Research Fund 26/01 :: Cristiana Cunha
January 24, 2026
We just wrapped up our third operation in Saudi Arabia (actually the fourth, if we include our exploratory trip precisely one year ago) and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, our first – and loudest – word of appreciation goes straight to the tremendous ability of our phenomenal Flying Sharks team.
Let’s rewind for a second.
This mission involved capturing thousands of specimens for a local aquarium fully dedicated to coral research, breeding and reef repopulation in the Red Sea. It all began with an exploratory trip we carried out exactly one year ago, during which we took over 5.000 (!) photographs and identified hundreds of species.
Once a generous – and fair – contract was negotiated between both parties, we kicked off operations in October, then January, and now February.
And what days those were.
Half the operations started at 5:00 a.m. and stretched until 8:00 p.m. The other half began at noon and pushed on until 2:00~3:00 a.m. Long days. Short nights. Repeat.
We faced intense heat. We faced a client who wasn’t always easy but with good ol’ fashioned common sense and flexibility on all sides, and a whole lot of #focus, #dedication, #effort and #tenacity, we didn’t just hit our target for this trip.
We surpassed it.
At least one more operation lies ahead, and I’m fully confident it will be even more successful. That said, the job only gets harder. As the ‘easy’ species are secured first, what remains are the true heavyweights: sharks, rays and large schools.
The final boss levels.
We’re already studying and refining how to tackle that challenge in the next expeditions because, as we know all too well, every problem has a solution – and folding our arms has never solved anything.
That has been the Flying Sharks philosophy for nearly two decades.
And in the year we celebrate our 20th anniversary, what better way to mark it than by facing the biggest challenge in our history?
Let’s do this and many thanks to Aaron Sprowl for choosing us for partners in this exciting adventure!
