Marine scientists from the NRF-SAEON and NRF-SAIAB as well as other South African institutions*  participate in the first leg of the Around Africa Expedition, a collaborative expedition endorsed as a contribution to the United Nations Ocean Decade. In collaboration with the non-profit organisations OceanQuest and OceanX they embark on an exciting mission to survey seamount biodiversity, geology and eDNA on the Madagascar Ridge and Agulhas Plateau from 30th January to 23rd February 2025. The visiting science team onboard include participation from South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Brazil. The team onboard are pleased to report they have successfully mapped, surveyed and sampled Walters Shoal seamount from its base at 500 m depth to the 150 m depth contour, and are excited to now continue to the next location on the Agulhas Plateau! Stay tuned for more…

*Dr Lara Atkinson (SAEON), Ms Jordan Van Stavel (SAEON), Ms Jody-Carynn Oliver (SAIAB), Ms Sinothando Shibe (SANParks), Mr Thabo Mbuyazi (SAIAB), Mr Yameen Badrodien (UCT), and Mr Brishan Kalyan (NMU & SAEON).