Blue and Green Laamu Newsletter Features Resort’s Exciting Preparations For Reopening In August

Blue and Green Laamu, the monthly Marine Biology & Sustainability newsletter from Six Senses Laamu Maldives issued in July has highlighted various spellbinding arrangements on its private island implemented in view of the resort’s reopening in August after all the threat of novel Coronavirus cessation in the Maldives. In addition to doling out attractive packages and deals for global trotters, as other private resorts do in the country, in an attempt to restore the flow of Maldives eco-centric tourism, the Six Senses Laamu has literally taken it a step further by doing groundworks for extensive leisure for the visitors.

The highlights from July include redesigned organic garden, progress on the Laamaseelu Masveriya fishermen program with BLUE, the largest manta ray of 2019 and a spotlight on two of its favorite local turtles. Let us discuss how the re-opening of Six Senses Laamu is going to reawaken your senses, rediscover your laughter and reconnect with yourself others, and the world around you.

The Redesigned Organic Garden for Guests

This organic garden was one of the stuff that the team of Six Sense Laamu were highly engaged with during the closure. They literally transformed it into a wonderful place that shall both give you magical experiences and educate you. The banana garden and the raised beds are two highlights of this garden.

The old plants in the banana garden are fully replaced with the new ones. Among the key crop, guests can also find the cultivation of aloe vera, ginger, turmeric, and many more herbs which are the underlying mystery of Maldivian spicy culinary culture.

Wondering what raised beds mean? Well, it is a garden bed that is built up instead of down. Having the beds above the ground helps the roots spread unhindered and prevents challenges such as roots from other trees getting in the way. The gardeners can stand tall and the back pain ceases to bug them. The island has a total of 14 raised beds which will be used for planting herbs, especially those which are sensitive to roots.

Another interesting activity about garden and farming on the island is learning how to plant sugarcane. The organic garden team at Six Senses Laamu has a small scale sugarcane cultivation here. Guests who are into this shall be going over various steps in planting sugar cane under the guidance of its gardener Baithul.

Step 1 is simple; get a few sugarcane sticks and cut them into smaller pieces of 10 to 12 inches. The sticks shall have joints and you need to look for the buds at the joints. Make sure you have more than 2 buds in each sugarcane stick you are about to plant. The next step is about digging a trench in the hole. Sugarcane needs nitrogen as a compost. Put adequate composts in the soil, make sure it is moist, loosen up the soil with your hands. Dig the earth 4 inches deep. Lastly, when you plant, make sure the buds are facing upwards from the soil. Finally, cover the sticks with sand. The plants shall be sprouting out within 12 days unless you are watering too much.

An Update on Giant Manta Rays of Laamu

The monthly newsletter has something else to say to amuse the ear of sea-loving guests. As of June 2019, the MMRP has measured 96 of manta rays and analyzed using a stereo video camera system. Thee researchers swam next to the mantas and videotaped them that can later be analyzed for a disc width measurement.

The largest manta recorded in Laamu so far is Dinayan which is an adult female known to the atoll since 2014. Measuring in at 3.69 meters across, Dianayan is remarkably huge and nothing like the usual ones. Majority of the manta rays found here are adult females, and interestingly many of them are close to 3.5 meters while an average male will only of 2.9 meters; considerably smaller than the females.

Sea Turtles In The Spotlight: Davina And Capone

Get acquainted with its turtle wing. Davina is one of the most frequently spotted green turtles in Laamu and they often are found mingling with the mantas. This show-off loving green-turtle variety is normally cool in composure and seen sitting relaxed in huge patches of her favorite food – seagrass. She is a firm favorite among guests and hosts at Six Senses Laamu whereas the Capone is its turtle biologist’s favorite turtle. Making the researchers laughing, he has got the habit of bumping into things. Not only reef or grass, but ourselves too. Sounding lovely, right! With a funny movement and posture, he can be seen groping in the reef for sponges.

Vessel Monitoring Systems For The Laamaseelu Masveriya Program

Another incident that made the news In July was that of the great progress of the BLUE team on the Laamaseelu Masveriya program. The Laamaseelu Masveriya program denotes experienced fishermen in Dhivehi who practices reef fishing program which was launched by BLUE and Six Senses Laamu in January 2020. The fishermen have agreed to ensure that all fish and seafood served at the resort are caught sustainably; a thoughtful program to promote sustainable fishing tradition throughout Laamu’s communities with a far-sighted view to do away with overfishing of reef fish. The Blue team is now ready to ready to install vessel monitoring systems (VMS) on local fishing boats.