As the Living Oceans Foundation circumnavigates the globe, one of our core activities is rapid assessments of the health and resilience of coral reefs. Our assessments tell us about the diversity and population structure of corals and fishes, the types
While our daily dives may sound calm and cheery all of the time, foul weather and scientific diving in strong currents with heavy equipment can make it challenging to even get off the Golden Shadow onto the dive boat and
Our morning dive at Sandy Point was like travelling through time, with glimpses of the past and a foreshadowing of future directions of Caribbean reefs growth visible simultaneously. Built on a foundation of 200-500 year old corals, many over 5
Afternoon Dive A major component of our work during the Global Reef Expedition focuses on understanding factors and processes that enhance the resilience of coral reefs (reef resilience). We evaluate a number of ecological, physical and chemical parameters at each reef
Our research team headed south for today’s dives, surveying two reefs off the southwestern end of Nevis and one off the northwestern end. The first site, Caverns, was a raised terrace with large volcanic boulders at its margin and a
Afternoon dive For our third dive, we surveyed Brimstone Shallows, a submerged shelf edge reef about 2 miles off St. Kitts. Extending for several miles along the leeward side of the island, the reef begins at about 50 feet and
Our morning dives were located at Monkey Shoals, a submerged bank that lies about 3 miles offshore between St. Kitts and Nevis and west of the Narrows. The reef structure is reminiscent of a Pacific atoll, without the typical emergent
We began our research dives with two spots on the Atlantic side of the St. Kitts and Nevis coral reefs, seaward of the narrows in a reef system known as Grid Iron. This shallow reef stretches over 10 km from
In continuation of the Foundation’s efforts in outreach and education, the Foundation’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Andy Bruckner, led a coral reef monitoring workshop for St. Kitt’s divers and conservation officers on board the M/Y Golden Shadow. The day opened with
Today we are embarking on the second leg of the Global Reef Expedition. Destination: the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis (AKA Saint Christopher). The twin islands are part of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean, roughly east of
