Febuary 2013 Expedition - Chagos. A glimpse of the past…

I have not set foot on land for over a week. 

So when Charles and Anne asked if I would like to accompany them to Ile de Coin, just after we have finished a coral survey dive, I grab the opportunity. 

We approach a concrete jetty that has a small railway line running along it, now collapsing into the sea. This was used to transport copra, a coconut product, to waiting boats during the time when the island was inhabited. We anchor and swim ashore, and as we make our way through the lush vegetation several dilapidated buildings become visible. 

A large building that was the foreman’s house is now in a glade, overshadowed by coconut and hardwood trees. Coconut crabs scuttle from under the foundations and I glimpse a startled rat disturbed by our presence. A different organism seems to be very pleased to see us: mosquitos. I realise I am being slowly covered by a fine layer of the tiny bloodsuckers. I try to get a decent photo of some of the coconut crabs before the mosquitos become too much and I am forced to retreat back to the beach. 

We move the boat further up the island to a sand spit, where the wind keeps the mosquitos at bay. 

Here the beach is covered with plastic bottles and fishing floats which have drifted in from far out to sea. Even though the island is now uninhabited, the evidence of human activities occurring thousands of miles away are clearly visible. It starts to rain so we wade back to the inflatable rib and speed to the Pacific Marlin where the ship’s crew are waiting to hoist the rib out of the water. 

The next week will be filled with more dives on reefs teeming with fish and corals. The abundance of life in the waters around these islands far surpasses anything I have seen elsewhere in the world.  By briefly visiting land today I saw a glimpse of the past, and I can’t help wondering what does the future hold for these islands and the waters around them?

Ronan Roche 

Creole traduction

Mo pa encore desane lor aucaine zile sa fer preske ene semaine , mais kand Charles ek anne fine demane moi si mo envi accompagne zot pou alle lo rile de coin après ki nou ine fini plonger mo prend sa opportiniter la et mone dire oui . Kand nou fine coster ek lajetter mone trouve ene rail ki ti servi pou transport coco depi lo rile pou amene lor bato et aster lip e disparaitre avec delo saler . nou fine met bato lor cab eek nage ziska la plage , a mesir nou coster ar l’ile mone coumence trouve bane vieux batiment ki fine couvert par bane pied kine pousser . mone trouve batiment forman ki fine couvert ar pied coco ek les zot pied encore . sipaille ine fer lacaz partout enbas batiment ek nou fine ousi trouve presence les rat . ene lot specimene kine acceuillir nou c’est bane moustik , mo fine retrouve moi couvert partout par sa bane buveur disans la . mo fine degazer prend ene bane foto avant ki moustik boir tou mo disans et mone retourne lor la plage après .

Nou fine prend bato pou ale inpe pli loin kot ti ena plein di sable kot la brize ine enpeche moustik vini . labas mo fine remarker ki ena boucoup plastic lor la plage ek flotere ki bane pecheur ine pedi lor la mer . Meme si nepli ena dimoune lor sa ziles la mais depi des loin ou remarker ki dimoune ti vivre lor la avant . La pli ine coumence tomber , nou fine obliger prend nou dinky pou retourne lor pacific marlin kot lekipage tip e atane nou . 

Semaine prochaine pou rempli ar plonger , poisson ek corail , l’abondance sa la mer la cest ene kik chose ki zamais mo ine trouver dans mo la vie et ki pa exsister encore dans les monde . mo visite lor liles ine fer moi prend consiance les passer et fer moi maziner ki reserve nou pou les future sa bane ziles la ek so la mer .