The Ocean

Salas y Gómez Expedition

Photo: Moai statues

Photograph by Ford Cochran

National Geographic and Oceana, in collaboration with the Chilean Navy, travelled to the remote Salas y Gómez Island, some 200 miles (about 323 km) east of Easter Island, Chile, where they discovered what lies beneath these largely unexplored waters.

A team of 18 scientists and filmmakers looked at everything from algae to corals to fish and sharks. They satellite-tagged sharks for long-term tracking to learn where they go over the coming months and used robots that go down hundreds of meters in the ocean to see what's there. This will be the first systematic survey of life in the waters around Salas y Gómez, using scuba diving and remote imaging.

Read the press release from Oceana and National Geographic reporting the findings of their unprecedented expedition.

Expedition Coverage

  • Photo: A diver swims past a replica moai statue

    Salas y Gómez Expedition Findings

    Oceana and National Geographic are reporting the findings of their unprecedented expedition to the island of Salas y Gómez and to Easter Island (Motu Motiro Hiva and Rapa Nui).

  • IMG_5695.jpg

    Interview With Enric Sala

    NG Weekend Producer, Ben Shaw, catches up with Enric to see what they're hoping to find around Salas y Gómez Island.

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