After an unusually quiet first few months to the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane season, Hurricane Isaias became the first hurricane to achieve hurricane status, making landfall on the gulf coast of the US state of Florida as a Category Two system. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean continues to experience significant activity due to the atmospheric patterns driven by El Niño.

A new research paper proposes using underwater acoustic monitoring and artificial intelligence to provide vessels with real-time information about the presence of Iberian orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.

After a record-breaking 2025 and the second-highest biomass year on record in 2026, significant quantities of floating weed remain across parts of the Caribbean and western Atlantic. Our latest update explains what to expect, how it can affect yachts, and where to check current forecasts.

The security situation around the Bab el-Mandeb has changed significantly in recent weeks. With the 2026/27 Red Sea transit season approaching, what happened during last season’s crossings may no longer reflect the situation yachts will encounter this year. If you’re considering a Red Sea transit, read our latest update and monitor developments closely.

Earth Sciences New Zealand has installed a new Tsunami Monitoring Buoy in the South Pacific, east of Raoul Island in the area of the Kermadec Trench, to add to its network of Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) buoys.

The African country of Sierra Leone is one of difficult contrasts to process, but they are part of what makes Sierra Leone such a complicated and fascinating place according to Elena Levon, co-captain of SY Rebels. It is a country where overwhelming hospitality and genuine kindness can exist alongside an enormous and heartbreaking gap between social classes as Elena outlines in her report of time spent there on journey to cross the Gulf of Guinea.

Thailand is replacing its 60-day visa exemption with a shorter, restructured system effective September 15, 2026, including a new 30-day exemption, a reduced Visa on Arrival list and new land-border entry caps, to ensure that travel facilitation for foreign tourists reflects the current circumstance, prevents misuse of visa privileges and adheres to the principle of “one country, one entitlement.”