Clipperton '98   In the spring of 1998, a scientific team of divers visited Clipperton Atoll, an isolated hunk of coral rising out of the middle of the tropical Eastern Pacific. The trip, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, was organized by Dr. Ross Robertson, whose original study of fish populations at the atoll in 1994 inspired the 1998 expedition. During 15 days of work, divers quantified the faunal diversity in a variety of habitats. Below are some of the images that emerged from the trip

We departed from Acapulco on the Smithsonian's RV Urraca...

arriving at the atoll after three days of steady cruising

Visibility wasn't always great, but there were plenty of fish to count and we usually were able to get the work done

Often it was not clear just who was observing who?!  



   

      

         Decompression stops
         were a regular part of each dive
         
         

      
      

         
         
         
There were morays
         everywhere... but they were friendly
      
   



Of course, our fearless leader set high standards of excellence for everyone


And at the surface we were aided by a diligent and exceptionally hard working crew!



Towards the end of the trip, we got onshore several times to collect from the intertidal

While some collected one way, John collected another......

He won this battle, but ultimately lost the war!

 

Steve, on the other hand, had REALLY had a good time!

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