At Sea
From the crystal blue waters and stunning coral reefs of the Tuamotu Archipelago, we sailed to the Marquesas Islands, where the sea is cloudy green and there is very little coral at all. Strange, then, that for many of us the waters surrounding these remote pinnacles of land provided some of the best underwater highlights of our journey.
Coral reefs certainly deserve their reputation as realm of wonderfully beautiful and diverse marine life, and on a global scale coral reefs are a rare and priceless treasure. But the Marquesas, on the far eastern fringe of Polynesia, are truly unique. Young and isolated geographically, these islands have yet to be colonized by many species of coral; instead they straddle the path of the South Equatorial Current, which lifts deep nutrient-laden waters to their shores. The nutrients, in combination with tropical sunshine, support the growth of single-celled phytoplankton, a rich soup that forms the basis of the food chain here without the need for extensive reefs. Yes, the waters were green and occasionally filled with curious drifting creatures, but our attention was on the bright sponges decorating the submarine cliffs, the jewel-like crustaceans concealed in the crevices and the dense schools of fish swirling around us.
Best of all, the Marquesas support those rarest of species, marine endemics. Because their larvae can easily travel long distances across the ocean by drifting with the currents, most common fish, corals and other reef inhabitants are widely distributed. But the Marquesas, like very few other islands in the world, are isolated enough for some species of fish and invertebrates to have developed into new species found nowhere else in the world. We have observed several of these unique treasures, including the brilliant orange Marquesan Anthias, the Marquesan Sergeant (one of five species around the world and the only one with such a restricted range) and the rare and lovely Marquesan Butterflyfish.
The Marquesas are one of the crown jewels of French Polynesia, a remote and fabled group of truly beautiful islands. It seems very fitting that the soaring topography and fascinating culture that brought Gauguin and Heyerdahl here are balanced by equal riches in the sea, hidden just below the surface.
From the crystal blue waters and stunning coral reefs of the Tuamotu Archipelago, we sailed to the Marquesas Islands, where the sea is cloudy green and there is very little coral at all. Strange, then, that for many of us the waters surrounding these remote pinnacles of land provided some of the best underwater highlights of our journey.
Coral reefs certainly deserve their reputation as realm of wonderfully beautiful and diverse marine life, and on a global scale coral reefs are a rare and priceless treasure. But the Marquesas, on the far eastern fringe of Polynesia, are truly unique. Young and isolated geographically, these islands have yet to be colonized by many species of coral; instead they straddle the path of the South Equatorial Current, which lifts deep nutrient-laden waters to their shores. The nutrients, in combination with tropical sunshine, support the growth of single-celled phytoplankton, a rich soup that forms the basis of the food chain here without the need for extensive reefs. Yes, the waters were green and occasionally filled with curious drifting creatures, but our attention was on the bright sponges decorating the submarine cliffs, the jewel-like crustaceans concealed in the crevices and the dense schools of fish swirling around us.
Best of all, the Marquesas support those rarest of species, marine endemics. Because their larvae can easily travel long distances across the ocean by drifting with the currents, most common fish, corals and other reef inhabitants are widely distributed. But the Marquesas, like very few other islands in the world, are isolated enough for some species of fish and invertebrates to have developed into new species found nowhere else in the world. We have observed several of these unique treasures, including the brilliant orange Marquesan Anthias, the Marquesan Sergeant (one of five species around the world and the only one with such a restricted range) and the rare and lovely Marquesan Butterflyfish.
The Marquesas are one of the crown jewels of French Polynesia, a remote and fabled group of truly beautiful islands. It seems very fitting that the soaring topography and fascinating culture that brought Gauguin and Heyerdahl here are balanced by equal riches in the sea, hidden just below the surface.
