We made it to Bajo Nuevo this afternoon after a final productive day diving Alice Shoal corals. Though we didn’t find as much coral at Alice as we might have expected, there is positive news to report here, and chief
At first, Alice Shoal seems something of a mystery. Many of the problems slamming reefs around the world are minimal here. This area doesn’t seem to be generally overfished, for instance, and there are no communities nearby to flood the
The reef at Alice Shoal was an impressive site today, as much for the human activity as the marine life. Rising up a few meters off the bottom I spotted divers working in pairs around me as far out as
Throughout this week, students from two high schools—Gig Harbor High School in Gig Harbor, Washington and Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona—have been virtually following the Global Reef Expedition to learn more about the work of the Living
After a short break in Jamaica, the M/Y Golden Shadow departed for an overnight sail to the next stop on the Global Reef Expedition: Navassa. Joining the Living Oceans science staff is a cadre of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The first day of spring was the last day of diving for the Pedro Bank mission. Winston “Shucksman” Kerr, a local fisherman, guided us to two sites within sight of the Golden Shadow. No nurse sharks today, but lots of
After a week of scuba, long boat rides and evenings filled with planning and data entry, the faces around the dinner table have grown progressively more tanned and tired. Sitting in the sun and moving a dozen or so 18-kg
St. Patrick’s Day saw the Calcutta leaving early for the far eastern end of Pedro Bank. The route took us across an area of deeper water and larger swells, so it took close to three hours of hard bouncing to
Another long, three-dive day in the Calcutta, with more lionfish spearing and a sea turtle sighting. While almost everyone else was underwater, Steve Schill and his group—Sean Green, Junior Squire, and Azra Blythe-Mallet—were staying dry, although they were looking at
On each of today’s three dives, like all the others, the first thing Alexandra Dempsey does when she reaches the bottom is to pull out a plastic container about the size of a Nalgene water bottle, scoop it full of
