Overall, it was a privilege to attend this special event 'In Celebration of Tristan da Cunha' at what is regarded as the most important geographical venue in the world. We are delighted to announce that in January 2017, the RSPB, Tristan da Cunha Government and National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team will be conducting a joint 5-week marine discovery expedition to the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. Katie Davis; Science diving; nearshore cameras; UCSB. Alternatively, you can view it on Youtube at:https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQwLBQ3hMCk. We will produce a scientific report that highlights the results of our expedition and summarize and compare our results to research in kelp forest ecosystems elsewhere in the world.

On Thursday 2nd February 2017, St Mary's School was visited by Paul Rose and his team from National Geographic's Pristine Seas project. We will provide information on the microfossil, paleo-ecology and shark communities from the marine sediments around Tristan da Cunha. It departed Cape Town during the afternoon of Sunday 8th January 2017 bound for Tristan da Cunha where it is expected to arrive a week later on 15th January. The photography was stunning, particularly the drone photos of the Tristan da Cunha Islands, especially those approaching the Tristan Settlement and those hovering over Nightingale Island's High Ridge. Dave, the diving medical officer, showed everyone the ship's own personal decompression chamber which is there to make sure the divers stayed healthy due to doing so many dives a day. We do love these birds but we don’t want to be knee deep in them!

It’s a big relief when our operational support systems are up and running. Looking for inspiration? It was very small but looked quite comfortable.

The Tristan albatross chicks, which are strong enough to survive on their pedestal nests through the gales and snowstorms of winter, are attacked where they sit by the carnivorous mice. Then it was time to go aboard the Grenville.

