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OCEAN HEROES: Jamal A. Galves (Manateeman)
Our new series, Ocean Heroes, showcases the fantastic marine conservation work done by individuals and groups around the world. In this edition we talk to Jamal A. Galves, also known as Manateeman.
Jamal is from Belize, specifically a small coastal village outside of Belize City named Gales Point Manatee where he grew up. He went to school at St John’s Junior College & then went on to study at the University of Belize.
Caroline: How did you get involved with marine conservation?
Jamal: I have always been fascinated by manatees. As a young boy, I would stand on my grandparents’ lawn in Gales Point Manatee and observe manatees swim through the lagoon. I would spend long hours sitting on the dock, dreaming of one day being able to work with the gentle herbivores. At the age of 12 this dream became a reality.
I caught the attention of a field research team, led by renowned manatee conservationist Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, that visited my village every year to study manatees. The team noticed how enthusiastic I was about manatees and brought me along on their boat to observe. That one trip out resulted in me coming back day after day, eager to learn more and help wherever I could.
I have volunteered with the team since then and my dedication and commitment has only increased resulting in becoming a member of the team at age 16. Today I am the coordinator of the Belize Manatee Project Program for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, an organization that works to protect and conserve coastal ecosystems and species. Though I have had a fair amount of success I have seen the impact these animals faced due to human negligence and that continues to drive me to ensure these animals are protected
Though manatees are currently endangered, I am hopeful about the species’ survival. “As a child I never would have thought manatees would be endangered. However, I am very optimistic about their future. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do what I do.”
Ultimately, I wish to inspire the next generation through my efforts. “I believe that when young people decide to save a threatened species, it’s inspirational. That inspiration can be contagious and provide encouragement to others”. That is exactly what happened to me, Jamal, the boy who saves manatees.
Caroline: Tell us about the Belize Manatee Conservation Program
Jamal: In 1997, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, Bob Bonde of USGS, Nicole Auil of the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority and a Sea to Shore (now CMA Research Institute) associate research scientist, began the Belize Manatee Conservation Project.
Belize has the highest known density of Antillean manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, in the world. Unfortunately, because of rapidly increasing coastal development, human-related manatee deaths are rising quickly. Poaching, once the major threat to manatees in Belize, has been replaced by boat kills and destruction of habitat as the major concerns for the survival of the species.
CMA Research Institute scientists and collaborators provide the data, expertise and scientific exchange that are used by the Belize government to establish sanctuaries, speed zones, laws and regulations that safeguards manatees and other actions that help ensure the survival of manatees in this remarkable country.
I was just a boy at age eleven when I met Buddy at the dock preparing to head out for manatee health assessments. I asked if I could join the team and began volunteering in efforts to protect the manatee of Belize. After years of expressing his devotion, interest and passion for the conservation of the endangered manatees, I was officially hired as a Field Assistant in 2008. Today, I am the Belize Manatee Conservation program coordinator.
Program Activities
- Conduct countrywide community-related education and outreach programs coordinate the Belize Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
- Serve as a resource and representative on relevant government and local committees, such as the Belize Manatee working group.
- Track and monitor tagged, wild manatees.
- Create public information brochures and posters on manatees and their habitat.
- Communicate with the media and the public on manatee conservation issues.
- Continue critical fundraising efforts for our programs and handle all aspects of managing, administering, and maintaining an active research and conservation program in Belize.
Examples of Program Success
- Speed Reduction and No-Wake Zones
Implemented speed zones and installed and maintain no-wake zone signage in the waters off Belize City.
- Decreased Poaching
Through research and awareness efforts we have decreased poaching incidents in the country. In 2010 a poaching incident in Belize was prosecuted. This is the first time anyone has been prosecuted for killing a manatee in Belize.
- Population Monitoring
We have successfully captured and carried out health assessments on 164 individuals since 1997. The data set we have gathered over the years through consistent health assessments of this wild population is helping to provide vital information on the population’s status, and what measures and efforts still need to be taken to ensure manatees continue to exist.
- Rescue, Rehab, and Release
Our Belize team has successfully rescued and transported many injured, sick or orphaned manatees to a rehabilitation facility for care, and have reintroduced and monitored those animals in the wild following recovery
Caroline: What is so special about manatees?
