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Day 7 of the Oceano Azul Gorringe Expedition sees us heading back out to the seamount having taken cover from
The weather after our 3rd day of scientific dives. The forecast looks set fair for the coming days and the diving and landers teams are keen to get back in the water.
Below is an extract from the Oceano Azuls Expedition diary.
Despite the strong currents, we have concluded 36 dives with very diverse biodiversity samples collected.
The sea is a striking dark blue, offering divers exceptional visibility over long distances. Large schools of amberjacks were spotted approaching the divers in great numbers. Large schools of wrasses and Anthias were found. Marine forests of macroalgae and a large diversity of algal species show a very healthy ecosystem.
The absence of invasive species, which prevail in the mainland and in the archipelagos, is also a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
Gorringe is at the intersection of the north Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Africa and the island archipelagos and show a unique combination of marine fauna and flora.
The most curious observation on the dives were dozens of torpedo rays observed among the marine flora, stacked one on top of the other, with an uncommon size.
A total of 15 seabirds visual surveys were performed with at least 12 species identified. For marine mammals, 20 surveys were performed and bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and spotted dolphins, as well as a baleen whale, turtles, a shark and a swordfish registered.
Baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) were deployed in 5 stations (5 BRUV systems per station) with a total of 50h of video. Turtles, pilot fish, spotted dolphins and mahi-mahi have been recorded.
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1wThat’s tasty.