Sal Island, Palmeira

Arrival, team assembly, fleet preparation.

• Meeting of participants at Palmeira Marina
• Accommodation on catamarans Leopard 48 and Voyage 440
• Safety briefing, cabin and equipment assignment
• Purchase of provisions and water (local market and supermarkets of Espargos)
• Checking equipment and supplies
• Evening walk along the coast, dinner by the water
• Overnight on board at the pier (or on shore if desired)

 Catamarans and equipment

• Leopard 48 - modern, with cabins, galley and autopilot
• Voyage 440 - Reliable and ocean-proven
• Underwater drone - 4K camera, light, diving depth up to 300 m
• Echo sounder / sonar  - for scanning the bottom
• GPS, navigation maps, geophysical software

Crossing along the west coast of the island of Sal to Buracona

• Breakfast on board.
• First short swim (~1.5 hours along the coast). Stop at the natural complex “Blue Eye” (Buracona).
• Swimming in the lagoon, visual shooting.
• Hiking to Monte Leste volcano. Study of summit structure: laser rangefinder, photography, compass measurements of slopes.
• Return to the catamaran, overnight stay off the coast of Buracona (at anchor).
  
  

  Pyramids of Sal Island

  Sal Island has at least three conical mountains of volcanic origin scattered near the coast.

  The most famous of these is Monte Leste , rising northeast of Buracona. Its shape is an almost perfect cone , which creates the illusion of man-madeness.

  When viewed from the sea, it bears a striking resemblance to an Egyptian pyramid .

  Some researchers believe that these volcanoes may have been oriented according to astronomical directions or used for ritual purposes in pre-European times.

  On our part, we are going to conduct a visual and laser survey of the slopes and check whether there are any symmetries, coincidences of angles and anomalies in their structure .

Boa Vista: Volcanoes, Ship Graveyard and Ancient Traces

Early sailing from Sal Island to Boa Vista (~3.5–4 hours, heading southeast).

• Mooring in Sal Rei Marina , gathering the crew, preparing for disembarkation.
• Climbing the Monte Santo António volcano (379 m, 2–2.5 hours round trip).
• Taking a panorama from the top
• Study of slope geometry, photography and compass survey.
• Lunch on high or return on board.

Next:

•  A trip to the ship cemetery (Cemitério das Barcas) - visual research and photographic documentation.
• Inspection of coastal geoforms and old tracks - possibly traces of waves or flooding.
• Return to the catamarans, evening dinner on board or in the city.
•  Overnight off the coast of Boa Vista (at anchor or in the marina).

Into the open ocean
Crossing to the seamount 25 km south of Sal (depth ~200 m).

• Drone testing: diving, lighting, communication, stabilization.
• Working on the search by coordinates, collecting the first images of the bottom.
• Night in the middle of the ocean: silence, stars, philosophy.
• Evening lecture: shelf geology, Atlantis hypotheses.

The first stage of the great transition: heading for Mauritania

• We are heading southeast, distance is 650 km (~350 nautical miles).
• We are moving at an average speed of ~6–7 knots (12–13 km/h).
• Steering duties, navigation training.
• Free time: reading, dolphin watching, astronomy.
• Evening watch dinner.
• Overnight stop in the ocean (weather permitting).

The second day of the transition

• Passing through the current zone.
• Star navigation and manual course plotting (training).
• Testing the operation of the echo sounder.
• We are approaching the continental slope region.
• By evening we enter the area of ​​the Mauritanian landslide.

Exploration of point #1 (collapse boundary)

Depth ~180 m.

• We submerge the drone, shoot a video of the landscape, and look for sharp changes.
• Testing the hypothesis about the artificial origin of forms.
• Filming of the underwater terrace, observation diaries.
• Creation of a 3D map of the site.

We descend into a deeper section (up to 250–300 m).

• We use an echo sounder to form sections.
• Checking for acoustic anomalies.
• Teamwork: map – coordinates – video – interpretation.
• Depending on the weather, either a new point or a break.
• Field discussion and hypothesis formation.
• Open Ocean Fishing
• Evening lecture: parallels with Plato's description.

 Work on point #3: western slope of the canyon

• Drone dive, ledge scanning
• Slope structure analysis: uniformity, angles, repeating elements
• Comparison of echo sounder and video data

 Afternoon recovery:

• Yoga/Stretching on Deck
• Slow “silent hour”: watching the waves and the sky

 Evening:

• Sea fishing at sunset (trolling or bottom fishing)
• Cooking Fresh Fish: Seafood Dinner.
• Calm conversation: what did you feel during the first 9 days?

 Point #4: “stepped slope” at the southern edge of the collapse

Depth ~240–270 m, possible cascades of underwater terraces

• Daytime drone work in vertical profile: shooting with stabilization
  Uploading video, creating a “ledge map”
• Working on the collective “Atlantis diary”: drawing, writing down hypotheses

 Evening:

•  Night photography of the starry sky (astrophotography or just observation)
•  Playlist “Music of Atlantis”: everyone puts on a track
•  Lecture: “What signs of “artificiality” can we actually detect underwater?”

 Work at point #5: acoustic anomaly zone

• Finding resonant areas using an echo sounder
• Comparison with geological maps (if there is a satellite connection)
• Drone dives in a point of high reflectivity

 During the day:

• Onboard Podcast: “What We Learned and Why It Matters”
• Interviews with participants
• We come up with a “working version of Atlantis”: what could it have been like?

 Evening practice:

• Let's see what we can discern without bright lighting
• Tea drinking and philosophical conversations: where does science end and myth begin?

 Backup Scan + Final Point

• Return to one of the previous points according to the weather (re-check)
• Final 3D shooting
• Combining the collected data: what is confirmed, what is controversial

 Afternoon block:

• Summing up the interim results: discussing the findings
• Selection of the best photos and videos
• Forming the structure of the general report

Evening on the water:

• Dinner “for the occasion” – we share what was a discovery
• Last glimpses of the horizon, ending the playlist

Heading northwest, heading back to the islands

• On the way, we will stop at the Bay of Sharks off the north-eastern coast of the island of Sal, not far from the village of Pedra de Lume.

• This shallow water is a natural nursery for lemon sharks , where they spend their first years of life, protected from predators.
  Young sharks can be observed right from the shore: they are safe and often swim between your legs.

• The main thing is suitable footwear (rocky bottom and sea urchins). Shoes can be rented on site.

• It is especially interesting to watch sharks with local guides who lure them with fish.

In the evening:

• Discussion : what we saw, what we couldn't, what needs to be repeated. Summing up, new hypotheses, farewell to the ocean.

Return to Cape Verde (Sal Island)

• Entrance to Palmeira harbour.
• Equipment disassembly, data backups.
• Final dinner with the whole team.
• Preparing for departure, exchanging contacts and ideas for the future.

Unloading, farewell, transfers

• Unloading luggage and equipment.
• Transfers to the airport.
• Last coffee in Espargos or by the lagoon.
• Participants' junction.