During the course of our survey dives we see many representatives of the Phylum Mollusca (mollusks). Frequently we see gastropod (snail) shells but most are carried about the reef by small hermit crabs which have taken up residence in the
The incredible folks from Catlin Seaview Survey are onboard the Shadow with us, here is an update from Ben Neal: I am the Shallow Reef Team Leader this year for the Catlin Seaview Survey, working as part of the Coral
Today was our last day surveying the Arnavon Islands. The sun was out, the seas were calm, and the diving was spectacular. The Arnavon Islands are uninhabited; however, they are looked after by three communities: Katupika, Kia, and Wagina. Throughout
We collect enormous amounts of data and observations during our missions, a lot of which is collected in situ, or in its original place, by researchers while they’re underwater. But one of the things we do while underwater is take
Sitting at 25 m (82 ft) wrapped in a completely tangled metallic chain that would make Mr. T envious, I often ask, “What have I gotten myself into?” Indeed, one may wonder why anyone would want to take a long,
After diving our first set of offshore Ribbon reefs we began exploring the Green, Pink and Blue Zones on a set of midshelf reefs. The depths, water clarity and habitat structure are all vastly different from offshore reefs. Most of
After the usual teething problems setting up electronic equipment at the start of a research mission, we (Gwilym and Jeremy (scientists) and Ade (boat driver)) finally made it away from the M/Y Golden Shadow to begin the Fiji ground truthing
One of our survey methods that we do while diving at each site is photo transecting. Photo transects involve taking evenly measured photos of the reef bottom. This not only gives us a permanent record of the reef condition, but
One of the most exciting aspects of this expedition is that every morning we get in the water having no idea what we’re about to find. There’s always something interesting to see, but sometimes the reefs we find are a
I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the corals, how they are faring, and what invertebrates are eating them. I’ve only briefly mentioned fish, even though they are the showcase of the Red Sea. From charismatic megafuana like the
