INTERNATIONAL WHALE SHARK DAY CELEBRATIONS!

On August 30^th as a celebration of International Whale Shark Day, the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) played host to a lively afternoon dock party at the Utila Lodge Resort.  A highly energetic and animated slackline competition provided great entertainment as did DJ Cynia kicking off the afternoon party with great tunes blaring out!  Cheap beer & rum were enjoyed by many in a beautifully typical Utilian afternoon sunshine, surrounded by clear turquoise waters and people having fun on the slackline and in the water. Thank you to all Utila´s Whale Shark LOVERS out there who came to support us!

Photo credit to Simon Hilbourne

The day was pleasant and sunny, and much appreciated after a somewhat fretful night of high winds and heavy rainfall!  Miraculously, it was the perfect weather for having an outdoor afternoon party. During the morning WSORC volunteers, along with the kind help of two enthusiastic BICA volunteers as well as staff from the Bay Islands College of Diving (BICD) and the Utila Lodge set up everything on the dock; music, beer coolers, beers on ice, tables, posters and the slacklines.

People started arriving at the Utila Lodge dock past noon in blazing sunshine to the sounds of Caribbean rhythms being played across the bay. Beer was sold for just 25Lps with all proceeds going to WSORC, from a beer table with the advertising slogan “Save a whale shark, drink a beer!” and to get the competitors’ balance started those who bought tickets for the slackline competition received their 1^st beer free!  The Utila Lodge sold tasty BBQ food plates for 100Lps and soft drinks and mixers were available at the Lodge bar.

The motivation behind our fundraiser was to promote International Whale Shark Day and raise awareness about the importance of whale sharks to Utila, and build upon our conservation efforts for these majestic giants. 

There were 2 slacklines, one for practicing and the other one for the competition. Even visitors who were not competing tried their luck on the slacklines!  As the afternoon progressed so did the boldness of the attempts, providing great entertainment for all the spectators.   DJ Cynia continued to throw out a myriad of classic Caribbean tunes with her excellent music selection, which was clearly undeniable to all the dancing feet around the dock!

When everyone was ready and present the competition began. There were 11 participants in total, and a blind name draw from a bucket helped set up the contestants for round 1. Each competitor received two attempts on the slackline, and those who got furthest along the slackline progressed into the following rounds, culminating in a grand finale between Bradley Shellito (a PADI Dive Instructor who is no stranger to the island of Utila), Jamie Lamb (one of BICD’s current Dive Masters in training), and Emily Moore (coincidentally one of the BICA volunteers who helped out earlier in the day). 

After an entertaining battle to mark the end of the afternoon, Bradley was announced the winner of 1^st prize! He received 1000Lps for coming first and supporting the whale sharks! Second place was taken by Jamie, who received a crate of Salva Vida beer, and in third place was Emily who received 2 fun dives that had been generously donated by BICD.  Congratulations to our worthy winners!  And huge thanks to all the competitors who got involved, all of our friends who came out to support us, all of the staff and volunteers involved in making the day such a success, and massive thanks to UK based MAVERICK SLACKLINES for generously donating the brand new slackline gear to the center!  Happy International Whale Shark Day August 30^th 2013!!!

And our three worth winners from the afternoon!

BICAJAM - BICA is back in action! By Camila Peña

On 24^th August the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) welcomed through its doors the island of Utila in celebration of the grand re-opening of its brand new visitor center, and of course the whole team at the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) was there in full regalia to support the celebrations. 

The grand re-opening, so aptly named “BICAJAM”, was attended by volunteers from both the Iguana Research and Breeding Station (IRBS) and from the WSORC.  A whole host of community members from the island, as well as dive center representatives, school children and parents, and local news station HQ TV’s reporter Shelby Mcnab were also there to participate in BICA’s festivities.  It was a truly united and enjoyable afternoon of fun and learning for all, in which each organization was able to display their respective projects to visitors, and promote the importance of conservation of the natural environment and wealth of wildlife that characterizes the Bay Islands.

In the central courtyard, recently remodelled by BICA staff and volunteers, the IRBS and WSORC presented their exhibits, providing information about the species and programs they are currently working with.  The IRBS had on offer handcrafted wine made from Jamaica flowers, and screened a most entertaining and expertly produced video about the work of their volunteers with the endemic iguana; Utila’s swamper (Ctenosaura Bakeri).  They also displayed information about their own environmentally informative visitor center, as well as the achievements they have accomplished to date.

