90% of the beautiful life in the Ocean are Still Unknown Dr. Terry Gosliner said in his Ocean Elders interview with Mission Blue founder the legendary Dr. Sylvia Earle “We still only know 10% of the life that inhabits the world’s oceans. And with regard for example the nudibranchs I study in the Philippines, 50% are still undocumented.”
My journey to environmentalism has brought to my life Filipino educators who worked and are still working to give the Philippines a chance to survive the ineptness of our citizens and their grasp over environmentalism.
I should know, I only started this journey just recently, having had a resurgence of hope from vloggers who document critters. Being aware and the power of macrophotography and blackwater photography – visual tools that pulled me out of complacency and forced me to revisit the depth of my past ignorance.
A learned the reason why PADI called their conservation efforts PADI AWARE. Why such a book like Anilao by Eduardo Cu Unjieng and Scott Tuason‘s book cover focused on the macro and not the whole reef. Why Blackwater diving became a thing, and more importantly, why Mission Blue named their protected or soon-to-be-protected reefs as Hope spots.
The Verde Island Passage is now a Hope Spot thanks to the passionate work of two true ambassadors of the ocean.
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, says, “I want to congratulate Dr. Terrence Gosliner and Dr. Wilfredo Licuanan for doing everything they can with their local communities to protect their blue backyards.” She continues, “Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea. Let us be inspired by the resilience of these corals and let us be motivated by the urgent need to act.”
Dr. Gosliner was the head of over 50 scientists who documented the immense biodiversity in the VIP back in 2015 under the California Academy of Sciences.
Together with Dr. Licuanan of DLSU Br. Alfred Shields FSC Ocean Research Center, who launched the Alwan citizen science reef check method, which you can download for free on this link :
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/dlsuphpub/1
The two scientist worked hand in hand in campaigning for the VIP (verse island passage) using their background in the scientific community to combat the destruction of the reef, dubbed as, The center of the center of shorefish biodiversity. Their love for the ocean may have stemmed from different reasons: Dr. Gosliner from nudibranchs and Dr. Licuanan from his love of nature, but both have really given back to the ocean and, in turn, the world.
Dr. Gosliner, whose passion for nudibranchs began when he was in 7th or 8th grade so it was natural that he would be drawn to the nudibranch capital of the world, Anilao. He started diving in Anilao way back in the 90s and has formed a deep sense of responsibility in preserving it. Just across it is where he helped the citizens of the Philippines by placing the reddest marker pin and turning the Verde Island Passage not only as a hope spot but a hot spot for scuba divers. Back in 2015, he launched a very large campaign by bringing with him over 50 scientists from the California Science Academy to study this beautiful passage. They had discovered over a hundred undocumented marine life. He recounted in his X-ray magazine interview
“As recently as 2007, questions were asked about whether the MPA’s were making a difference as there was pressure to relax the no-take controls. However there is clear evidence that there is a fish factory effect in Anilao and the MPA’s are the only areas where there is dense fish life. The fish seeding going on here is vital for surrounding regions, and there would be a cascading impact to biomass diversity and density if these controls were not upheld. Even if you move a few hundred metres away from the MPA, the biomass decreases. The conclusion is that the MPAs have to be preserved. The MPAs and associated conservation initiatives have also been very effective in reducing highly destructive fishing practices such as dynamite fishing—I used to hear the bombs go off a lot when I first started visiting.“
And now Dr. Gosliner made the biggest explosion in 2105 by discovering 50% more undocumented nudibranchs in our backyard. Right in the very same waters where many of us first fell in love with scuba diving. They are places with deep personal and ecological significance. For many divers like myself, these were the reefs where we took our first giant stride, adjusted our buoyancy. This was our first playground, where we grew our fins diving in the graveyards of dead corals.
We did not know that it was still possible to make these reefs alive again in just a little over a decade of making it a Marine Protected Area. That which I myself thought was hopeless is now a Hope spot.
I did not know much about environmentalism except that it was depressing and we were all passengers on the express train to a dead earth. Protect the Visayan seas because that is where I saw my first turtle, something still preserved.
Unbeknownst to my selfish self, people of the very resort where I grew my fins grew strong their voices and created Anilao’s first no-take zone. NTZ
And while others may have written off these locations as lost, Dr. Gosliner dove in with a scientist’s eye and a diver’s heart. His research uncovered previously undocumented species and revealed that, even in places that appear barren, life finds a way to persist and evolve. These discoveries aren’t just scientifically valuable—they are emotionally powerful for those of us who began our journey in these waters.
What Dr. Gosliner has done is more than just document marine life—he has rekindled a sense of hope. He’s reminded the dive community that even our most familiar sites, though damaged, are still worth exploring, protecting, and cherishing. His work highlights the resilience of marine ecosystems and the importance of never turning our backs on the places that shaped our underwater identities.
For divers like me, who learned to love the ocean while finning over damaged reefs, these discoveries hit close to home. They reinforce why we must continue to care, advocate, and take action. The ocean still has stories to tell, and scientists like Dr. Gosliner are helping us hear them loud and clear. Through his eyes, we’re reminded that discovery doesn’t only lie in the far-flung and uncharted, but also in the familiar places and closer than we think.