Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Providing science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health
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 …
You can’t talk about coral in the Galapagos without talking about the atmospheric phenomenon called El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Normally, west-blowing trade winds push warm waters into the western Pacific Ocean. Every four or five years on average, though, …
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 …
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 …
The story of how these not-incredibly-attractive islands in the middle of the Pacific became world famous starts on December 27, 1831, when the H.M.S. Beagle sailed from Plymouth, England on a five-year round-the-world voyage. On board was an unpaid naturalist …
Why are the waters around the Galapagos Islands so rich with marine life? It’s because the islands are in a very special spot. Oceanographically speaking, they are at the intersection of five major ocean currents. Along with the equatorial surface weather, these …
When we entered the water for our first research dive at Wolf island, the first thing we saw were thousands upon thousands of fish. The fish were so numerous it made seeing the bottom difficult. Underneath the clouds of fish …
Our first coral reef research site was by the island of Marchena. Old black lava blankets the land and flows down beneath the waves. Underwater, the porous lava and a few species of branching coral create a complex habitat for …
Iconic Galapagos creatures greeted the Golden Shadow as she arrived in the archipelago this week. Sea lions, sharks, and countless birds came to inspect the new visitors, and the scientific team embarked under the robotic gaze of the Sally light …
The Living Oceans Foundation is pleased to present two live presentations from the Galápagos as part of World Oceans Day 2012! On the June 8, 2012 at 3:30PM EST, join the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and the Ocean …
