We are entering the final stretch of the REMMOA 2026 survey with our arrival at Hiva Oa, from where we are exploring the Marquesas archipelago. The island's lush green reliefs contrast sharply with the landscapes and colors of the Tuamotu atolls where we have just spent more than a month.
Upon our arrival, we are fortunate to have favorable weather allowing us to survey the areas of Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Motane, and Fatu Iva, then the northern group with Nuku Hiva, Ua Huka, and Ua Pou.
But it is also the diversity and abundance of marine mammals, as well as the numerous observations of birds and manta rays, that punctuate our flights: spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata), common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), killer whales (Orcinus orca), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) delight the observers!
The two REMMOA II teams have been reunited again since yesterday at Tahauku, near the village of Atuona; we are now waiting for the return of good weather to continue our survey work in the Marquesas. This wait is an opportunity for meetings and interventions with young people, as well as discoveries of landscapes and animals on land.
All the latest news from the REMMOA 2026 survey: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2742370f799f4692a2996b68387f18a9
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