Ocean Science Expeditions

Meet Arzucan Askin (or Zuzu!), the Lead Researcher for the recent @arksenadventures & @10percentfortheocean Tonga Trip. @zuzu_askin is a conservation scientist, @natgeo Explorer, and technical diver. As Lead Field Researcher, she spent the week collecting data on humpback whales 🐋, including: 📊 Building on the work of @oceanscienceexpeditions - capturing sighting data, fluke ID’s, behavioural observations, and skin samples. 🧬 Collecting eDNA with Applied Genomics. These non-invasive methods are helping to build a growing database of knowledge on the Tongan 🇹🇴 humpback whale population, which is relatively understudied. 🎥 @rebecca_saltysea 📷 Cover photo by @carterkirilenko #OceanScience #HumpbackWhale #Tonga #Research #Oceanresearch #NatGeo

This curious juvenile decided I was worth a closer look. What blows my mind is how differently this young whale experiences this encounter. While I’m seeing with my eyes, it’s reading the water around me like an open book. Those knobby tubercles on it’s head aren’t just bumps, they’re hydrodynamic sensors that can detect the slightest changes in water flow and pressure. Picking up vibrations from my movements, heartbeat, even the breath through my snorkel. The massive pectoral fins are not just for swimming, they’re covered in nerve endings that help sense water currents and obstacles. This little one is also experiencing our encounter acoustically as humpback whales rely on acoustic communication and can hear frequencies from 63 hertz up to 22 kilohertz. While I was playing with my camera, this juvenile was conducting a full sensory investigation with tools evolution spent millions of years perfecting. 🌊

There’s nothing in the world that compares to the feeling of being inspected by a curious whale. What a privilege it is to spend time in the presence of these ocean giants.

🙌 That’s a WRAP on our Tonga 2025 Ocean Science Expedition! 🙌 From Dr Sylvia Earle’s ocean insights to Lord Speaker Fakafanua Fatafehi’s local expertise, it’s really been one to remember! Our crew completed 5 cutting-edge projects studying humpback whales, marine biodiversity, and ocean health. The results? Hope! 🐋 Tonga’s protected whales are thriving and could be a blueprint for ocean regeneration, but more is needed to combat global threats to these gentle giants. Next up: presenting our findings at The Villars Summit Ocean & Poles Roundtable 🌏. Edit by @rebecca_saltysea . Supported by @mercuriagroup , Silvania and @villarsinstitute .

What happens when a group of people from Tonga, Australia, Belgium, Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, and the UK come together? 🌍✨ A mixture of stories, cultures, and skills that create something greater than the sum of its parts. This was perhaps one of the most diverse science team’s I’ve worked with in the field, not just because of the number of countries we each represented, but also because this group of people bridged the tourism industry, government, science, film, medicine and the private sector - different worlds finding common ground for research. Systems-thinking, learning, trial and error, and of course problem-solving in action! Beyond grateful for this amazing “Team Science” that came out with us to collect data on humpback whales as part of the Tonga 2025 @oceanscienceexpeditions . Thank you for bringing us all together @keithtuffley ! 🐋🔬🌊
 Topside Photos of whales by Lord Fakafanua
 #humobackwhales #whales #pacific #marinescience #conservation #oceans #wildlife #villarsinstitute

A snapshot from one of the most special moments in the water with @oceanscienceexpeditions and @dr.sylviaearle . There’s a quiet kind of magic in meeting a whale who chooses to linger, curious eyes watching you as you watch them. A gift of trust, wonder, and connection. This female circled us gently, always returning, before gently slipping into the blue. Just when we thought she was gone, her shape rose again from the depths, sunlight dancing across her back. She approached each of us individually, turning her belly to us, then moving her pectoral fins slowly, allowing us into her world. At one point she floated upside down, her fluke pointed skyward in stillness. A moment of pure vulnerability, as if she trusted us enough to simply be. An incredible reminder of how small we are in the presence of such ocean giants. Her Fluke ID will now be added to the growing catalogue on @happywhale_official to build a better understanding of the population in Vava‘u. #humpbackwhales #whale #pacific #tonga

✨ AND THAT’S A WRAP ✨. From whale encounters 🐋 to data collection, capturing interviews 🎥 and intergenerational learning - the Tonga 2025 Ocean Science Expedition has been a resounding success. With a total of 67 humpback whales sighted, along with flying fish, shark, jellyfish, and more - the marine life in Tonga has been nothing short of incredible. Our team is now busy analysing all of the data captured, and we can’t wait to share it with you! Thanks for following along with the expedition 🙏🏼. And stay tuned for more updates. Supported by @mercuriagroup , Silvania, @villarsinstitute . 🎥 Footage by @xiyebeara & @keithtuffley . Edit by @rebecca_saltysea . #OSETonga2025 #OceanScienceExpedition #OceanScience #Tonga #MarineBiology

