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Expedition Drenched
22 June 2022
It’s finally time for us to hit the water again. It’s finally time for Expedition Drenched Season 3!
The Sylfia and her crew have an incredible, almost unreal destination in our sights for our next voyage – Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Lord Howe is one of the last unspoiled spots in Australia and frankly, it looks like you’ve gone back in time when you sail up to her shores.
The Lord Howe Island archipelago contains 28 different islands, including the tallest volcanic sea stack in the world, and boasts a surprising number of land and marine species that are endemic to only this stunning collection of remote islands.
Let’s take a look at Lord Howe Island and the archipelago to get a bit of a preview of what the Expedition Drenched Season 3 crew will be doing this season.
Lord Howe Island had a dramatic, violent birth. It and the other islands of the archipelago were formed by an underwater volcanic eruption approximately 7 million years ago. The lapping waves of the surrounding ocean have slowly eroded the volcano away, leaving behind the towering, jagged cliffs and mountains that give Lord Howe its Jurrasic Park-like appearance.
Lord Howe Island itself is marked by two volcanic peaks, Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, with elevations of 2,870 feet and 2,550 feet above sea level, respectively.
The archipelago spent millions of years growing up untouched by humans. Currently, there is no evidence to support any theories that Australian aboriginals or Pacific Islanders discovered the group of islands. But this quiet life was disrupted when explorers and settlers began to arrive in the late 18th century.
The best time to pack up your dive gear and jump over to Lord Howe Island is between September and May since that’s the summer period. But the winter months of June, July, and August can still be quite sunny and warm, and there is still a lot to do around the archipelago during the off-season.
The Lord Howe Archipelago is located at the crossroads of all five of the major ocean currents: the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, The North Pacific, the South Pacific, and the Indian Ocean Gyre. That might sound a bit intimidating but that level of water movement brings in HUGE amounts of marine food to the archipelago and therefore attracts marine life from the tiniest sea slugs to huge whales.
The Lord Howe Island Marine Park is the only place in Australian waters that can boast the presence of Galapagos sharks, too. They grow to an average of 3 meters in length, with the largest ones being just under 4 meters long. Weighing approximately 150 kilograms, these beautiful creatures will make any scuba diving trip to Lord Howe Island well worth it.
The ecosystems of the Lord Howe Island Archipelago support a huge array of distinct flora and fauna groups and a surprising variety of unique and endemic species, both above the water and below.
Impressively, of the 1,600 inspect species that have been documented on the island, 60% are found nowhere else on the planet. Of the 241 species of indigenous plants found in the area, 47% are found nowhere else on the planet. Lord Howe Island is definitely a destination for adventurous people who want to see versions of natural life that most people have never had the chance to see.
Under the waves of the water that cradles the islands of the archipelago, the world is just as diverse, bizarre, and unique. Over 500 species of fish make the island waters their home and over 90 different types of coral species have been working over millennia to build the stunning reefs that dot the ocean landscape.
Well, if you’re like us, the only way to rock up to Lord Howe is in your own boat after taking a multi-day journey on the Pacific Ocean with a hull full of your favorite pirates. But that’s not really an option for most people.
If you can’t sail your own boat over, your only other option is to travel to Lord Howe by air. Qantas runs flights direct to Lord Howe from Sydney for a reasonable price. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline was running one flight a day to the island paradise, but now the flight frequency has dropped considerably. Make sure to check the Qantas website for up-to-date flight schedules.
Since the Lord Howe Archipelago is part of Australia, you don’t need any special visa or permission to pop over and check the place out. Once you’re in Australia, you’re good to go!
Expedition Drenched Season 3 will definitely prove to be a season full of vivid memories, life-changing moments, and ocean-loving adventures. Like us on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel to make sure that you get the episodes as soon as we’ve released them.
And don’t forget, it’s only possible for us to do what we do if we have your generous support. If you’re enjoying the content we produce, have a passion for marine conservation, or just want to find a way to get involved, consider popping over to our website to donate to our cause, or grab some sweet Expedition Drenched merchandise from our online shop. All proceeds from sales also go to funding our incredible ocean-saving dream.
All aboard! It’s time to shove off east towards all the wonders that Lord Howe Island has in store for us!
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