WSORC’s exhibit stand shared information and interesting facts about this majestic and gentle giant of our seas. Proudly on show was the center’s new model whale shark, handcrafted by WSORC volunteer Simon Hilbourne.  As well as creatively illustrating the anatomy of a whale shark, it now serves the center as an exquisitely unique and much needed donations box!

Photo credit: Simon Hilbourne 

Amongst the information WSORC volunteers prepared for the day was a map depicting the island of Utila and whale shark sightings, including all recent encounters up to August 2013.  Graphs were displayed describing the average size of the whale sharks that have been observed in the coastal waters of Utila, as well as interesting information about the world’s largest fish and its behaviour.  Encounter guidelines and regulations were also on display, providing our audience with an up to date guide on how to behave appropriately should they be fortunate enough to encounter a whale shark.  WSORC’s most recent eco-products; bar coasters made from recycled wetsuit material and decorated with our logo were also sold during the afternoon in order to collect funds for the center.  Information promoting our free weekly whale shark presentation, given every Sunday evening at 7:30pm at the Utila Lodge bar was also on display.

Inside the visitor center, BICA’s displays of the work they have been doing and the projects they are involved with were excellently designed and very informative.  Details of their sea turtle conservation program, as well as their lionfish management efforts, monitoring of mangroves, and beach clean ups were displayed for all to see and enjoy.

The center was full of children throughout the day, who took full advantage of the kids activity room recently remodelled by Ella Sayer, and it was clear to see they were thoroughly enjoying the educational material.  Throughout the afternoon there was food on offer and a Raffle with fun prizes. The afternoon was played to a great end with notes of guitar and live music in Spanish from Dani Vargas.  Well done BICA what a great success!

En Español.....

La Asociación para la Conservación de Islas de la Bahía (BICA, por sus siglas en inglés) abrió oficialmente, el pasado 24 de agosto, las puertas de su nuevo centro de visitantes en Utila y WSORC hizo parte de la celebración.

Al BICA JAM asistieron voluntarios de las Estación Iguana y, por supuesto, del Centro de Tiburón Ballena e Investigaciones Oceánicas (WSORC). Fue una tarde de diversión y de aprendizaje para todos, en la que cada organización tuvo la posibilidad de mostrarle a los visitantes su trabajo por la conservación de los ecosistemas, la importancia de las especies que habitan en la isla y en sus aguas y la manera en la que cada quien puede aportar para reducir la contaminación y proteger la riqueza natural que caracteriza a las Islas de la Bahía.  

En el patio central, recientemente remodelado por el staff de BICA, la Estación Iguana y WSORC tuvieron su stand, en donde brindaron información sobre los programas en los que trabajan actualmente.  La Estación Iguana, además, vendió vino artesanal hecho de flores de Jamaica, para recoger fondos, y mostró videos sobre el trabajo de sus voluntarios con las iguanas, su centro de educación ambiental y los logros que han obtenido hasta el momento.

El Centro de Tiburón Ballena, por su parte, compartió información y datos curiosos sobre este gigante de los mares. En el stand sobresalía el tiburón ballena hecho por Simon, uno de los voluntarios, que además de ilustrar como se ve este pez, es ahora utilizado en el centro para recolectar las donaciones.

Entre la información que prepararon los voluntarios para ese día estaba un mapa con los avistamientos de tiburón ballena, actualizado a agosto de 2013; gráficas sobre el tamaño promedio de los tiburones que se han visto en la isla; datos curioso sobre este pez y su comportamiento y una guía de la manera adecuada de comportarse en el caso de tener la fortuna de ver el pez mas grande del mundo. Lindos porta vasos hechos de trajes de buceo reciclados y pintados con el logo de WSORC fueron vendidos durante la tarde para recoger fondos. Así mismo se promocionaron las presentaciones de tiburón ballena de los domingos, a las 7:30 p.m., en el bar de Utila Lodge.

En el interior del centro de visitantes, BICA hizo un despliegue del trabajo que han venido haciendo en sus diferentes frentes: conservación de tortugas, erradicación de pez león, monitoreo de manglares, limpieza de playas, etc.

El lugar estaba lleno de niños, que disfrutaron al máximo de la jornada educativa, en la que también hubo comida y rifas con increíbles premios. La tarde terminó con notas de guitarra y música en español de Dani Vargas.