Photo by Andy Mann / Waitt Foundation Facebook

The expedition between Galapagos Island National Park in Ecuador and Coco Island National Park in Costa Rica took place April 2 through April 13 with the purpose of identifying marine migratory species that use this route and to quantify their distribution, abundance and diversity of their predators.

The expedition was possible thanks to the join efforts of Pacifico Foundation, Waitt Foundation, Shark Conservation Fund, Helmsley Charitable Trust, Galapagos Island National Park, Coco Island National Park, Costa Rica’s National System of Areas of Conservation, Migramar, the University of Costa Rica and Cimar.

Hammerhead sharks were one of the species that made their appearance in over 200 hours of underwater filming.

“Finding such a threatened species in such an important quantity in this area of the ocean was finding a treasure. It’s a hope in terms of protection. It’s not enough to protect them in the waters of Isla del Coco of Islas Galapagos, if they are not protected when they move to other places”, commented Carlos Chacón, coordinator of Pacifico Foundation.

According to Zdenka Piskulich, president of Pacifico Foundation, over the last 25 years the population of hammerhead sharks has decreased in over 80%.

During the expedition, scientists and investigators were able to spot over 16 marine species.

The following video shows some of the preparation and discoveries made during this expedition which managed to collect information on the life above the seamounts in the Galapagos-Coco swimway.