Four scientists splashed into the middle of the Indian Ocean near a small, tropical island in January 2024. They timed their arrival for midday — when sharks are less active. A ship had brought them as close to Nelsons Island as it could get without running aground on shallow coral reefs. From there, the scientists had to jump in and swim the rest of the way. They towed waterproof bags full of supplies through the waves. Those bags held camping gear, science equipment, food and water — everything they would need for two weeks on the island.
“There’s no feeling quite like being dropped off on an island by boat,” says Alice Trevail. She’s an ecologist at the University of Exeter in Cornwall, England. This was her fifth expedition to the Chagos Archipelago. A chain of some 55 islands, it sits about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south of India and 3,400 kilometers (2,100 miles) from the eastern coast of Africa.
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