10. Worth More Alive by Nane Steinhoff

While visitors to Madeira are usually aware of the island’s natural beauty and varied tourism offerings, not many know about its long-standing whaling history. In recent years, locals have made it their task to reconcile the past with a sustainable, research-focused whale watching industry. With around a third of all known cetacean species visiting the Madeira archipelago throughout the year, it is needed.

“Our boat rocks back and forth as the bright midday sun puts a sparkly sheen onto the calm sea. I listen to the enigmatic sound of small waves hitting the hull and keep eye contact with a curious seagull that has sat next to our boat for quite some time, hoping for one of our lunchtime sandwiches to end up in the water. Nobody speaks as we continue to look out at the horizon for any movement.

Suddenly, Pedro Gomes, our whale watching guide for the day, jumps up and points towards something. He spotted a glimpse of a short-finned pilot whale, he exclaims. As we slowly inch closer, a pod of around 15 short-finned pilot whales appears all around our vessel. We hear their loud breaths through their blowholes, spot two calves, and are mesmerised by the unexpectedly large cetaceans. “Males can reach up to 7.2 metres in length,” explains Gomes as we take in the peaceful scene of the pilot whales appearing and disappearing around our vessel.

Short-finned pilot whales are one of the resident cetacean species in Madeira which are known to be seen around the year by local dolphin and whale watching tour operators, but they are not the only marine animals that can be found in the archipelago’s waters. Common dolphins, spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and loggerhead turtles are all species that call Madeiran waters home.

Madeira’s position between the Azores and the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic is also ideal for watching larger whale species pass by on their migratory routes. Just five kilometres off the coast, the ocean depths can reach more than 3,000 metres, and the underwater topography is characterised by steep slopes, underwater canyons, and vast plateaus. This special terrain allows larger cetaceans that would usually be seen in deeper waters to swim close to the island’s coastline…”

Read our 10th favourite feature of 2024 here.

9. Treasure Hunt by Carolyn and Dianne Murphy

In Florida, past and present meet in the form of fossilised shark teeth. 

“It’s 6 am and the sky in Venice in Florida is painted with streaks of pink, red, orange and gold shimmering and intertwining on the horizon. The ocean spray forms a misty veil sparkling in the dim light and palm trees still draped in shadow hover like giants over the beach, swaying gently in the salty breeze. As the first rays of sunlight touch the beach the wet sand is transformed into tiny prisms of light that bounce off each other in an iridescent dance. The cacophonous squawking of gulls punctuates the rhythmic lapping of waves, and a handful of barefooted beachcombers are already scattered along the beach; eyes trained on the ground, scanning the sand for fossilised shark teeth of the ocean’s infamous predator.

My day starts before the crack of dawn, when it’s still pitch dark, save for the narrow beams of flashlights, darting from side to side over sand and shells. The sand is wet and cold beneath my feet, and my flashlight sweeps the ground methodically, until the tell-tale triangular shape of a shark tooth appears in the light of my torch. In a race against the receding waves, I reach down to grab it and my fingers close around the smooth surface. It’s the fossilised tooth of a tiger shark, with a slanted tip and sharp serrations. It’s smooth, pointed and in perfect condition. It’s the first tooth of the day, and I drop it into my bag. As the sun rises and bathes the beach in a gentle hue of gold, it gradually fills up with more fossil hunters and beachgoers. I continue down the beach, to less crowded areas, occasionally stopping for longer periods of time to dig through a good shell pile or to scan the water for dolphins. By noon I usually have at least a hundred teeth…”

Read it here.

8. The World’s Rarest Seal by Nane Steinhoff

The Mediterranean monk seal is the most endangered mammal species in the world. In Madeira and the nearby Desertas Islands, researchers estimate that less than 25 individuals remain. What is being done to protect them?

“We saw one just now, right here in the bay. You should make your way down as soon as possible,” says João Martins excitedly through the phone. Martins is a local diving instructor who has sworn to share any monk seal sightings with us. We hop in our rental car and drive straight to Pedra D’eira beach in Caniçal. There, in the middle of the bay, just metres from a busy beach where people are enjoying their Sunday afternoon with drinks and music, we spot its short snout and large head bobbing in the water. Just as quickly as it appeared, it dives back down and disappears in the azure water. “If it stays in the bay, it should come up for its next breath of air within 12 minutes,” says Nuno Vasco Rodrigues, a marine biologist and underwater photographer who I’m on this assignment with. Having spent days on the water without any luck, we have finally seen a glimpse of our first elusive monk seal.

