Featured image © Francis Pérez Ocean Story contributed by Susannah Buchan, Humboldt Archipelago Hope Spot Champion They say in Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno, located on the southern limit of the Atacama Region, that in the last five years the presence of whales has increased around Chañaral Island. Fin, blue and humpback whales are the species that are most frequently sighted in the surroundings of this town, which is part of the Humboldt Archipelago Multiple Use Protected Coastal Marine Area, the first bi-regional initiative promoted in Chile, and which will debut as a protected area in 2023. T ..read more

Featured image: Stephen Frink (FLORIDA KEYS, USA) – The Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands contain the iconic natural wonders of the Florida Coral Reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats, as well as being home to Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only underwater laboratory. This Hope Spot connects the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) with the waters of the National Parks of Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands and Biscayne Bay, forming a bridge between the established Florida Gulf Coast and Coastal South Florida Hope Spots. Combined, this trio of Hope Spots signifies the ..read more

Featured image: Posidonia seagrass meadow. © Kip Evans (SAN FRANCISCO & GENEVA) –  In a significant move to bolster global marine conservation, Mission Blue and the MSC Foundation today, on International Day for Biological Diversity, announced a strategic three-year partnership to implement an ambitious ocean literacy programme and seagrass restoration project. This collaboration unites Mission Blue’s expertise, led by renowned oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, with the MSC Foundation’s extensive outreach capabilities to inspire and mobilise widespread support for ocean protection. Missi ..read more

Featured image: Sunrise yoga. Photo © Mati Aravena (SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA) – Located along the New South Wales coast of Australia, the Sydney Coast Hope Spot is home to striking blue waters and a huge diversity of around 3,000 marine species. These species include over 600 species of vibrantly colored fish such as the protected weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus), which is endemic to Australian waters, and the peculiar pineapple fish (Moncentris japonica), whose jaw hosts glow in the dark bacteria. The last mainland colony of the little penguin (Eudyptula minor), the smalle ..read more

Featured Image: Rugged coastline in Plettenberg Bay. © Mission Blue (CAPE TOWN & PLETTENBERG, SOUTH AFRICA) – South Africa is home to a particularly rich array of marine diversity with over 13,000 species, almost 6% of all coastal marine species worldwide. Even more impressive is that 35% of these are endemic (occurring nowhere else in the world). This species richness is largely attributed to the fact that two major current systems, the warm Agulhas and the cool Benguela current sweep along its coastline. In 2014, with the goal of helping to shine a spotlight on the amazing biodiversity a ..read more

Featured image: Maurice Roper/USC Wrigley Institute (SANTA CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, USA) – Just 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles is Santa Catalina Island, known by some as Pimuu’nga or Pimu. It is one of the eight Channel Islands and the only island with a permanent human presence. Today, the island is surrounded by nine marine protected areas, two of which are the Blue Cavern Onshore and Offshore State Marine Conservation Areas. These areas work in tandem to safeguard 10 square miles of marine life, from the shoreline through kelp forests and rocky reefs, to the sandy seabed as deep ..read more

Featured image: Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) off the coast of Sardinia © Luca Bittau (SARDINIAN COAST, ITALY, MEDITERRANEAN SEA) – Just about 15-30 nautical miles off the coast and under the waves of northeast Sardinia is the Canyon of Caprera, where the waters reach more than 1,000 meters deep and are teeming with marine life. The area is known as a brilliant habitat for marine mammals, including Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). The Canyon of Caprera is cur ..read more

Featured image: Northern Elephant Seal © Robert Schwemmer (CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST) – The chilly Pacific waters, rocky shorelines and rolling golden dunes that mark California’s iconic Central Coast have been home to the Chumash Peoples, among others, since time immemorial. Submerged villages of over 15,000 years past are now where sea otters float with their young and snowy plovers scuttle across the sand. Fast forward to 10 years ago, the late Chief Fred Collins proposed the first Tribally nominated National Marine Sanctuary in the United States to permanently protect over 7,000 square mile ..read more

Image: © Dr. Sylvia Earle FALSE BAY, SOUTH AFRICA – Mission Blue welcomes Two Oceans Aquarium as the new Co-Champion of the False Bay Hope Spot in False Bay, South Africa. The Aquarium brings more than 20 years of experience and strong relationships with the local community, with their popular Marine Protected Areas Day (MPA Day), beach cleanups, Dalebrook Rocky Shore exploration days and more.  Helen Lockhart, Conservation and Sustainability Manager, says, “The Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation are excited to be a Co-Champion for the False Bay Hope Spot.” She continues, “Mission Blu ..read more

Recently, Mission Blue was on the ground (and in the water) at the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot. Established as a Hope Spot in 2022, the Inhambane Seascape lies along the southern coast of Mozambique. This region is rated as a Globally Outstanding marine conservation area by IUCN, and recognized as a potential world heritage site by UNESCO. It is also described as an important region in Africa for many large, iconic marine megafauna species, like the last viable population of dugongs in the Indian Ocean, humpback dolphins and oceanic manta rays. Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species, in ..read more