Whale Sharks and Lemurs and Pristine Corals on Nosy Be Island / Madagascar
Madagascar is a country full of unimaginable biodiversity, fascinating history and breath-taking landscapes. In fact, the island nation of Madagascar is so diverse, that naturalists lovingly refer to it as ‘the eighth continent.’ On the north-western side of Madagascar lies the small island of Nosy Be, which ironically means ‘Big Island’ in the local Malagasy language. The island itself is a beautiful mix of seven volcanic lakes, fragrant ylang ylang groves and gentle hillsides covered in vanilla and frangipani. Even though Nosy Be is Madagascar’s main beach destination, the island is still quiet and in many parts, very rustic. Several nature reserves on Nosy Be and the surrounding islands offer you the opportunity to see lemurs, chameleons and other key Madagascar fauna and flora, not to mention the incredible life below the surface…
In the quiet waters between Nosy Be and Madagascar main land (called Grand Terre by the locals) whale sharks come to feed during the months of September to November. These gentle giants have been observed by local dive operators and fishermen for several years, but it is only recently that a research project has been initiated to understand the behaviour of the Madagascar whale sharks.
We recommend this destination because there is such incredible biodiversity of life above and below to be explored and we want to support the invaluable research being done by the Madagascar Whale Shark Project. We advocate diving with a well established local operator who has the highest standards of responsible marine encounters to be secure in the knowledge that you will be receiving truly sustainable animal interactions.
WHALE SHARKS are the largest cartilaginous fish in the sea. They are gentle filter-feeders, feeding on tiny plankton while migrating around the great oceans, sadly they are listed as endangered globally. As they feed by opening their large mouth and sucking plankton in while swimming along, freediving is the best way to meet them! With their iconic white spotted backs they are called Marokita in local Malagasy language – meaning milky way, alluding to the galaxy on their broad backs.
GREEN TURTLES are some of the wisest looking creatures in the sea, one of the largest of all the sea turtles and in fact the only herbivore in the family. Off the island of Nosy Sakatia, you can spend hours drifting in a shallow bay observing the turtles eat their salad seagrass, interact and relax.
On land you may have the opportunity to see various species of lemurs, colourful geckos, the fantastic panther chameleon and other unique animals.