One of the largest seals in the world, monk seals can reach 3m in length and can weigh up to 350kg. As females only have one pup per year, the species is especially vulnerable to extinction. Like elsewhere around the world, seeing a monk seal around Madeira is incredibly rare. First spotted by Portuguese navigators as early as the 15th century around the Portuguese archipelago, monk seals were extensively hunted for their skin and blubber. Today’s major threats to these mammals include “displacement and habitat deterioration, deliberate killing by humans, and fisheries bycatch and entanglement”, according to information shared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As of 2022, it was estimated that only 600 to 700 Mediterranean monk seals remain across its distribution range, encompassing the eastern Mediterranean and some parts of the Northeast Atlantic, such as Cabo Blanco and Madeira. In Cabo Blanco, for example, the current abundance of monk seals is thought to represent a mere 3% of its historic abundance. Here in Madeira and the nearby Desertas Islands, researchers believe that only around 20 to 24 individuals remain…”

Read our 8th favourite feature of 2024 here.

7. Last Of Their Kind by José Jeuland 

Jeju Island’s Haenyeo are a South Korean icon. The women of the sea make a living by harvesting seafood during strenuous freediving missions. But their lifestyle might soon be lost due to a lack of women wanting to follow in their footsteps.  

“It’s about 6am on a March morning, and I am waiting to board a boat that will take myself and a group of 15 veteran female divers out to the East China Sea off the coast of Jeju Island. As we wait for the boat, the elderly ladies laugh and chatter amongst themselves in Korean and prepare their equipment for the upcoming dive. I follow suit and do the same with my camera gear. I catch the eye of a particular diver and she scowls and mutters under her breath. She is displeased that the group and the boat captain have allowed me to join them.

When we board the vessel, she pointedly takes the seat next to me, as if to watch over me in case I was up to no good. Soon enough, we arrive at the dive site, and the women drop into the cold waters one by one. Before the disgruntled diver exits the vessel, I manage to capture a portrait of her. I return to shore with the captain, ride my scooter back to my accommodation, and print out a copy of the image. When the captain and I make the return trip to pick the divers up, I present the picture to her. Her face lights up and she smiles at me for the first time. I’ve managed to charm a Haenyeo. 

The Haenyeo, or ‘women of the sea’, are an icon of South Korea. A unique culture found on the island of Jeju, the women have been in charge of diving for seafood to provide for their families since the 17th century when many of the men were either conscripted to the army or had lost their lives at sea while fishing. Additionally, the Korean ruler at that time had imposed heavy taxes on the earnings of men, but exempted the labour of women. The womenfolk of the island had no choice but to become the main breadwinners of their families. This evolved into a system where only girls were trained to perform the dangerous freediving work of the Haenyeo to harvest items such as abalone, conch, seaweed, sea urchin, and octopus from the ocean floor…”

Read our 7th favourite feature here.

6. An Ingenious System by Nane Steinhoff

On Madeira, adventure awaits behind every corner, whether you’re in the water or on land. Up in the mountains, hiking enthusiasts can explore the island’s ancient irrigation channels, the Levadas, while taking in the spectacular natural beauty of an ancient forest.

“Our small rental car huffs and puffs as it climbs its way up the steep, sloping roads. We pass sleepy-eyed children in school uniforms queuing at bus stops and roadside shops that offer steaming breakfast items. We marvel at vast vineyards and banana plantations covering the steep terrain, while the air that is streaming through the partially opened window is getting significantly cooler by the minute. A short while ago, we left the bustling roads of Funchal in complete darkness; now we’re on our way into the mountainous hinterland to explore the more natural side of Madeira. As the sun slowly rises and casts its first rays over the island, I gaze across the lush forests that are dotted across the high peaks. Thousands and thousands of trees are wrapped in morning mist, while various birds flutter around and call out in weird and wonderful tones I’ve never heard before. I smell fresh eucalyptus and figure out quickly that hiking the Levadas of Madeira will be quite a sensory experience.

55km long,and 22km wide, Madeira boasts a 144-km-long coastline which makes it the perfect destination for surfers, swimmers, sailors, divers, and other water sport enthusiasts. Further away from the popular beaches, however, on higher altitudes, visitors can experience the living and breathing heart of Madeira which, quite literally, feeds the entire island.

