By: Amkieltiela (Marine Science & Knowledge Management Officer, WWF-Indonesia)

Hooray! Finally the data collection activities begin!

The team had to leave quite early in the morning, at the latest at 08:00 WIT, because October is already the month of Meti in Kei Kecil, where the lowest tides of the year occur. If the team is late, the boat will inevitably get stuck in the shallow lagoon, and will not be able to get out to the shoals and waters. This is also the time of year when bameti is widely practiced throughout Kei Kecil by the local community, the collection of marine and coastal resources in the intertidal zone at low tide. Bameti is part of the hereditary tradition of the Kei Kecil community.

In the three dives today, we have been presented with various beauties of the Kei sea, in addition to colorful coral reefs, various types and many reef fish can be found at each observation location and enough to make it difficult for the fish team to collect data.

We also found several flagship species throughout our dives. Om Noke and Sila met Hawksbill and Green turtles. Hawksbill and Green Turtles are indeed found nesting around Kei Kecil (some of them are Nai Island and Ngaf Island for Hawksbill Turtles and Tayando Island for Green Turtles). The surprises didn't stop there. While resting for our second dive, we encountered a group of dolphins. There were approximately 45 of them and they took turns jumping into the water, as if welcoming our arrival.