In March 2026, the reporter became the first journalist invited to join a Charles Darwin Foundation expedition to Darwin and Wolf Islands in the Galápagos archipelago, living on a 22-metre diving yacht for two weeks with 12 scientists and crew. The team deployed scuba divers and waterproof cameras to monitor the marine ecosystem, focusing on critically endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks that aggregate there before pregnant females migrate over 1,000 km to Panama’s mangroves to give birth; video footage is analysed by Ecuadorian marine biologist Katherine Rezabala, who identifies and counts more than 50 teleost fish species as part of long-term data collection. The monitoring comes as forecasters warn of a strong El Niño later this year that could suppress nutrient-rich cold currents and damage ocean life in the region.