Research Fund 24/04 :: Graham Patterson
May 30, 2026
Two weeks ago, we wrapped up our fourth ultra-demanding field expedition to Saudi Arabia. It took months of negotiations, countless headaches, sleepless nights, and a healthy dose of anxiety before we finally secured the biggest contract in Flying Sharks history.
But signing the contract was merely the first step. What followed was the small matter of collecting over 10.000 marine creatures in an environment wildly different from anything we’re used to. The main difference? Whenever we attempt to corner the critters, they simply evaporate into the highest concentration of coral any of us has ever witnessed.
A trip to Kenya helped us refine a few new techniques, but it was the traditional “learning curve” that sharpened our skills and allowed us to improve our numbers with each expedition.
October 2025, January, February and May 2026 were the 4 moments when we flew into Tabuk with stomachs in knots and absolutely no clear idea of what we were truly getting ourselves into.
Still, in true Flying Sharks fashion, fear slowly gave way to talent.
This video (below) captures the absolute peak of that “gift”, perfected over decades by Nuno (right), Pedro (centre) and Rui (left), who pulled out 1, 2, 3 beautiful Monodactylus in such flawless succession that it took me about 20 takes to finally capture this unique moment on film.
Our final expedition was an explosion of competence that genuinely left me emotional when I departed this troop one week before the end of the operation, because the Nordic Aquarium Conference was already waiting for me in Sweden.
Here’s a massive shout-out to Nuno Rodrigues and Rui Guedes, my inseparable partners since the very first moment of this madness. Another to Miguel Antunes, who compensates for his inexplicable alcohol abstinence — something deeply difficult to understand in this profession — with an almost supernatural ability to get fish into the net.
Another huge thank you to Zé Pedro and Inês Gaspar, who made sure the logistics never skipped a beat. And one big fat hug to Diogo Costa and Pedro Reis, who joined us from cold Iceland and remote Corvo Island, respectively.
To all of you: thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
And of course, to our clients — and friends — Aaron, Andrew, Alberto, Faisal and Aldrin, the true “A-Team” we had the privilege of dazzling throughout these absolutely insane months.
Now… maybe it’s finally time to sleep for a week.
…or maybe not.
He! He! He!
