The Way to Dive: California Academy of Science at Philippines

California Academy of Science Philippines Species

The California Academy of Science just delivered results of their latest diving expedition in Philippines -a sanctuary and treasure for marine biodiversity. The way to dive is without a doubt the California Academy of Science´s way. The organization discovered over 100 new species without taking to large science vessels. Diving the old school way, tanks and rebreathers, snorkels and free diving proves today to be as much value as any other kind of diving expedition.

On June 8th California Academy of Science communicated that scientists had discovered more than 100 new marine species in the Philippines during California Academy of Sciences expedition.

The organization which today continues to DNA sequence all specimens collected in the field assures that the results will likely translate to even more new species for science.

This expedition had all the elements of diving that divers dream about. A professional and dedicated team diving in a dream location. The exact location of the dives was the Verde Island Passage.

The team divided in two groups -one shallow divers up to 130 feet deep and another highly trained scientists for deep divers which took to the Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone divers took to “unbelievable depths to search for new species and collect live animals at depths ranging from 150 to 500 feet”.

The Philippines is home to the most biologically diverse waters on Earth, and remains the centerpiece of the Academy’s multi-year exploration of the Coral Triangle’s biological treasures.

The expedition took seven weeks and was funded by the National Science Foundation. Species sighted and collected include colorful sea slugs, barnacles, and delicate heart urchins—among several others—to be studied in the coming months.

Mysterious live animals from dimly-lit, deep-water reefs were also collected for a new exhibit at the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium, expected to open in the summer of 2016.

Rich Mooi, PhD, Academy Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, knows that the Philippines is an “incredibly special place” for sea urchin research, but admitted to a moment of pure astonishment during the recent expedition.

Closed -circuit "rebreathers" that extend the amount of time that divers can spend underwater were used. “The rate of new-species discovery in the twilight zone can top ten per hour, but scientists are typically afforded a scant 30 minutes in this light-starved region before beginning a multi-hour period of decompression on the way back to the surface,” the Academy explained.

“The Philippines is jam-packed with diverse and threatened species—it’s one of the most astounding regions of biodiversity on Earth,” says Terry Gosliner, PhD, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the California Academy of Sciences and a Principal Investigator of the expedition. "Despite this richness, the region’s biodiversity has been relatively unknown," Gosliner strated.

Gosliner with a special interest in nudibranch praised the location. Nudibranchs are among the most fascinating and attractive underwater organisms for divers. Nudibranchs molluscs appear very much like snails without shells and range in colors that astonish the eye. The way Nudibranchs “swim” -their mobility is also fascinating. Some nudibranchs take on what resemble “butterfly flights”.

“This remarkable stretch of coral rubble was carpeted in colorful nudibranchs,” says Gosliner, who reported that most slugs he encountered appeared entirely new to science. “It was like an underwater Easter egg hunt. It was one of the most exciting scientific dives of my 50-year career.”

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