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| Half way home! We are north of our intended destination (Cork) as we are taking the great-circle-route which is the shortest distance given the curvature or 'bulge' of the earth. |
Today was challenging to say the least - conditions were marginal for seeing cetaceans given the choppy sea and glare. But at least the swell is low and we have the wind on our backs, making life on board very comfortable. There were no sightings (and only 1 hallucinated beluga whale about 6 hours into the day) . Not a peep through the hydrophone either unfortunately. We spent the day traversing the Mid Atlantic Ridge - a known cetacean hotspot for sei whales and striped dolphins during the summer months and a migratory pathway for humpack and blue whales too. All is quiet here now though, maybe we will start to hear sperm whales again tonight as we head out over the abyssal plain.
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| EK60 screen-grab showing the sea bottom (red) profile of the Mid Atlantic Ridge as we crossed it today between the Hecate and Faraday Seamounts. |
The bird survey was far more productive. Our young great black backed gull woke up this morning after sunrise and flew away, where to I'm not sure, it was very far from home. Emily recorded kittiwakes, puffins and great skua. Notably, there have been no fulmars seen for the past 2 days.
Tomorrow our route will take us over the East Thulean Rise - a submarine mount that climbs to 1500m and drops away on its eastern side to 3000m.
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