Jamal: They are the only herbivorous mammals in Belize’s water ways and Belize has the last strong-hold on the population throughout its range. Manatees provides critical role within Belize’s marine ecosystem as they are considered nutrients recyclers as they consume about 10% of their body weight daily which then turns to excretion that acts as nourishment for small fishes and crustaceans. I have to mention that they are very gentle, charismatic and cute.
Caroline: What success stories have you had? Can you tell us more about the baby manatee you recently rescued?
Jamal: On July 13 2020 I, Associate Research Biologist, and a team of volunteers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, rescued a male orphan manatee calf in Belize that is estimated to be two to four weeks old. The calf was observed the previous day alone and showing signs of distressed. The baby manatee was later taken to the rehabilitation centre, to receive around-the-clock care. The young male was only 36 lbs when it came in and has shown great signs so far. He will spend the next 3-4 years in rehab until he is fit and ready to be returned into the wild.
Watch the rescue video here:
Caroline: What is the biggest threat to manatees in Belize?
Jamal: Watercraft collision, entanglement, habitat destruction, pollution and poaching
Caroline: If you could persuade people to change their lives in one way, what would you ask them to change?
Jamal: I would ask them to change their appreciation and kindness for the environment and all wildlife. As by simply changing that and having an appreciation for those things one will naturally change other behaviours that impact both the environment and wildlife and will realize by doing so it also benefits human livelihoods.
CRB: Where can our readers find out more about the work that you do?
Keep up with Jamal Galves’ work with manatees on Instagram and Facebook.
Learn more about The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute by clicking here, or by following them on Instagram here.
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
My name is Aydin Dinc.
What is the name of your business?
The Cenote Guy – Cenote Diving.
What is your role within the business?
Founder. I’m guiding in the Cenotes and I’m the manager of the business.
How long has the business operated for?
We started in February 2018.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
Professionally diving since 2017 in Mexico.
Got certified in 1998. I was mostly diving for fun during vacations in the Mediterranean.
2017 MSDT Padi instructor
2017 TDI full cave Diver
What is your favorite type of diving?
For sure, cavern diving. I also love Ocean diving, the Big Blue and marine life.
Cavern and Cave is more like a living style, a daily ritual, a spiritual thought process for me.
Diving in caverns in very addictive. I enjoy the caverns on a daily basis and practice cave diving on my days off.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you, what would it be?
We are specialized in cavern diving and that´s what make our strength. The dives are tailormade taking into consideration the diver’s experience and skills. We are not doing any courses; we are not doing Ocean dives. We want to give you the best in cenote diving. Fully concentrating on GUIDING. Safety being our biggest focus. And, word of mouth, that’s how our customers choose us. That’s a niche we have chosen because it is not “regular diving.” It’s special, it’s Cenote Diving.
What is your favourite dive in your location and why?
Little Brother is by far the most enchanting dive of all. My personal favorite. Incredibly beautiful and with the most features you can have in Cenote diving. I am proud to guide in this place where you have the feeling of being on another planet, where the words are missing when trying to describe the experience.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We only do cavern diving. So, the main parameter is how much you get inside the overhead environment. I personally categorise them as:
Semi open water dives: The open water surface is wide and easy to spot, like Kukulkan, little brother, eden, Barbie line, carwash, casa Cenote etc.
Penetration dives: You have this real feeling of getting under the ground and tunnels, adventure lovers are welcome! Tajmaha, Batcave, dreamgate etc.
Open water dives: Technically open water dives, but all around 30 meters / 90 feet of depth, for advanced divers. Like Angelita, zapot , Kinha etc.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I’m into guiding and sharing my passion with my fellow divers is the best reward. It’s amazing how diving creates bonds after having done a Cenote dive. I have seen people crying after the dives, being moved. It’s impacting, calming and so out of this world. It’s a spiritual calling. And believe me, to be someone witnessing the emotion and in a way being the one that is facilitating such moments, is the greatest reward. Back in time, my first cenote dives were the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. And I know that it’s the case for the majority of our divers. A life changing experience.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
My favourite underwater creatures, that we are lucky to spot in a couple of cenotes, are the crocodiles. They are laying on the rocks and watching us calmly. They are the real inhabitants of the cenotes. They are small and very inoffensive. Always a nice encounter for our divers.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
The fast growth of the region is somehow menacing our beautiful cenotes. We would like to keep this activity as an off the beaten path one!
