We’re now back in Cabo de Palos and we’re going to continue our dives in Islas Hormigas. Within the Reserve, the divers are finding a large variety of fish, including barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis) and the three species of grouper (Epinephelus marginatus, Epinephelus costae and Mycteroperca rubra). Today, some of the divers told us they saw … Read more
Today we are really sweating. It’s the hottest day since we began the expedition. But at least the sea is calm and this makes our work much easier. We continue to work with the ROV in the Seco de Palos. We find remnants of fishing tackle every 20 meters; lines, hooks, nets, etc. We’re taking … Read more
Today we must wake up a bit earlier. It will take us more than three hours to reach our destination. As soon as we set sail, we begin seeing the trawlers carrying out their activities. We see them all over for a long time, until the sea floors become deeper, reaching 700-800 meters depth. The … Read more
Early in the morning we leave Cartagena and set sail towards Cabo de Palos; we will meet with the marine reserve guards there to comment on our plans. The paperwork is quick and we’re wailing towards Bajo de Fuera in no time. The top is located at only 4 meters depth and the northern slope … Read more
It looks better this morning, but swells are expected in Cabo de Palos after easterly winds (Levante) have been blowing these past few days. So we won’t risk it and we’ll take advantage of the day by concentrating our work in the area between Cabo Tiñoso and La Azohia. This coastal area is still magnificent … Read more
We’ve spent the last few days closely following the “Don Pedro” spill in Ibiza. Although the largest oil spill took place on the first day, the merchant ship was still leaking smaller amounts on the following days. Work is still being carried out to seal the cracks in the wreck, but it is difficult to … Read more
We are still in Ibiza. Early in the morning, we go out to see what the situation is like. The area where the largest slick was located is now much more dissolved and dispersed, forming only some small fuel patches, and most of it has been removed by the cleaning ships. The marine rescue vessel … Read more
Yesterday, we continued to study the sea floors around Cabo de La Nao. We carried out a couple of dives with the divers between Isla de Portixol and Cape San Martin. Again, we spotted gorgonians including the white sea fan (Eunicella singularis) and the yellow sea fan (Leptogorgia sarmentosa), many nudibranchs, cardinalfish (Apogon imberbis) with … Read more
Today we start the day with a dive in the Cabo de San Antonio. Here, the marine reserve guards provide us with information about the area. It is a rocky wall with one rock descending to approximately 20 meters depth. Like other places in this area, there are few gorgonians, including some dispersed white sea … Read more
We’re still in Cabo de la Nao. We’ve done two more dives with the ROV on this sea floor and one dive with the divers in Cabo Negro. Today it was the Audouin gulls (Larus audounini) that have accompanied us this morning. We continue to study these mostly muddy sea floors with the ROV where … Read more
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