Legacy: On Board the Marviva Med

At 9am the Oceana Marviva Med research vessel arrived at the harbor Nuovo Bacino Di Punete in the South of Sardinia, Italy. Upon arrival our land based objective was to look for any illegal driftnet fishing boats docked within harbors Calasseta and Sant Antioco near Cagliari. In years past, fisherman armed with illegal driftnets onboard … Read more

For a moment, imagine a net that descends 100ft/30meters almost as deep as the maximum depth at which recreational diver can safely descend. The length of the driftnet extends for 12 miles/20 kilometers. That is equivalent to the length of a half-marathon that takes approximately two hours to run from start to finish — if … Read more

On the observation deck at 6:10 this morning — as I looked towards the horizon breathing the mist of the oceans morning haze I collected my thoughts and relaxed as I observed the subtle yet rapid change of night to day and day to night. With calm seas, I watched the rays of the sun … Read more

At 10am under the bright sun and flat seas we were fortunate to enjoy a brief moment watching a pod of common dolphins and a little baby surf the waves in front of the bow of our boat. One dolphin in particular seemed to enjoy swimming upside down watching us lean over the bow of … Read more

Early this morning, with calm seas, at 6 am the Tunisian Navy Warship stopped our vessel and sent a platoon of 5 men onboard the Oceana Marviva Med from a small inflatable boat. At the time we were heading innocently westward towards Algeria in Tunisian territorial sea near the island of La Galite. Over the … Read more

The Spanish “furia” team is known for its technical agility, graceful ball movement. It has had a frustrating world champion curse —preventing the national team from winning the trophy over the last 44 years. Second to the WorldCup Championship the EuroCup is the most sought after football trophy. In the final match Spain versus the … Read more

Expedition Leader Xavier Pastor has directed the Marviva Med into the Italian waters South of Sicily along the boarder of the African coast heading west from Tunisia towards Algeria. Within this region near Africa, very little is known about the activity of fishermen and fishing boats. Additionally, Xavier explained to the Oceana Team that the … Read more

Throughout the world every day in every city there is a fish market just like this one — that we documented in Malta Harbor at 3:30 in the morning — that brings fresh fish to your home and restaurant each day of the week 365 days a year. No tuna are sold here — for … Read more

In a twist of irony, with the absence of marine life, our exploration shifted towards underwater landscapes and prisms of light that dazzled the eye and sparked imagination. From the surface, and as soon as I descended, I was immediately captivated by the vibrant colors of blue and blue/green light flowing effortlessly through the water. … Read more

Exploring the underwater environment of Gozo and Malta the Oceana dive team comprised of (pictured left to right) Alberto Iglesias, Gorka Leclercq, Keith Ellenbogen, and Thierry Lannoy noted very little marine life juxtaposed to some of the most scenic locations. Over the next couple of days we dove the following dive sites: Gozo Island — … Read more