My Moris visits Odysseo: An exclusive backstage guided tour
Do you know what ‘’sequential hermaphroditism’’ means? Would you ever imagine that a small fish could be the official bodyguard of a shrimp? Did you know that Mauritius possesses one of the largest EEZ? Would you believe if you were told that sand is partly fish’ poop?
Well, like us, come and discover the most amazing and unbelievable facts about our ocean at Odysseo oceanarium Mauritius.
Mauritians are well aware of how lucky they are as inhabitants of one of the most beautiful touristic destination in the world. A picnic to the beach remains indeed one of their favourite activities.
“A huge, spice-perfumed ‘’deksi’’ briani on the sand being kept warm by the sun’s heat;
An old guy in the corner playing his guitar ,while the sea breeze whispers the melody to him;
Kids on their knees, creating great architectural projects known as sandcastles;
A group of friends playing volleyball, enjoying their youthful days;
Not to forget all those drowning their sorrows or relaxing in the pristine waters...”
In our minds, this is what a day at the beach would usually sound like for lucky island dwellers like us. However, despite being surrounded by the ocean, very often, we tend to live in absolute ignorance of its importance. Lack of information and education on the subject, has lead to an enormous increase in pollution, resulting in the degradation of our marine environment. Odysseo took birth to remediate to this issue. At Odysseo, they strongly believe that knowing and understanding is the key to loving and thus protecting. ‘’Learn, Love, Protect’’; the motto of the largest oceanarium in the Mascarenes, sums up its missions of educating the masses and protecting the marine environment. The place houses a large variety of species, ranging from the tiny seahorses to the giant guitar-fish, in a dream-like decor. An amazing guided learning journey awaits, as we go from aquarium to aquarium depicting the various marine ecosystems, passing by the rainforests and its fresh water creatures, bringing to light the importance of many plants and animals, some of them being endemic or indigenous. To enrich the experience, you might be tempted to book the newly launched shark encounter in their outdoor pool. Some of the most striking features are the serene atmosphere and the lounges where one can sit and meditate while the eyes relish the continuous spectacular movements of the multicolored animals in the aquariums. The unexpectedly impressive decor will, undoubtedly, trigger the "wow-effect" within you. A replica of the wrecks of the emblematic ship "Le St Geran" acts as the background of the biggest aquarium and can be admired through a magnificent underwater tunnel. It is impossible not to wonder how all these hold together.
We have been blessed on our visit to meet those exceptional people working behind the scenes. Their tasks : water regulation, farming fish food, taking special care of new arrivals in quarantine, food preparation and service, cleaning the tanks, nursing new borns and so on… that too 24/7. Recreating a natural environment within four walls, has indeed been a colossal challenge and housing marine creatures in an oceanarium requires a very significant amount of maintenance.
And guess what?
Odysseo is introducing exclusive backstage visits, whereby, opening the doors to a unique experience behind the scenes. A visit to Odysseo will inevitably change the way you perceive the marine environment and will surely implant in all visitors a sense of protection towards the ocean and its inhabitants.
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