Ruivo Peak, Madeira’s highest point, sits at 1,861 metres above sea level. While hiking fans can climb up this mountain, it is also the numerous other hiking trails around the island that attract hikers of all experience levels. From gorgeous valley views to adventurous peak ascents and lush forest walks, there is a hike to choose for everyone. Most visitors will tell you that the true hiking highlights are the Levada walks. With around 150 different Levadas to choose from, these iconic walking trails have attracted walkers from across the globe…”

Read the full feature feature here.

5. Icons in Trouble by Liam MacLean

With the increase of tourism and development, habitats are being damaged across the globe. In Florida, loss of habitat and an increase in boat strikes threatens one of the state’s most iconic species: the manatee. How long can it survive human pressures?

“When you think of Florida, theme parks, space shuttles and resort-lined beaches may first spring to mind. However, far away from these scenes, the south-eastern part of the state is distinctly characterised by its diverse and complex ecosystems of extensive coastline, wetlands, forests, and unique geological features that are home to Florida’s manatees.

Large, grey, and looking much like a potato, the Florida manatee is one of two subspecies of the West Indian manatee. These docile and gentle creatures are aquatic mammals that are relatively solitary and often travel alone or in small herds. The subspecies spends the cold winter months in the refuge of Florida’s warm water environments in the state’s interior waterways. Every winter, thousands of manatees gather in the constant 22 degrees Celsius water of the Florida springs and south Florida river environments, while avoiding the dropping ocean temperatures.

They sleep at least 12 hours a day in these shallow waters and spend a majority of their waking hours using their prehensile lips and sensory whiskers to forage for vegetation on the bottom of the sea or on riverbeds. Here, they feed on large quantities of aquatic vegetation, such as seagrass; fully grown adults can consume over 45 kilogrammes a day. But with depleting food sources, manatees are being forced to venture into more precarious waters where they risk cold water exposure and collisions with boats. Manatees are currently designated under the Endangered Species Act as threatened, but in the last few years there has been growing support to reclassify them as endangered…”

Read the full feature feature here.

4. Meeting Place of the Heart by Nori Jemil

Located less than an hour from Perth, Mandurah is Western Australia’s second largest city. Here, the Mandurah Estuary and Peel Inlet is a large system of shallow estuarine and saline, brackish and freshwater lakes. This diverse ecosystem is not only a habitat for many plant and animal species but is also regarded as one of Australia’s most spectacular playgrounds for boating, fishing and wildlife watching.

“An entire continent surrounded by water, Australia has long been synonymous with oceanside living, marine conservation and leisure pursuits, from surfing and sailing to deep sea fishing and reef diving. And oceans are perhaps even more significant to Western Australia, the state that encompasses around one third of this island nation, with a mainland coastline of its own of almost 13,000km – close to 21,000km if you include its islands. It seems understandable then, when overseas and interstate visitors have sensational locations like the Coral Coast, Ningaloo Reef / Nyinggulu and the northern Kimberley shores vying for their attention – even the capital, Perth / Boorloo, has some of Western Australia’s most unspoiled Indian Ocean beaches – that Western Australia’s second largest city, Mandurah / Mandjoogoordap, is not everyone’s first port of call.

To be perfectly honest, it has also had a bit of a reputational problem, with urbane Western Australians perhaps looking down on Mandurah as a bit of a poor relation, a one-time sleepy fishing village that was good for day trips or affordable summer holidays. But something has shifted in the last decade, and Mandurah’s low key development is now its new appeal. In our current world of over-tourism the historic ‘backwater’ slurs have transformed into gilt-edged compliments amongst those looking to escape the crowds and seek out places further off the beaten track…”

Read the 4th most read feature.

3. Rowing Across by Jasmine Harrison

3,700 miles from Spain to Antigua in 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes: 21-year-old Jasmine Harrison made history when she became the youngest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Sitting all alone on your life raft on the deck of your 21-foot-long rowing boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at night, while looking up at the stars makes you feel so small and alone. It is a feeling that is hard to recreate; the feeling of knowing that this is the time and place where you’re meant to be. Nothing matters because there is clearly so much more out there.

