Dive Into Your Imagination

Mauricio Hoyos Padilla is one of our previously featured scientists. He has sent us an update about a submersible trip he recently went on, diving to the depths of the ocean!

Recently I was in two submersible expeditions and we saw amazing animals down there! We did fourteen deep dives between the depths of 64 and 289 m to explore the deep water life around Guadalupe Island for the first time. There is a great lack of information about deep sea communities of Guadalupe Island and also other marine parks in Mexico because of the high cost and logistic difficulty in the use of submersibles. In most areas, the knowledge on the deep water fauna is based on specimens collected by trawling or dredging, but these methods do not allow the researchers to observe the animals in their natural habitats.

During this expedition, named the Ja'tay expedition, thirteen different species from different taxa were identified! Not only did we find out that they were actually there, but we also witnessed how they directly and indirectly interact. Among the species observed, we saw ratfish, bottom rays, electric rays, nudibranchs, octopuses feeding on red crabs and several different species of fishes! One of the most important things we recorded was different behaviors of great white sharks in depths of 20 m to 200 m!

What is the experience of diving in a submersible like?
It is for sure the best experience in my life. When you are down there, It seems that you are a part of the ocean. Sometimes I forgot that I was a human and I started to pretend that I was a white shark patrolling the ocean floor looking for a potential prey. The world down there is completely different from above. The animals are very different and the landscape is amazingly beautiful. I consider myself very lucky because I made one of my dreams come true and it was in my preferred place on earth: Isla Guadalupe.

What special things do you have to do to prepare for a submersible dive?
First of all you have to attend a special meeting with the submersible pilot. He explain you the proceedings inside of the submersible and what to do in case of emergency. Before getting inside, the pilot explains all the parts of the submersible. You also have to wear special clothes made of cotton with no metal parts. Once inside the submersible you have to take with you as little as possible because the space is reduced. For my research I took a still camera, a camcorder and a spatial binnacle to record the sharks’ characteristics and the new species records that we were going to find in the deep waters.

How will the findings of this expedition contribute to your research?
During the two expeditions we found 13 species on the island and from this, 6 are potential prey of the white shark in other parts of the world. The presence of these species could be the explanation of the swimming pattern of juveniles and adults in discrete zones (juveniles in shallow waters and adults in deep zones away from the shore). Also, the information about the deep species from the island is based on dead organisms (caught by fishing) giving a very little look inside the biology of the organisms found at these depths. We wrote a paper about the species found in the deep waters of Guadalupe Island 11 of those species are new records for the island´s marine fauna!

What impact did the observation of great white shark behaviors have on your research with CICMAR?
It had a great impact. Most of the observations on white sharks have been done from boats or cages but this is the first time that a submersible was used for that purpose. During the two expeditions we recorded several interesting behaviors. The white sharks form temporary social structures whenever two or more individuals come together, such as around dead seals. In these situations, the white sharks form a dominance hierarchy, based largely on size and possibly temperament. However white sharks settle their differences through non-violent means, such as displays. We recorded several of these displays and also predation events! Some scientists believed that the white sharks were not feeding on the seals from the island but we have the evidence that it is happening in particular zones and in a particular time frame.

What do you think can be done to raise awareness about the lack of information in these areas so research can be done in the Mexican marine parks?
Join conservation non-profit organizations in order to elucidate the lack of information in these areas. These groups focus on educating the public about marine resources and advocating for scientists that are willing to get more information that would help in future management programs of marine reserves. Becoming a member of these organizations generally provides access to a large amount of information and research about these places to better help us raise awareness in own country.

Could knowledge of these areas raise ocean awareness in Mexico and around the world?
Of course, I heard in a submersible meeting last month that outer space is better known than the Earth’s ocean floor! I think that first of all we must know our own planet, and the oceans are a good example of the world’s health. This is the first submarine expedition led by Mexicans but it created a very positive impact on people about all the richness of the sea. Maybe this is the beginning of a new era in the research of the sea.

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