At Sea
St. Helena . . . an island alone in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. Its closest continental neighbor, Africa, lies 985 nautical miles away. Like most of the islands on the Atlantic Ridge, it is a world unto its own. When you first come upon the harbor of St. Helena in Jamestown and start to head inland, it looks very much like a desert, the cacti lining the road, and the brown volcanic dirt covering the hills. Then as you being to climb the steep slopes, it is like you step into a completely different ecosystem, there is coniferous forest, lush bushes lining the roads, and houses that have green lawns. This bio-diversity occurs all over the island, any nature buffs dream.
It is not just the land that holds such diversity, but the water as well. The sea temperature has dropped from a balmy 27 degrees Celsius down to 17 degrees (69 degrees F). In addition to the water’s already plentiful diversity we have encountered, species of colder environments are emerging. Of course our undersea specialist, Dennis Cornejo, took full advantage of this dive site and filmed this amazing underwater biosphere.
This Boxfish is a really interesting character. This species is the only one that inhabits St. Helena, and the “Saints” call it the “island cowfish.” If you were close enough to touch it the first thing you would notice was its hard outer shell. It has a shell of fused bony plates called a carapace that covers most of the head and body, leaving holes just large enough for the mouth, eyes, tail, gills, and anus. You can see from the picture where the “boxfish” name comes from, as they have no fin spines or pelvic fins. The dorsal fin is set quite far back on the body, giving the fish a very square shape. These fish swim slowly along the bottom, in fairly shallow water (we found the one pictured here in 15 meters). They are not flighty fish, simply swimming along, hardly bothered by the divers around them. They rely mostly on their bony armor for protection, but also produce a toxic substance (ostracitoxin) to help deter predators. They use their small teeth to feed on benthic invertebrates, such as sponges, soft corals, and sometimes algae.
As MS Endeavour now sails for Tristan Da Cunha, “ the world’s most remote island,” we wait with anticipation for what new encounter that island will bring.
St. Helena . . . an island alone in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. Its closest continental neighbor, Africa, lies 985 nautical miles away. Like most of the islands on the Atlantic Ridge, it is a world unto its own. When you first come upon the harbor of St. Helena in Jamestown and start to head inland, it looks very much like a desert, the cacti lining the road, and the brown volcanic dirt covering the hills. Then as you being to climb the steep slopes, it is like you step into a completely different ecosystem, there is coniferous forest, lush bushes lining the roads, and houses that have green lawns. This bio-diversity occurs all over the island, any nature buffs dream.
It is not just the land that holds such diversity, but the water as well. The sea temperature has dropped from a balmy 27 degrees Celsius down to 17 degrees (69 degrees F). In addition to the water’s already plentiful diversity we have encountered, species of colder environments are emerging. Of course our undersea specialist, Dennis Cornejo, took full advantage of this dive site and filmed this amazing underwater biosphere.
This Boxfish is a really interesting character. This species is the only one that inhabits St. Helena, and the “Saints” call it the “island cowfish.” If you were close enough to touch it the first thing you would notice was its hard outer shell. It has a shell of fused bony plates called a carapace that covers most of the head and body, leaving holes just large enough for the mouth, eyes, tail, gills, and anus. You can see from the picture where the “boxfish” name comes from, as they have no fin spines or pelvic fins. The dorsal fin is set quite far back on the body, giving the fish a very square shape. These fish swim slowly along the bottom, in fairly shallow water (we found the one pictured here in 15 meters). They are not flighty fish, simply swimming along, hardly bothered by the divers around them. They rely mostly on their bony armor for protection, but also produce a toxic substance (ostracitoxin) to help deter predators. They use their small teeth to feed on benthic invertebrates, such as sponges, soft corals, and sometimes algae.
As MS Endeavour now sails for Tristan Da Cunha, “ the world’s most remote island,” we wait with anticipation for what new encounter that island will bring.
