Deep Ocean Alliance in the Eastern Tropical Pacific to Join REV Ocean’s Maiden Voyage Programme
Santa Cruz, Galápagos, 25 june, 2026 — The Deep Ocean Alliance in the Eastern Tropical Pacific is pleased to announce its participation in REV Ocean’s Maiden Voyage Programme, a global scientific initiative taking place between 2027 and 2028. Through this collaboration, institutions from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador will contribute to a coordinated deep-ocean research programme across the Eastern Tropical Pacific, one of the world’s most biodiverse and least explored ocean regions.
The programme will focus on deep-ocean ecosystems associated with the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), including seamounts, ridges, deep slopes, cold-water coral habitats, methane seeps, hydrothermal systems, oxygen minimum zones, and adjacent international waters. These environments play a critical role in biodiversity, ecological connectivity, and ocean resilience, yet remain poorly understood.
“Philanthropic collaborations such as REV Ocean are transforming the way deep-sea science is conducted, particularly in developing nations. Many of these countries possess scientific expertise and research institutions, including natural history museums, but face chronic funding limitations and have little or no access to their own deep-sea environments. By providing research platforms, technology, and financial support, philanthropic initiatives can help bridge this gap, enabling scientists from developing nations to explore, study, and better manage their deep-ocean resources.” said Jorge Cortés, Professor Emeritus at the University of Costa Rica.
Research activities will be organized around three regional missions: Panama–Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador, targeting key deep-ocean systems connected to Coiba, Colinas and Lomas, Cocos Ridge, and the Galápagos–Hermandad region. Together, these missions will generate scientific data to support marine protected area management, biodiversity conservation, and science-based decision-making across national and transboundary waters.
“This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to advance deep-ocean science in the Eastern Tropical Pacific through a truly regional approach,” said the Charles Darwin Foundation’s Stuart Banks on behalf of the Alliance. “The vessel is an extraordinary platform, but the story is about science, discovery and connecting with people, and the shared responsibility to understand and protect deep-ocean ecosystems that connect our countries.”
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Alliance brings together leading marine research and conservation institutions, including the University of Costa Rica and Friends of Cocos Island Foundation, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, The Marine and Coastal Research Institute - INVEMAR, and the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF). The partnership will support seafloor mapping, ROV surveys, biodiversity assessments, environmental DNA sampling, oceanographic observations, and capacity-building opportunities for students, early-career professionals, and marine protected area staff.
Beyond scientific discovery, the programme will contribute directly to regional conservation and ocean governance efforts by improving knowledge of vulnerable deep-ocean ecosystems and supporting evidence-based management across the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
By combining regional expertise with REV Ocean’s state-of-the-art research platform, this collaboration aims to strengthen the scientific foundation needed to protect deep-ocean ecosystems and promote long-term stewardship of a shared ocean.
©Guillaume Plisson for REV Ocean
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About The Deep Ocean Alliance:
The Deep Ocean Alliance (DOA) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is a regional initiative that brings together science, governance, and international cooperation to protect some of the planet’s least understood ecosystems. With more than 630,000 km² of marine protected areas across Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama, a major challenge remains: 95% of this territory consists of deep ocean that has yet to be explored.
The DOA comprises a network of leading scientific and conservation organizations across the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Its members include the University of Costa Rica (UCR), Friends of Cocos Island Foundation - FAICO (Costa Rica), the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) (Panama), the Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR) (Colombia), and the Charles Darwin Foundation (Ecuador). Supported by the Bezos Earth Fund, the Alliance was established to help close this knowledge gap by transforming scientific research into strategic decision-making for the management and conservation of our shared marine heritage.
About the REV Ocean:
REV Ocean exists to protect and restore ocean systems. REV, its 195-meter research and expedition vessel, is an extraordinary addition to the global philanthropic fleet - uniting scientists, policymakers and innovators where decisions about the ocean need to be made. REV Ocean´s work focuses on marine protected areas, plastic pollution and ocean education. Founded in Oslo, Norway in 2017, REV Ocean is a team of 85 and growing. Learn more at revocean.org
For media enquiries please contact:
Friends of Cocos Island Foundation (FAICO):
Jimena Araya | jaraya@cocosisland.org
University of Costa Rica (UCR):
Beatriz Naranjo | ana.naranjoelizondo@ucr.ac.cr
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI):
Rocio Estevez| EstevezR@si.edu
Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR):
Isabela Katime| isabela.katime@invemar.org.co
Charles Darwin Foundation:
Daniela Ibarra | comunicacion@fcdarwin.org.ec