Just as we were about to leave the Gulf in the summer of 2023, we met the new Pelagios staff member Carlos Robalino. We knew we would be seeing a lot more of eachother, we just didn’t know when.

Carlos was born on Floreana, a small island in the Galapagos. He has since become a dynamic researcher in the ETP, mentoring students, writing papers, designing studies, and leading field expeditions. He has been with Pelagios Kakunja in La Paz for the past three years, and is looking to apply for a PhD program shortly.

Finally, two years after first meeting eachother, we met up in Ensenada de Los Muertos ready for our first expedition. Carlos arrived with a car full of groceries, dive gear, and scientific equipment. We loaded up the dinghy, then Audrey stowed groceries while JP and Carlos did a brief checkout dive from Lokahi.

After that, it was a whirlwind of sailing and diving. From Ensenada de los Muertos, we set out for Cerralvo Sur to swap an acoustic receiver. Pelagios maintains an impressive network of these receivers to track the connectivity and habitat use of pelagic species.

After Cerralvo, we sailed north to Isla Espiritu Santo to install two more receivers. We launched our operations from La Partida, a nice anchorage protected from the Corumel winds. In the morning, we set out with the dinghy full of tanks and receivers. We installed a receiver at Muellecitos and El Bajo, a famous seamount known for its historical hammerhead aggregations. Upon arriving at the site, a dive boat captain in a large fiberglass boat looked at our boat and asked, “De donde vienen?” He couldn’t believe we’d travelled eight miles offshore in a dinghy….

Descending on El Bajo was thrilling. There were at least three different current directions that we noticed on the descent, and it was full of schools of conchito. JP successfully navigated to the old receiver from a series of hand-drawn maps that James had given us, and then we proceeded to swap the sensor while a moray eel watched us.

Upon ascent, we motored back to Lokahi, raised anchor, and motor-sailed into La Paz for the first time in two years. Along the way, we caught some fish for some future baited camera work. Our friends met us onboard later that night for a pizza party.