Legacy: Balearic Seamounts
Balearic Seamounts Expedition 2014: Overview
This expedition aims to document and map a series of seamounts in the Mallorca Channel (Emile Baudot, Ausias March and Ses Olives) as well as the coralligenous reef called Fort d’en Moreu, which lies east of the Cabrera archipelago. The purpose of this campaign is to continue gathering information, which began back in 2006, in … Read more
Deep-sea sharks
In our first immersion today at more than 900 meters deep we found a group of deep-sea sharks. We explored some volcanic pinnacles near Emile Baudot. Back in 2013 we found stony sponges in a seamount in Gulf of Valencia, now we could see them here. This is the second time these sponges are ever … Read more
Fish, birds and gorgonian gardens
We spent the night in Porto Colom, surrounded by fishing boats, long liners and bottom trawlers. The atmosphere was a bit strange, as fishermen were staring at our t-shirts with the Oceana logo, and seemed to know us. Today, a reporter is on board with us from the TV show, Thalassa. We begin to head … Read more
Signs of trawling in a habitat that should be protected
We have finished research on the planned points of the expedition, but because the weather is so good, we are extending the area to be surveyed in order to check and know better the extent to which the protected area should be expanded. We are moving forward with work in the Fort d’en Moreu area, … Read more
A problem with the camera
The first light of day passes through the porthole; the sea is calm and quiet. Several seabirds are welcoming the day. We are already in the next diving station. The first time we put the ROV in the water we had a problem with the high definition camera, and had to abort the immersion. After … Read more
Nine ROV dives for the first day
After ten years of expeditions, once again another Oceana campaign kicks off. This time, the goal is to document the seamounts in the Mallorca Channel through video and bionomic mapping. It is now eight o’clock sharp, and the Cathedral of Palma is disappearing from view, and the bow of the ship is pointing towards the Cabrera … Read more
