Oceana’s Baltic Expedition - Oceana USA
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May 4, 2011

Oceana’s Baltic Expedition

As we speak, a team of Oceana campaigners is exploring the Baltic Sea on a two-month scientific expedition. The Hanse Explorer set sail in April out of Copenhagen, where we recently opened an office.

The expedition team is analyzing areas of special ecological importance in the Baltic to propose new Marine Protected Areas. Using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the crew is documenting marine biodiversity as well as fisheries activity in the Baltic Sea.

The expedition divers have been braving the icy waters — reportedly 2° Celsius (35°  Fahrenheit) at one point — to record some fantastic photo and video.  Diver Gorka Leclercq writes that during one -1° C dive, the team attempted to collect samples of the seabed by hand, only to find the sand was “frozen hard as stone.”

On the plus side, the lack of sediment in the water meant the divers were better able to see some of the cool creatures in the photos below. The images in the icy waters are my favorite, what about you?