Scenes from Above

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Written by Dr. Andy Bruckner, Chief Scientist Society Islands from 1000 feet offers a unique perspective of the beauty of French Polynesia as well as some of the challenges we face on the upcoming research mission.  We overflew the eight …

6 Months in the South Pacific

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One of our most ambitious research missions of the Global Reef Expedition to date will take us to the South Pacific, where we will spend more than six months exploring coral reefs throughout French Polynesia.  We arrived late Thursday night …

When Volcanoes Meet

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Another day at Isabela Island, with two morning dives at C-shaped island called Tortuga, the remains of yet another in the chain of volcanoes… a partially collapsed volcanic cone (though much bigger than Devil’s Crown). Unfortunately, we found very little …

Corals and Carbon Dioxide

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The Golden Shadow arrived at Puerto Villamil, on the southern end of Isabela Island, last night. It is the third-largest settlement, and the largest island, in the archipelago. Today we explored shallow lagoons near the town’s docks, in particular one …

Corals in the Devil’s Crown

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After just one dive at San Cristobal Island, the team decided the water was too rough, so the Golden Shadow moved on. We woke Monday to overcast skies at Floreana, the southernmost of the five inhabited islands. Monday brought three dives …

Heading South

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This weekend marked the halfway point of the Galapagos expedition, both in time and in territory. After a week at Marchena, Darwin and Wolf, the latter two far to the north of the main group of islands, the ship will …