The month of August has been unforgettable, spent in the company of humpback whales and a group of blue minds all brought together by @keithtuffley @oceanscienceexpeditions and a love for the ocean.

representing @anthropo.sea was an incredible honor to be at sea with @dr.sylviaearle and to co-lead a multi-method field research with Dr @kattybruce from @naturemetrics on behalf of the @oceanscienceexpeditions team with the vision of testing methodologies that can be applied across all @mission_blue Hope Spots. Onboard @bluevagabonds_ we collected eDNA samples, Fluke IDs, skin samples and observational data on humpback whales across the Vava’u island group and learnt so much about the challenges (and opportunities!) in marine conservation and community access to the ocean from Lord Fakafanua and @amin_tau , @aunofohavea from the @tongavoyagingsociety and Karen at @vavauenviro Watching the brilliant team behind @openplanetorg in action was an inspiring deep dive into storytelling for the Ocean. 

I discovered once again how much I love teaching in the field, and showing that science is for everyone. Watching every member of the team light up over a new observation, a rare encounter with a whale, the success of collecting a sample or a breakthrough in problem-solving was such a beautiful reminder that wildlife conservation is all about connecting the big things with the small. 

Moments like these make me feel part of something bigger, something that stretches beyond the horizon - beautiful things happen where knowledge, passion, and human connection collide. It was a privilege to be surrounded by people who have become more than colleagues - they are now friends, mentors, and sources of constant inspiration. Spending time with them left me energized and fiercely motivated to keep exploring, learning, and protecting the ocean giants we all rely on.

I can’t wait to share more about this expedition over the next weeks - and to embark on chapter 2 of this work very shortly. So grateful 🩵 Malo’aupito

The most beautiful ballet.. 🐋

At the Villars Summit 2025, the Ocean and Poles Roundtable, convened by Keith Tuffley, Johan Rockstrom, and Victoria Attwood Scott, brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, explorers, oceanographers, and storytellers to explore bold, science-led solutions for safeguarding our blue and white frontiers. 🌊 The insights and ideas that emerged are here. Check out the link in the bio to read the full Ocean & Poles Roundtable Report🔗 Building on this momentum, the work continues today with the TONGA 25 Expedition, the second in a vital series of @oceanscienceexpeditions , led by our founding Board Member Keith Tuffley, studying the remarkable recovery of Humpback whales as a lens into ocean health and climate resilience. 🐋 The findings from TONGA 25 will be presented at the Ocean & Poles Roundtable 2026, where the community will reconvene to drive progress. 👉 If you are interested in joining the 2026 Roundtable and contribute to shaping solutions for our ocean, express your interest through the link in the bio 🔗 (Availability is limited — convenors will work to balance representation across sectors, and a waitlist may be applied). #VillarsInstitute #OSETONGA25 #OceanScienceExpeditions #VillarsSummit #ClimateTippingPoints #OceanScience

This little one couldn’t resist coming up to investigate, pure curiosity in motion. Every surface breath, every gentle roll, while mama glided beneath us like a protective shadow. At 40+ feet long, she could have been anywhere, there she was swimming 6 meters below us, trusting us in their space.

The #OSETonga2025 crew were inspired by marine legend @dr.sylviaearle @mission_blue who fought for her place in marine science when women weren’t even ALLOWED on research vessels. Including Dr Earle, the leading scientists on board this expedition are all women: 🐋 @zuzu_askin - capturing whale fluke IDs & acoustic recordings to track individual whales like underwater fingerprints. 🧬 Dr @kattybruce - capturing environmental DNA from just 2L of seawater to identify 100s of species & studying whale microbiomes for health insights. Most of the research assistants supporting data collection are also women: @xiyebeara - climate activist - and @c_rharps and @arabelajunqueira - both expedition medical doctors. From excluded to leading - this is what progress looks like 🙌. 🎥 Footage by @xiyebeara , @keithtuffley , @karimiliya / @kogia_org . Edit by @rebecca_saltysea . Supported by @mercuriagroup , Silvania, @villarsinstitute . #OceanScience #WomenInSTEM #MarineResearch #SylviaEarle #womenleadingscience