Aldabra Atoll Expedition
Project Leader: Dr Rupert Ormond
Background
The SOSF leads innovative marine expeditions focused on scientific research and on documenting in camera the marine life of each location. Over March and April 2008 a five-strong team from SOSF spent four weeks on the world’s largest raised coral atoll, documenting in High Definition and in still photographs the abundance of inshore reef sharks in the waters surrounding Aldabra. Tucked away in a lost corner of the Seychelles Island Group, Aldabra’s Indian Ocean waters surprised, delighted and also disappointed the team in their quest to find the larger shark species, such as tiger, oceanic whitetips, and hammerhead sharks. Diving at every opportune moment they explored inshore reefs, offshore deep water, the islands’ fast flowing channels, the lagoon and frigate-nesting mangrove swamps.
The SOSF team included: Dr Rupert Ormond (SOSF’s Chief Scientist), responsible for advising about shark behaviour and habitat, Dan Beecham (HD Cameraman), Thomas Peschak (Chief Photographer), Cheryl-Samantha Owen (Environmental Journalist), and James Lea (Researcher).
The SOSF team included: Dr Rupert Ormond (SOSF’s Chief Scientist), responsible for advising about shark behaviour and habitat, Dan Beecham (HD Cameraman), Thomas Peschak (Chief Photographer), Cheryl-Samantha Owen (Environmental Journalist), and James Lea (Researcher).
In the field
By capturing on film the existence of Aldabra’s healthy inshore reef shark population, one of the few relatively undisturbed by humans, they aimed to inspire, wonder and educate audiences across the world. In a joint venture with the Aldabra Foundation, SOSF’s expedition footage and photographs became part of an exhibition, which travels to cities worldwide in an effort to raise awareness of the extraordinary natural paradise that still exists on Aldabra and in its surrounding waters.
A blog for the duration of the expedition was posted on the SOSF website. It described the daily adventures of the team, reporting on their incredible shark dives to the frustrations of dealing with broken camera gear. Weekly articles also featured in the Daily Telegraph website and the main South African newspapers. Each story tied into specific marine and shark conservation issues, in an effort to relate SOSF’s work on Aldabra to the bigger picture of the state of our oceans and the urgent need for conservation action.
A blog for the duration of the expedition was posted on the SOSF website. It described the daily adventures of the team, reporting on their incredible shark dives to the frustrations of dealing with broken camera gear. Weekly articles also featured in the Daily Telegraph website and the main South African newspapers. Each story tied into specific marine and shark conservation issues, in an effort to relate SOSF’s work on Aldabra to the bigger picture of the state of our oceans and the urgent need for conservation action.
Conclusions
From a place described by Jacques-Yves Cousteau as ‘one of the last sanctuaries on our planet…a place that man has not yet spoiled,’ the team came away with footage, stills and stories of waters teaming with black tip reef, grey reef, sicklefin lemon, tawny nurse and silver tip sharks. The larger shark species evaded the cameras, despite efforts to find them in deeper water and on the reef edge at night. Heavy fishing pressure, particularly from long liners, has decimated the shark population throughout most of the Indian Ocean, but here, at least on the inshore reefs of this Jurassic Park hide-away SOSF was able to document a rare exception.