Oceana Ranger Expedition 2011: Heading Toward Seamounts
More Surprises
Author: Silvia García
Date: July 12, 2011
It is impressive how, after almost 50 dives made by Oceana with the underwater robot (ROV) in this area, we can still find new habitats. This time, the surprise has come by the hand of a mollusk, the giant oyster Neopycnodonte zibrowii. More than 400 metres in depth, over some rocks, we have found several individuals of this long-lived animal, who lives up to 500 years and is considered a living fossil.
Several common bottlenose dolphins to the W, again
Author: Silvia García
Date: July 11, 2011
Last year, when we were working in the same area –the western half of the area designated to be studied within the framework of the LIFE+INDEMARES Project–, we also found groups of common bottlenose dolphins, swimming, resting or feeding. This time, we saw two groups of at least 15 individuals, something similar to what we were able to observe in 2010 while we were working in the same area.
Treasures in Seco
Author: Silvia García
Date: July 10, 2011
Seco de los Olivos (aka Chella Bank) has shown us why it is today an area exploited by fishermen looking for two of the most valued treasures of the Mediterranean: the grouper and the red coral, the latter one harvested here until a few decades ago.
Deep-sea sharks at the seamount
Author: Silvia Garcia
Date: July 9, 2011
Divers
We start the day with a dive off Punta de Baños, a place also known as "Culo de perro." The seamount is pretty interesting because its southern slope rises two or three meters from the sea bed, harboring numerous gorgonians Leptogorgia sasarmentosa and many other species we'll describe when we analyze the images taken by the divers.
ROV dive
Read More...Old reefs north of the seamount
Author: Silvia García
Date: July 8, 2011
Because of the wind yesterday, we have a strong swell when we set sail to the seamount, but it won’t be a problem because the weather forecast for today is good, so we count on the conditions improving throughout the day.
ROV dives
Read More...04 July 2011
Author: Nuño Ramos
Date: July 4, 2011
After various days “ROVing” off Cape St. Vincent and sleeping anchored in the Sagres inlet, we decide to change our plans: since we weren’t going to be able to go to Gorringe for a while, we would set sail toward the Mediterranean again. We need to get some work done in the Alboran Sea and, meanwhile, we’d be checking up on the weather. If we see the smallest chance of improvement, we’d return to the Atlantic to work on Gorringe faster than the speed of light. Anyway, the seamount is only three days away… We can’t miss the opportunity!
Read More...01 July 2011
Author: Carlos Minguell
Date: July 1, 2011
We start off July in a good way, that is, diving. The first day in Ponta dos Caminhos, a pretty original name for this area, where many geographical features were named after saints or virgins. We get into the water next to the rocky cliff in order to explore various caves and arches in the area. After crossing though one of these and being tossed around by the groundswell, I quickly realize that I won't be taking any decent photographs with all this movement, so I shoot some jewel anemones and we head toward deeper waters further from the coast.
Read More...30 June 2011 (2)
Author: Gorka Leclercq
Date: June 30, 2011
Today, while the Ranger was on the high seas, the divers (including me) dove with the Subnauta dive club close to the coast, around Alvor, Portimao.
The first dive was on an artificial reef located on the sea bed at 32 meters depth, the water was cloudy because of the mouths of nearby rivers in the area of the Algarve.
Read More...30 June 2011 (1)
Author: Ana de la Torriente y Gorka Leclercq
Date: June 30, 2011
Yesterday we made our first attempt and set sail for Gorringe. After sailing for 12 nautical miles, Nuño, the captain, decided that the waves and wind were still too strong to work far from the coast and that the forecasts weren’t looking good for the next few days. So we returned to the coast and anchored off Sagres, where we spent the night.For now, it doesn't look like conditions are going to change much, so we're forced to change our schedule. Today
Read More...29 June 2011
Author: Ana de la Torriente
Date: June 29, 2011
For now the wind is still blowing too hard to dive on the seamounts with humans or the ROV, so we decided to wait a few days and dive close to the coast.
Gorka, Thierry, Minguell and Jesús went diving with the Subnauta dive club while the rest of us on board the Ranger dove with the ROV in the Portimao canyon.
Read More...
What's New
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Press Release18/08/2011
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Press Release14/07/2011
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Press Release22/06/2011
