒ•–—†‡”™ƒ–‡””ƒ‹„‘™•Ǥ
Long
known
as
either
‘The
Red
Island’
for
its
red
laterite
earth
or
‘The
Green
Island’
for
its
plant
life,
perhaps
Madagascar:
‘The
Island
of
Colours’
has
a
better
ring
to
it.
WHEN TO VISIT:
*
Diving conditions are good all year round with generally 20-metreplus visibility. The water temperature barely dips below 25°C.
October to December is the most popular time to dive.
The rainy season runs from late December to April (try to avoid it).
The cooler dry season runs from May to October.
*
*
*
WHO TO DIVE WITH:
* MadagasCat Travel: + 27 84 524 9706, [email protected],
www.madagascat.co.za.
Oceane’s Dream: +261 320712782, [email protected],
www.oceanesdream.com.
*
WHERE TO STAY:
*
Sakatia Lodge: +27 (0) 11 706 1991, info@unusualdestinations.
com, www.sakatia.co.za.
* Hotel Sarimonak: +261 32 05 909 09, [email protected],
www.hotel-sarimanok-nosy-be.com.
Hotel Gérard & Francine: +261 32 07 127 93,
[email protected], www.gerard-et-francine.com.
*
Weather at the Mitsios’ Four Brothers can turn
in an instant, but a liveaboard there can be a
rewarding experience no matter the state of the
sky; TECH SPEC: Canon 40D, 10–22mm, ISO 100,
f9, 1/320, processed with Photomatix Pro.
18
19