Nosy Iranja, another small island further south, and at Greg's Wall, which all the European visitors insist on doing, said Sylvia, our dive instructor. While there is a marine reserve at Nosy Tanikely, south of Ambatoloaka, little else is done to preserve the reefs. Yacht anchors can destroy delicate corals that will never recover. Careless divers and tourists also fuel the destruction by buying coral from island traders. But for the most part, tourism is a good thing.
Yacht charters help to support locals on islands on their routes.
One evening, while moored at Russian Bay, one of the guests expressed a desire for rum au coco. Ali was off in a flash, paddling to shore. He came back with five coconuts and a bucketful of crabs he had bought from one of the villages on the island. That night we had rum au coco for sundowners, crab au coco for main course and sucked on coconut slivers for dessert. There is also a local take-out and delivery service to the yachts.