Q&A WITH MARCELO GUIMARAES, MARINE BIOLOGIST
How and when did you first become fascinated with the ocean and marine biology?
It was in Rio de Janeiro when I was 14 years old, I started snorkelling off the beach and got hooked by all those fish and especially the underwater noises from all those creatures that you could not see. When I was
16, I signed up for my first scuba certification. By the time I was 18, I had become a scuba instructor.
You’ve worked in beautiful locations around the world such as your home country Brazil, the Caribbean, Mexico, Egypt and the Maldives. What inspired you to come to Myanmar?
I have been travelling since I was 8 years old, first with my parents and later on by myself. I can count 78 countries so far. I believe that travelling is the best way to gain knowledge about the world and better understand different cultures, ecosystems, and people.
Coming to Myanmar, it is an opportunity to discover a new diving region, a new country, a new culture, to dive unspoiled reefs and to help established sustainable tourism activities that will help the country during this transition period into becoming Asia’s newest and best tourist destination.
How does scuba diving in the Mergui Archipelago compare to all the previous places you’ve been?
I think what impacts the diver the most is the archipelago’s biodiversity and the amount of underwater life, huge schools of fish, wide coral tables and the fact that no one dives or fishes in the archipelago during the off-season (June to September), allowing the chance for the ecosystem to recover from human impact.
What are the highlights of diving in the archipelago?
The Mergui Archipelago has it all and this is why it is so unique. In one dive you can look up and search for manta rays and whale sharks and at the same time nose down into the creeks to spot seahorses, nudibranchs, mantis shrimp and two or three different species of clownfish.
A few roles you have adopted at Awei Pila are to engage local communities, reduce the impact on the environment, and protect and restore habitat on the island. Can you tell us about that?
We are working with local fishermen from the nearby village and have requested they sell us some of their daily catch. We aim to use the resources from the island and reduce our carbon footprint.
Plastic is another major concern for us. The resort will reduce to a minimum the use of plastics, banning bottles, bags, and straws from the island. When plastic goes into the ocean, it puts marine life at risk, such as the green turtles, which are an indigenous species here.
Another goal is to help some coral species such as Acropora digitifera regrow and spread out by replanting some broken coral branches in our
house reef. We will do the same in the mangroves by replanting
Rhizophora and making sure that the (critically endangered species)
Sonneratia griffithii stays untouched in our mangroves. And of course, we will only use moorings or drift diving techniques to avoid further coral damage.
The Mergui Archipelago has approximately 800 islands, pristine reefs and untouched beaches. And it has only a handful of resorts, so coming to Awei Pila is a chance to encounter Nature as it was meant to be, a chance to scuba, paddle or relax away from any big city nuisances. To indulge and immerse yourself in a natural environment, experiencing the best that Myanmar has to offer, and visit a region that was, until 2008, off-limits to all visitors.