Dive Review of
Nai'a in
Kiribati (Christmas Island)/Phoenix Islands

 Carribbean, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tonga 

Dive Conditions

[Unspecified]  

[None]  

Overall Rating

I spent 2 weeks as part of an expedition to study the Phoenix Islands
ecosystem’s recovery from a severe coral bleaching episode in 2002. David
Obura and Sangeeta Mangubhai, our coral scientists, had been on 2 previous
Phoenix Islands expeditions, when the object was to study pristine reefs in
an area isolated from most human development. Many of you may have seen the
National Geographic article from February 2003, documenting the second of
these trips, in early 2002. Our current trip was meant to be a pleasure
trip to see these untouched reefs. Unfortunately, a severe hotspot of ocean
warming occurred here in late 2002, and a somber report of dead coral was
put out in November. Five people cancelled their plans for the trip, but
the rest of us decided to stay on but change the focus to research,
inviting the scientists who had been there previously to come along and see
if they could determine the severity of damage and potential for recovery.

It was indeed a severe bleaching episode--the temperature gauges set
during the 2002 trip and recovered during this one indicate that the ocean
heated up to well over the bleaching “baseline” of 30c for 5 months—all the
way up to 31.5c for a significant amount of time. The result is
staggering—in many places the coral is not only dead but reduced to rubble.
The “Coral Castle” site in Kanton lagoon, shown in its former glory in the
NG article, is intact but nearly 100% dead. Huge stacks of table coral in a
sea of staghorn coral, all dead. It must have been an amazing sight prior
to its demise. Watching the fish swimming there is analogous to watching
children playing in a junkyard or a war-ravaged city. It is heartening to
see the spirit of the children, but incredibly sad knowing that their
future is in serious doubt. This is the general feeling I got on this
expedition—that this is but one of the many ecosystems being lost to ocean
warming. There were areas on some of the smaller islands especially where
some recovery is occurring. Is the new growth just a last gasp before the
next wave of heat? Or will these living corals be able to withstand higher
temperatures? It will take years to know the answer to this. A particularly
interesting reason for studying this area is its remoteness. Recovery from
bleaching episodes in other areas of the world is generally aided by
“reseeding” of coral polyps from nearby undamaged reefs. In islands this
remote, can this reseeding occur? 
Right now there is still a fairly healthy fish population, although in the
past there were huge numbers of butterfly fish—literally hundreds flocking
over the reefs. Now we only see a few per dive. Previously there had also
been a lot of mantas. Total for the whole trip: 2. So the fish population
is already changing. What are the long-term ramifications of all this?
There are a lot of questions, and few answers. 
There are other concerns as well. In 2000 there was a very healthy shark
population around the islands. Between that visit and the 2002 expedition,
long-liners came through, with the blessing of the Kiribati government,
fishing for shark fins for the Asian market. The shark population has not
recovered from this.  Formerly “sharky” sites are fairly barren of sharks.
On Nikumaroro (Gardner) Island, the last island we visited and the most
remote, it was clear that the shark-finners had not been through, and it
was heartening and exhilarating to see healthy populations of gray reef,
black tip and white tip sharks, from curious juveniles to fully grown
adults. Our best dives were definitely on Nikumaroro.
There were a few land visits as well. One highlight was our very first
island, Phoenix Island, where there is an enormous population of boobies
and frigate birds—a real bird-watcher’s paradise. 
On a positive side, we had a terrific group of people and, as always, the
Nai’a crew made us all feel like family. This was my 4th trip on Nai'a, and
I have been delighted with every one. I don't think there's a better crew
and a happier boat anywhere. We all enjoyed the fish and shark encounters,
focusing on the positive. The sharks at Nikumaroro and the large number of
Napolean Wrasse at all of the islands were worth seeing. We had interesting
discussions about what we were seeing and what we thought it meant. We know
that our participation in this trip was important, and that our main
purpose in coming was to bear witness to what’s happening. This letter is
my attempt to do so, and I don't regret going on the trip.
 

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