Legacy: Bay of Biscay 2008

We are doing very well with the filming. We’ve found amazing sea bottoms comprised of laminaria and maërl, harbouring as much life as any tropical forest. It’s worth it, even though we’ve worked 12 hours straight, without resting, only taking 15 or 20 minutes for lunch. Yesterday we had to postpone our work for more … Read more

We had a good day today, two divers in the water and two in the ROV searching for two emblematic species, the sea horse (Hippocampus ramulosus) and maerl, a prairie of free floating red calcareous algae, both very typical in the estuaries in Galicia. First, we dove near the island of Arousa, at 12 meters … Read more

Last night we went to sleep believing today would be completely different than what it turned out to be. The weather predictions made us believe we were not going to be able to film at all. The predicted force 5 winds meant the conditions would be unsafe for both personnel and equipment. Handling a 150 … Read more

Preparing our day. We received the dry suits, because you can’t dive in these waters without them, departed from the port of Sanxenxo and headed towards Ons Island (in the National Park of the Atlantic Islands). We were delighted to find the seas were calm. During a one-hour dive, the 4 divers were able to … Read more

After an 8-day crossing and 3 days in port preparing the ship in Vigo, we finally took the first images of what promised to be very interesting sea floors. We departed from the Real Club Nautico in Vigo at midday, after having received and distributed all the material necessary for the campaign: diving equipment and … Read more

We quickly fell back into the routine of the Ranger after a daylong respite in Gibraltar. While at sea, the ship requires 24-hours-a-day maintenance and if not for a strict schedule, it simply would not be able to operate. For most of us, the day begins at 8 am when we shake off the last … Read more

After two and a half days at sea, a familiar image appeared in the distance. At first I was confused as to why the Rock of Gibraltar seemed so familiar. I had certainly never been there before nor could I recall a time ever studying the landscape. Then I remembered that shortly before leaving for … Read more

As I´m sure fans of reality television already know, there is certain entertainment value in throwing together a group of people from all walks of life and asking them to live together in cramped quarters with little contact to the outside world. Such is life aboard the Oceana Ranger. The catamaran has bunks for 12 … Read more

We left Valencia this morning a little after nine, chuffing out of the harbor into a blustery headwind. Maureen and I sat on the prow, watching Valencia slip away behind us. The yachts and racing catamarans quickly disappeared, leaving a skyline of orange, black and red cranes framing the coastline. Valencia is a major port … Read more