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We care about the environment and we are trying to reduce our footprint. No plastic cups and bags, no chemicals in the cenotes. We are helping and working with the local Mayan community to minimize our waste.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
We are very happy and proud to have very competitive pricing. Having a high demand, we are doing way better in our offer for the people willing to have a very private experience to celebrate birthdays, honeymoons and special days in the cenotes. As our team of instructors is getting bigger, it’s easier to separate private divers from the other divers. We are into diversifying our offer to match with the demand. Keeping the quality and the safety as our main concern.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
From what we can see in the Riviera Maya, tourism activity is increasing. This region is the pearl of Mexican tourism. Radical measures should be taken to allow this blooming to be regulated in order to respect the nature. Unfortunately, the educative ‘pink’ approach is not working anymore – my humble opinion.
From the Airport on arrival to the departure day, the tourist should be hammered with preventive (and punitive) measures to make sure the preservation and protection of the environment is ensured.
Finally, what would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
Cenote diving is a different way of diving. The open water certification is more than enough to enjoy this very amazing adventure. We have seen a lot of divers never going back to “normal” ocean diving after having experienced Cenote Diving 😊
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
WhatsApp messages only: +52 984 100 78 65
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecenoteguy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecenoteguy
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Pablo Calderon Cadiz
What is the name of your business?
Takata Experience
What is your role within the business?
Owner / General Manager
How long has the business operated for?
6 years
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I have been diving for 16 years; I am a PADI IDC Staff Instructor
What is your favorite type of diving?
I really enjoy all types of dive but deep dives and dives with crazy topography are by far my favourites.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
We are a dive center and also a research center, so we merge both into one big idea. When you dive with us you also benefit the reef, as we put part of that money into our restoration program. We are also one of the only dive centers in the world that has a full research center working together with us. That’s why our official hashtag is #Divewithpurpose
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
My favorite dive in Mahahual is Piratas, because of the beautiful topography and the amount of big animals you can see, such as turtles, manatees and sharks.
What types of diving are available in your location?
One of the best things about Mahahual is that there are dive sites for all levels, from shallow reefs with beautiful life to walls that can go down to 150 meters within 5 minutes from the shore. You can always choose what you want, if you are looking for biodiversity, topography, shallow sand patches or very deep walls, we have them all.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
The diving industry is an industry that is constantly evolving and from my role I am able to always bring that to Takata. I am always looking for ways to create a solid business culture, to make sure the people that work for us can always develop themselves from a professional perspective, but also from a personal one. We have created many different programs that are unique to us, where we merge the dive and research center. All that is possible because I can take those decisions. To see how your dream becomes true is the biggest reward ever.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Sharks are my number 1, and if I can be more specific, Hammerheads!!!
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
I feel that many dive centers in the world don’t know yet what makes them unique, so the way for them to attract people is to charge very low prices, sometimes that is very difficult, because the one that is next to you can charge 30% less than you for the ¨same service¨. I believe we should always find what is unique to us and to create a value on it. We should all focus on the professionalization of our industry.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
As I mentioned before, we have a full research center, our director has 2 master degrees and our 2 biologist both have PhDs. Actually our research center was name as Actor for the UN Decade On Ecosystems Restoration for the next 10 years.
Our research center works together with the Mexican government to ensure a sustainable development in the area and to implement big scale conservation and restoration projects in Mahahual.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
As we are a new company, there are always exciting thing coming our way, in these years we became an IDC center, UN partners, we did a small hotel and we are looking forward to develop our research center even more. We would like to become the biggest research center in Mexico which is very ambitious and to become leaders in diving, restoration and everything that involve costal ecosystems. We dream big because we love what we do.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
I think the industry is doing ok but not great. For sure freediving has grown a lot in the last 10-15 years. There are several organisations around the world who do great work, but we need more people and businesses looking to do the exceptional. Sometimes talking with diving friends around the world, we all agree that this is probably one of the few industries where the prices we charge are the same or even cheaper than 5 or 10 years ago. We urgently need to proprofessionalize the industry and put the correct value on our product and services.
Finally, what would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
If you guys are looking for a unique immersive experience where you can mix your passion for diving with deep understanding of marine and costal ecosystem, then we are your choice.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
You guys can follow us on IG: Takata.experience
Our website is: www.takataexperience.com
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