Busy with presentations and clean ups with the students on Fernando de Norohna Island. Only today, – on Dario’s birthday – , we did a theater, a presentation and a cleanup with 200 primary students.
More images from Fernando de Noronha in our Dropbox gallery. Here the pictures from Fernando de Norohna.
Media:
Here the latest article from Switzerland in German.
Report by Christina Hartmann, posted by Thomas Lohbeck:
It was not easy to reach the island, everyone in Brazil is talking about. Most of the time we had wind against us and waves shaking Pachamama and us around. But after 36 hours we could see the island in the distance with the famous Morro do Pico surrounded by misty clouds. Wow! After that sight, we were all getting excited to visit that Archipelago emerged after millions of years of volcanic activity called Fernando de Noronha.
After a good night sleep spinner dolphins passed our boat early in the morning to welcome us in paradise. They became our faithful friends during that time on the island. Sometimes they even passed us when we were swimming in the mornings. I would say its the most amazing experience to see and hear dolphins under water. When the children were supposed to do school, they showed us their best spins out of the water accompanied by huge delight for the kids.


We get to know Lourdes and her family, our angel and mother in one. She works for the government in the environment section . With her big heart and interest in nature she was happy to help us arranging different things on the island. She for example introduced us to Naldo, a farmer that produces different vegetables and fruits. We had the possibility to visit his amazing garden, he looks after with a lot of passion. Thanks to Naldo we went back to the boat with bags full of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables.


Roberto, the president of the national park kindly took time for us, to show us around. the whole island is in fact an UNESCO World Heritage Site. This island is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, 354 km (220 mi) offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi) and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010. We were able to visit the hidden treasures of the island. Beautiful long, sandy beaches with stunning volcanic rock formations. Diving into the sea, we discovered the lovely underwater world of Fernando the Noronha. In beautiful clear water we could dive into sardine shoals and observe different fish, rays and even turtles. Thanks to the Marine Turtles Protection Project (TAMAR), there are a lot of green turtles around. We even had the chance to witness how they marked turtles at the beach to monitor them. What a great experience and example for the kids to see and even touch a turtle. We visited their centre and learned more about different turtles. They also offer free lectures on ecology. On the island live also the Noronha skink (Trachylepis atlantica).


Slowly getting to the end of our stay we try to enjoy every moment left. We got invited by our new friends Lourdes, her husband Roberto and Naldo and his wife Nides. They warmly showed us their home and cooked delicious meals for us. In exchange they visited us on Pachamama for a typical Swiss desert, called Nusstorte. With beautiful memories and special people in our hearts, we finally leave Brazil. Hasta pronto!!

Interesting facts about the island:
1. Water:
– Desalination: 5’000l/h
– Sea water: 21-28°C tested every week. Constant quality since 5 years.
2. Energy:
Electricity Generator needs 470’000l of diesel/month = 650l/h. Electricity Consumption = 2.5-3.2 Mega Watts per day for the whole island.
They have a lot of sun and wind. Why they do not use these natural resources and avoid pollution?
3. Rubbish:
Rubbish: 1.75 kg per person a day. At Xmas the quantity is double. They are not allowed to use sand for construction. That’s why they recycle glass.