In previous episodes of SeaLegacy: The Voyage, we've seen co-founders and Sony Artisans Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen navigating the seas on their global storytelling mission to save our oceans. Now, in Episode 4, the two are passing the baton to the rest of the crew to continue telling those stories. "SeaLegacy is just not Paul and I, it's this large community of people with the same inspiration to restore health and abundance to our oceans. We need an army of storytellers, so we're excited to deploy this army of magic makers around the world." Sony Artisans Andy Mann takes the baton as he picks up the team's global efforts in the remote waters of Cocos Island off the Costa Rica coast. Watch below to see how Mann and the team overcome harsh conditions and other challenges to capture some remarkable footage.
"There's a lot of intel coming in from Central America that Costa Rica is looking to expand Cocos Island National park, and so now is the time to go," says Mann. "This is an opportunity for the world to create the very first interconnected, international marine park in history."
Cocos Island National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The island is about 340 miles off the coast of Costa Rica and it's famous for its pristine ecosystems above and below the ocean's surface. Cocos is home to an abundance of marine life like the huge schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks as well as shipwrecks that draw divers from all around the globe.
"Cocos is known for buried treasures and pirate history," explains Mann. "It's like the original treasure island. It's eerie but beautiful. It's so green and so lush and it's so full of life. Cocos is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.”
Unfortunately due to a lack of fishing regulations and protections, the area was overfished and is not what it once was. “They were catching everything,” Mann says. “Think of the impact that can have.” He meets up with shark biologist and conservationist Randall Arauz to help bridge the gap between the science and the story.
“I produce this information and then as a scientist it’s my duty to publish it,” says Arauz, “but it gets published in scientific journals. And who reads these scientific journals? Other scientists. And that’s where we really need the help of communicators like Andy because those images capture the feeling that we need to transmit.”
See SeaLegacy | The Voyage Episode 1, Setting Sail:
See SeaLegacy | The Voyage Episode 2, Into The Pod:
See SeaLegacy | The Voyage Episode 3, Return To Abaco:
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