March 2026: Engaging in dialogue with divers in New Caledonia
Our workshop on reef passages held in Nouméa on the 16th of February 2026 gave us the opportunity to meet the president of the New Caledonia hub of the French Federation of Underwater Studies and Sports (FFESSM-NC), Amandine Aupetit, who – to our fortune – instantly became very interested and motivated by the project, and thought that their divers would be very keen to engage in SOCPacific2R. Part of the project team was thus able to present its general objectives and exploratory work in New Caledonia to several members of the Federation on the 6th of March 2026 (photo below). We then continued to discuss the potential contributions divers could make – for example, filling out a questionnaire on their diving experiences on reef passages, providing information to develop the project’s prototype webmap, or adding videos to its YouTube channel. Amandine and her fellow-divers also suggested to have an actual theme on reef passages for this year and started right-away to plan the next ‘passage-dive’!
For further information, here are two links (in French):
https://www.ffessm-nc.nc/4732/les-passes-recifales-de-nouvelle-caledonie-ont-besoin-de-vous/
A mere week before, on 28th February 2026, Annette was invited to (in virtual remoteness) present the SOCPacific2R project to the German Diving Association (LTV) during their annual assembly. These experiences leave us with much gratitude and great inspiration – a big Thank You, Merci and Dankeschön to all the interest the diving community carries towards this project and to keep exchanging with us.
Photo (from the left):
Estienne Rodary, Elodie Fache, Annette Breckwoldt, Dominique Pelletier, Stéphane Chollet, Yves Fontanaud, Florine Boudin, and Amandine Aupetit
