So finally, after three hot days in Waisai where we had discussions with local authorities, we got on the Temukira, a nice little wooden ship that we rented for our expedition. It felt good to be on the water, much cooler and after days of rain it was finally sunny….
After a long trip we finally arrived in Waisai, Raja Ampat. Here, we wanted to sort the fins and snorkels and meet the most important stakeholders for our trip. Through a tropical monsoon we ran to the meeting: around the table that looked like a wedding cake were sitting about…
Getting all the documents and permits done for Indonesia always feels a bit like a computer game, like a race where you need to pick up different trophies to be allowed to go to the next level. Level one starts months before you head out to Indonesia, gathering together a…
Mostly when you hear about coral reefs in the news, it’s bad. Disease & death. Luckily there are a few bright spots in the world where the reefs are still quite healthy. One of those areas is Raja Ampat, Indonesia. In 2016 & 2017 there were global bleaching events, where…
On our way for the second time After staying in Melbourne for a couple of days and Kaiyo-maru being resupplied, we are on our way back to the Southern Ocean for the second half of the expedition. Although Melbourne was a welcome break, most people seem eager to continue the…
By: Fokje Schaafsma en Marin van Regteren, Wageningen Marine Research On our way south In Fremantle, Australia, we join the Japanese research vessel Kaiyo Maru on December 4th. Before we leave, we have some time to look around the city and buy some last supplies. Usually, we unpack our boxes…
Day 6. Back in Sint Maarten Friday 23 November. We are back in Sint Maarten. It was a terrific expedition, a great group of people and a fantastic crew on board of the Caribbean Explorer II. Sarah, Brett, and Kirsten the divers from the Explorer accompanied each group on every…
Day 6. Wild days Wild days on the Saba Bank. Things you take for granted on land, are such complexities on a ship rocking on the grand Sababankian waves. Place a cup on the table – wooosh, it’ll go flying if you don’t hold on to it. Same for plates…
Day 5. Sunny side up In the distance we see only some lights from Statia and Saba and beyond that, the light of the moon, the stars and the sound of the waves crashing on the Caribbean Explorer II. While we spent the last few nights near Saba, we will…
Day 4 The team has reached the fourth day of the expedition, and we are all going strong with the data collection for the Saba Bank. Through rough weather, high waves, currents, rain and strong gusts of wind, it does not hold us back to the dives to collect data….