Legacy: Mediterranean 2006

Yesterday was a day of testing. We worked out how to make the best use of the grids, rulers and other equipment that we have with us on board to assess the density of plants and marine algae on the sea floor. In the process, we also tested the coordination between all the team members. … Read more

25 July Yesterday I arrived in Valencia with the extreme good fortune to be able to join the Ranger. At this moment we are still in port and it sounds like we will be departing this afternoon. Everyone is quietly busy in their own way getting ready to leave, to take care of themselves in … Read more

Mud and sand. That is what we are looking for. The sea floors made up of fine sediment are usually forgotten by marine conservationists and considered “dispensable” when discussing underwater sewage pipeline installations, high-impact fishing methods or any other activity that is considered necessary but damaging. These marine “deserts” are not as popular as rocky … Read more

“Placer de la Barra Alta” is the strange name given to a small hillock measuring 60-70 meters in height located a few miles west-southwest of the Columbretes Islands. It rises from a flat sea floor at 80 meters and some of its peaks rise up to just 9 meters below the surface. It is not … Read more

Today is our third and last day in Columbretes. We will concentrate on the exterior west section of Isla Grossa. The wall is more prominent here and thanks to this, there are many communities of sponges and corals, such as scleractinian and stoloniferous corals. There is also more movement and currents in this area and, … Read more

We have spent the night anchored in the crater of the volcano that “gave birth” to Isla Grossa. During the night, the petrels give us a concert with their distinctive chants: the sounds they make are like a baby crying. Luckily, at night the temperature has been more mild, compared to the intolerable heat we … Read more

After leaving Torredembarra at night, we saw various ships pass by us at sunrise, including cruise ships, cargo ships, etc. Further away, more or less two miles away, we saw a trawler. When we reached the area, we saw dozens of dead fish on the surface, mainly bogues (Boops boops), most probably the frequent leftovers … Read more

As soon as we docked in Roses port, the Ranger’s crew was divided into three work groups: On the one hand, and the main reason why we had to make a stop in these facilities, in order to install a davit crane on the Ranger’s stern which would allow us to carry out operations with … Read more

The new deck crane being installed over the next few days in Roses, Catalonia, will make many of the current operations more efficient and open some new possibilities. Right now just getting the divers and their equiptment in and out of the water is a three ring circus and not altogether safe for the delicate … Read more

My first week on the Ranger was spent doing a variety of work in the coastal waters around Cagliari. This work included several dives documenting marine life and patrolling south of Sardinina along the 1000 meter depth curve for illegal driftnet fishing operations. This diary is about our crossing the Western Mediterranean from Cagliari to … Read more