An Ocean Education: Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita and Wiseoceans Celebrate Second Anniversary of Marine Education Partnership

(Source: Four Seasons Hotels and Resort)

Located in one of the island's largest lagoons, Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita is no stranger to appreciating the importance and beauty of the ocean, with the Resort now celebrating two years of partnership with global marine conservation and education specialist WiseOceans.

Through a Marine Discovery Program, guests of the Resort are able to learn about the marine creatures of the surrounding waters in guided snorkelling excursions with the onsite Marine Educator, or simply through engaging in marine life conversation at the WiseOceans picnic table on Bambou Beach. As part of the Resort's wider Environmental Conservation Program, WiseOceans also carries out continuous screening of the coral reefs’ health in the surrounding lagoon, with all collected data being submitted to global databases on an ongoing basis.

As one of the first Resorts in Mauritius to provide onsite marine education to guests, Four Seasons and WiseOceans have worked to establish a greater understanding of the importance of a healthy ocean. Highlights achieved by the program over the past two years include:

721 guests joining educational and engaging guided snorkels

177 snorkels conducted on the reef in the nearby lagoon, teaching guests about the creatures that live there

20 snorkels conducted in the mangroves surrounding the Resort, allowing guests to discover about a diverse marine habitat that is often lesser well-known

Participation in several local workshops and events, plus visits from local school children to learn about the lagoon's marine life

Attendance at the African Marine Waste Conference in South Africa to represent Mauritius in discussions about the problem of plastics in our ocean

Commenting on the two year partnership, Director of WiseOceans Lindsay Sullivan says: “WiseOceans is proud to be the conservation partner of Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita and we are thrilled to have celebrated a very successful two years working in collaboration with the Resort. At WiseOceans, we thrive on engaging Resort guests, Resort team members and the local community with our Marine Discovery Program, introducing a wide audience to the incredible marine life of Mauritius. Our team is extremely passionate about the oceans and sharing this enthusiasm is what we do best, inspiring others to admire and protect the seas and all the life within them, and empowering people to take steps to protect this precious environment.”

The Resort's Marine Discovery Program is designed to enhance guests' knowledge through dedicated programs of marine-based activities that highlight the significant role coral reefs and mangroves play in the marine environment.

Marine Educator Rick Bonnier says: “With the support of the Resort, every day I share my knowledge of our marine environment here in Mauritius with a new audience, whether I am talking with a Resort guest, a member of staff, or even out in the local community. Taking guests on guided snorkels allows me to introduce people to our wonderful marine life, in the mangroves and on the reefs, and explain to them how and why these environments are so special. This is both a privilege for me and a memorable experience for Resort guests, inspiring them to care about the oceans and to want to protect our marine environment as much as I do."

WiseOceans is a global marine conservation and education company that employs three core strategies, striving towards a global future with healthier oceans: to educate, to conserve and to involve. With world-class ocean outreach activities and innovative restoration projects, WiseOceans was founded in 2011 on the belief that education is the way to achieve conservation of our oceans in the long-term.