This was exactly the feeling that I have been dreaming of without knowing it since that January day in 2018 when I found out that rowing across the Atlantic is something that is possible and something that I myself could actually do. The idea of escaping, experiencing freedom and pure adventure hooked me immediately when I looked out at the waves from Nelsons Dockyard in Antigua. I knew that one day I would be back here. But I would arrive in a much different way. 18-year-old me knew what I wanted, and I could feel what path to take even though I couldn’t see it yet.

Taking on such a challenge is by no means an easy feat though. I understood the hard work that needed to be endured but this part made the entire experience even more inviting, rather than deterring me. I had to prepare, learn and persevere for two years just to get to the start line in La Gomera on the Canary Islands. Searching for sponsorship, asking for support, doing training took over my life…”

Read the 3rd most read feature of 2024.

2. The Last Hunt for the Future by Tim Lyons

On a research vessel north of Svalbard, a scientific research team leads an expedition to collect crucial data to understand how ice sheet melt rates are tied to rapid sea level rise.

“You should take your boots off; boots will tear that suit apart,” the captain says to me as I pull a thick red immersion suit up to my chest. Resembling a full-body wetsuit, only much thicker and more claustrophobic, the suit is designed to keep you alive long enough to be rescued in water temperatures below 40 degrees. Before the zipper made its way to my nose to seal me in fully, the captain says: “But don’t forget your boots; stick them in your suit (gesturing to tuck them in near my chest) before you zip it up if you were to survive long enough to wash onto a rocky outcropping you would be glad you had those.”

I think he saw the look of concern on my face and followed up with: “This entire exercise is only a precaution for an extremely unlikely event.” His attempt at being polite was only a further reminder of how remote Arctic waters can be. Outside of any shipping lanes or commercial flight paths, where we are headed remains one of the most remote corners of our planet. The research cruise I find myself on, however, is just as focused on the question of ‘when’ as it is with ‘where’.

Sitting between Greenland and Svalbard is a deep-water passage that connects the Arctic Ocean with the Northern Atlantic to the south. Today, this passage is best defined by the presence of a warm northward flowing current west of Spitsbergen (WSC) and the southward flowing East Greenland Current (EGC). The northward flowing current plays an important role in both regional and global climate change because of the heat, moisture, and salt it brings into the Arctic region. The crossing of these currents acts as a gate into the Arctic and because of this is a very strong forcing mechanism for climate change. In the present the Arctic continues to warm nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet. Known as Arctic amplification, a series of feedback loops compound the rate of warming. This affects the rest of northern hemisphere through a dysregulation of the Polar Jetstream, which can deliver extreme cold to the United States and Canada…”

Read our 2nd most read feature of 2024.

1. Blue Spring by Andi Cross

Florida’s historic Blue Spring is home to around 1,000 manatees. Here, the Edges of Earth expedition team met Wayne Hartley, the region’s revered manatee specialist, to find out more about the charismatic species, and its conservation status. 

“On a serene January morning, we found ourselves alone on Blue Spring, navigating the waters in a small canoe, in total silence with no one else around. This moment of tranquility, before the state park welcomed the public, allowed us to engage in a quiet ritual of ‘counting’. My presence in this humble canoe, gliding through Florida’s historic Blue Spring, was courtesy of Wayne Hartley, the region’s revered manatee specialist.

Each morning of the peak season, Wayne dedicates two hours to quietly counting the manatees that inhabit these waters. Accompanying Wayne for the past decade has been his protégé, Cora Berchem. Yet today, I had the privilege of taking her place. My interest in Wayne stems from his unparalleled dedication: four decades spent studying a single species, in a singular location, aboard this very same canoe. Such unwavering passion and dedication are rare treasures in our world, meriting celebration. It was this extraordinary commitment that drew the Edges of Earth expedition to this park, nestled just outside Orlando, in the heart of winter.

Stepping into the park an hour early, a place that welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors each year, felt surreal. The boardwalk, lined with signs sternly prohibiting swimming with, touching, or harassing the manatees, guided our cautious steps. Nearing the Blue Spring boil and gazing out to the spring, we saw what first appeared to be heaps of gigantic potatoes bobbing in the water. But upon closer examination, these ‘potatoes’ revealed themselves to actually be manatees, huddled together for warmth on these cold winter days. The exceptionally clear waters highlighted the beauty of these gatherings, providing an up-close glimpse into the lives of manatees seeking solace and warmth together…”

Read our most read feature of 2024 here. 

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from the Oceanographic team.
Here’s to many, many more fascinating ocean stories in 2025!