Since we last heard from him, our special correspondant Fred has travelled to the Azores. This group of nine islands is located in the North Atlantic, 1200 km from the coast of Portugal. The waters around the islands display a magnificent spectacle – a superb mosaic of fish and sea fans – and make a great place for our submarine to explore. The sky is azure blue, the water crystal clear, and the air is completely still: ideal conditions for diving among the rugged underwater hills and mountains.
Tintin and Snowy meet a graceful ray.
The submarine follows its course and tangles with a jellyfish with purple tentacles! Luckily for them, Tintin and Snowy are protected from touching the sea creature by the submarine; touching one of these jellyfish can be very painful!
Before returning to the surface Tintin and Snowy admire the sea bed, home to a multitude of marine species.
Next time they hope to meet a blue shark or a whale shark.
Logbook:
Date: 1 June 2015 Location: Faial Island, the Azores Mission objective: Exploration Maximum depth: 19m Underwater pressure: 2.9 atm Duration: 2 hours Notes: Saw lots of fish and jellyfish, as well as rare species such as the eagle ray Myliobatis Aquila
The dive was also the occasion to remember that 8 June is World Oceans Day.
World Oceans Day
The annual World Oceans Day is:
• To remind everyone of the major part the Ocean has in everyday life. The ocean is the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe.
• To inform the public on the impact of the human actions on the Ocean.
• To develop a worldwide movement of citizens, towards the Ocean.
• To mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the World Ocean. It is a major source of food and medecines and a critical part of the biosphere.
• To celebrate together the beauty, the wealth and the promise of the Ocean.
This year the motto of the event is: “Healthy Ocean, healthy planet”.
We hope that Fred's report and the sight of the famous Tintin submarine exploring the sea will encourage you to support efforts to curtail and prevent pollution of the sea by plastic waste.
Good luck and happy adventures to all our readers! We look forward to catching up with Fred soon for some more maritime exploration!
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