From our SCUBA conservation holiday volunteering with coral reefs and whale sharks of the Maldives (http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/maldives). Expedition blogs at http://biosphereexpeditions.wordpress.com/, http://www.facebook.com/biosphere.expeditions1, https://plus.google.com/103347005009999707934/posts.

1. So what was out there, and why?
JL

2. A common purpose – to help discover
the health of the Maldives

3. Training at Baros and Embudhoo

4. Atolls - A special case

5. •This theory was finally proved in 1953 at Eniwetok
atoll in the Marshall Islands, when a test boring
through the reef hit volcanic rock at 1283 metres.
Eniwetok atoll

6. Inshore house reef

7. You learned what one of these
was for

8. Biyadhoo an inshore reef

10. Low coral cover, even in shallow

11. What a contrast! (Biyadhoo to Ellaidhoo)

12. Ellaidhoo and Orimas Faru

13. Ellaidhoo and Orimas Faru

14. Go south (Angaga)

15. Angaga house reef

16. Angaga house reef

17. Go East (Vilamendhoo)

18. Healthy corals in shallow reef

20. But indications of disease, bleaching
and excess nutrients
But in <1% of the coral population

21. The clean table tops of south Ari – are they
‘weeds’, or important for reef growth?

22. Table and branching Acropora
dominate in more sheltered conditions

23. Reflected in outstanding coral recovery
site depth 1997 ('98 for Vilm) 2012 % bleaching
3m 50.63 33 NA
Ellaidhoo housereef
12m 34.38 21 NA
3m 49.38 61 NA
Angaga northeast
12m 26.88 46 NA
3m 30.63 / 58.75 43 NA
Angaga southwest
NA
12m 21.25 / 59.38 60
85
3m 5.63 48 / 61
Vilamendhoo*
90
10m 6.88 26