Celebrating World Oceans Day at the Marine Education Station
World Oceans Day is a global day of ocean celebration. Each year on the 8th June, many organisations and individuals around the world (including us) organize special events in order to inspire people to love and protect our oceans.
At Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, I organized several activities designed to involve the staff and guests on this special day.
Resort staff enjoy the lunchtime quiz on World Oceans Day
For the resort staff, we had a fun quiz at the canteen while staff were at lunch. The top three winners won a Marvelous Mangrove Snorkel session with me. Each week the staff get information on a different marine species via email along with a quiz so not surprisingly, we had nine participants that scored enough to be in the top three. The quiz was really appreciated by the staff and I shared some of the WiseOceans pictures on a screen while they were all having fun doing the quiz. In the afternoon, some of the staff came down to the beach and we took a #selfieforthesea with the ocean as a backdrop to show our love for the sea.
A #selfieforthesea on World Oceans Day
To help engage the resort guests on this special occasion, I displayed a board that contained information on how climate change is affecting for coral reefs and how we can help to protect it. Climate change is the greatest threat to coral reefs and WiseOceans is promoting a #promisetothereef where you can promise to make a small change in your lifestyle that will reduce your carbon footprint. The guests appreciated this initiative and it was great to see people make a promise that will help protect coral reefs around the world.
Seahorse in the mangroves
Throughout this event, I had the time to explain to the resort staff and guests some of the great experiences I’ve had at the resort while snorkeling with in the mangroves or on the reef. It also makes me think of some great encounters I’ve had with amazing and rare animals such as the sea turtle on the reef or the seahorse in the mangroves. I am so lucky to encounter these creatures that sometime you forget that you are working.
World Oceans Day was such a great day as it inspires people and promotes the protection of the oceans. I can’t wait for the next one!
“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.” (Baba Dioum, 1968)
