Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Providing science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health
Between September 10, 2013 – October 3, 2013 the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation conducted a research mission to Tonga as part of the Global Reef Expedition, focusing on coral reefs surrounding the islands in the Ha’apai group (Sep 11-21), …
Mangroves are unique trees that grow in intertidal areas of subtropical and tropical regions. They are highly specialized in adapting to distinctive environmental conditions they occupy. For instance, some mangroves are able to absorb seawater from the ocean and expel …
Today was our last day surveying and conducting education programs in the Niuas. It has been a successful journey, but now we are headed back to mainland Tonga – a 27 hour transit. Traditionally in Tonga, vessels were a means …
Today we arrived in the Niua Island Group. The science team will spend the next two days surveying Niuatoputapu, while the education team will provide land-based education programs. These are also the last two days of our Tonga mission before …
After 22 dives in 8 days, we are finished surveying in the beautiful Vava’u island group. This afternoon, we are traveling 15 hours to get to our final island group, called the Niuas. It’s the northernmost group of islands consisting …
It’s not every day that you can look out your window and see a coral reef in your own backyard. For students of the Government Primary School (GPS) in Matamaka Island, Tonga, this story is a reality. Matamaka Provides Unique …
Floating along above the reef on our coral surveys here in Tonga, we are occasionally distracted by flashes of bright colors crawling along the reef. These bright colors come from a group of sea slugs called nudibranchs. For the uninitiated, …
Today we are near Ovaka in the Vava’u Island group. The sky is blue, the sun is out, and the scuba diving is incredible. During the morning dives, a couple of members of the Science Team saw two octopi only …
For thousands of years, Tongan fishing used traditional outrigger canoes known as popao. With modern technology, it is rare to see these traditional fishing boats and it’s even rarer to see traditional fishing gear being used; however, there are still …
Does the idea of whales fasting sound strange to you? Read on to find out why they do… Humpback whales are a type of baleen whale. Baleen whales do not have teeth, instead they have baleen plates, which are made …