Pristine Seas Expedition Leader Paul Rose giving his introductory speech of welcome. A broad-billed prion at Gough Island. We are in direct contact with the National Geographic Pristine Seas Expedition Leader, the explorer and broadcaster Paul Rose who will keep us informed during the expedition. Sean emphasised how successful Tristan already was in achieving Marine Stewardship Award for its sustainable lobster fishery and its partnership with the RSPB and other agencies to monitor and protect its precious wildlife habitat. The Administrator and Chief islander showed their gratitude to the teams effort and presented them with a few island gifts. The results from our work will provide valuable information in an area that is little known scientifically but may harbor high global biodiversity value. https://www.youtube.com/embed/rQwLBQ3hMCk, Gough and Inaccessible Islands World Heritage Site, St Mary's School pupils with Pristine Team members aboard SVS Grenville. A copy of the 35 minute film will be sent to Tristan da Cunha and it is hoped also to show it at a future Tristan Association Annual Gathering. Also luckily the weather was pleasant enough for guides Simons Glass and Riaan Repetto to take a few people to Queens Mary's Peak. Jenny, the head scientist, explained how we can learn about invasive species like the Porgy by looking at what's inside their stomachs and in particular looking at the fish ear bones from the fish they eat. The flags of Tristan da Cunha and National Geographic proudly fly together above the SVS Grenville en route to Tristan da Cunha. For it is here in this upland refuge that some of the last of the Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) breed. Only a few miles later we were enveloped in a fog so dense that we couldn't see from one end of our ship to the other. Photo from National Geographic's Dan Myersshows expedition team members gathered alongside SVS Grenvilleon 11th February 2017 at the end of the Pristine Seas Expedition to the Tristan da Cunha Islandsand spelling out 'THANK YOU TRISTAN'. Thank you also to everyone who attended the last night results presentation - we were extremely sorry to have to then leave after such an unforgettably brilliant visit! Photo by Brian Canavan. This will be similar to a project carried out in South Georgia—another amazing South Atlantic British Territory which is hopefully now rodent-free. Before dark we close every porthole and curtain, extinguish all outside lights and make sure that there is no light visible at all outside the ship. The science systems have come to life. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Saturday, some of the team and crew came ashore for some final shopping before heading over the Residency for a amazing Buffet. They are predominantly caught as bycatch as their meat is little valued. For some it may be climbing a particular mountain, for others diving to the deepest, darkest corners of the oceans. It's very ambitious indeed and we are buzzing with the sense of challenge in this most beautiful and powerful setting. Photo by Roger Horrocks shows expedition team members gathered alongside SVS Grenville before embarkation on Sunday 8th January 2017.Also in the photo are Tristan islanders returning home on the ship. Gough Island, 225 miles to southwest of the main island of Tristan, had an almost mythical quality in our expedition planning: It’s hard to reach, hard to land on, and there is very little shelter because the winds are so strong that they whip completely around the island—and yet we absolutely had to get to Gough. With 3.5-m (11.5-ft) wingspans, they also wheeled above us like benign pterodactyls, the wind whistling off their wings as if a plane was flying low overhead. Members of the Pristine Seas team and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds meticulously clean equipment in preparation for arrival. While their IUCN status is near threatened, a reduced catch rate of 60-80 percent has been reported in recent years and the available data is considered inadequate to accurately assess global population declines. This expedition will help the Tristan community fulfil its ambition of, Gough Restoration Project to resume in 2021, World Albatross Day 2020 at St Mary's School, Post Office Celebrates World Albatross Day, National Geographic Pristine Seas Film Premiere in London, Tristan waters provide refuge for near-threatened blue sharks, St Mary's School party's day with expedition team, Tristan group spend day aboard SVS Grenville, Pioneering surfing off Inaccessible Island, National Geographic 'Pristine Seas' team visits the settlement, Expedition returns to Tristan da Cunha to report on its work, Visiting the home of the Tristan Albatross, Preparing the Team - Protecting the Islands, The Expedition ship SVS Grenville and its voyage, Aims and Objectives of the 'Pristine Seas' Expedition, Announcement of Tristan da Cunha Research Expedition 2017. Guided by our radar we sailed slowly for two hours and then—at just two miles away—the island made a glorious, dramatic appearance. Opening slide shown in the RGS Lecture Theatre. Kenyan crew of the SVS Grenville with Administrator Sean Burns and his wife Marina. We are seeing only large females and very small juveniles, suggesting that the waters of Tristan da Cunha might be a blue shark nursery ground with large females traveling here to give birth; the lack of intense fishing effort seen in other parts of the world providing a sanctuary for the pups to grow in peace before undertaking migrations of their own. Our compressor system is commissioned and … With help from the energy of the seabirds swooping along with us, our partners from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are rigging a few hundred bird tags for the Tristan Conservation Department to deploy so they can better understand where their key seabirds feed. Paul Rose presents an album of old Tristan photos taken in the early 1900’s to Chief Islander Ian Lavarello. A large attendance of Tristan Government representatives, Tristan da Cunha Association members, scientists and other Tristan da Cunha stakeholders met at the Royal Geographical Society at 6pm on 27th July 2017 to attend an evening programme titled 'In Celebration of Tristan da Cunha'. It will have the full financial support of the UK for management and enforcement, as part of the UK Government’s world-leading ‘Blue Belt’ commitment.'. Mike Fay; Terrestrial science; National Geographic.

What are the top attractions to visit in St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha? We are now going to get cracking on finishing writing up the science results and editing the documentary film in time to hopefully premiere it on Tristan during the September changeover. Lobster fishing is the main income source here and the islanders’ management of this resource is an example that the whole world can learn from. We will produce peer-reviewed scientific papers. With a world-leading science team, underwater film-makers, deep-diving cameras, satellite trackers, a terrestrial film crew, expert local knowledge and plenty of places which no human eye has ever investigated before, the expedition hopes to both discover new species and records for Tristan, as well as to showcase the archipelago’s wildlife treasures to the world! This expedition will establish a baseline for the marine ecosystems of Tristan da Cunha archipelago, which can be used to gauge the effects of future activities and management measures.