When Ernest Meili decided to embark upon the first unassisted solo kayak paddle expedition along the entire coastline of Oman, he wanted to do it primarily to set himself an individual challenge.

"I wanted to prove to myself and to others that physical endeavors were still possible despite my age," says 65 year old Meili, who has lived in Oman for the past five years. Once he had decided this would be a personal challenge, Meili felt it needed more depth and meaning. Meili has decided to commit contributions pledged in support of his effort to ESO's Whale and Dolphin Research (ESOWDRG). ESOWDRG's aim is to learn as much as possible about the distribution, ecology and behavior of whales and dolphins in Oman, which include endangered populations, in order to protect them and their habitats. 

As well as raising awareness and funding for cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in Oman, Meili has also been assisting in ongoing research. The route taken allows him to survey large parts of the coastline which have previously not been targeted during research activities. 

Funding has allowed ESO to acquire a hydrophone and audio recording device which will allow us to undertake comparitive studies of whale song within Oman and between neighbouring countries. We have also purchased a top of the line SLR digital camera to conduct surveys for photo identification of individual cetaceans. We are very grateful to STS LLC for their sponsorship of this expedition.

The equipment will be used for the exciting research set to begin in the first quarter of 2010. We are currently presenting our ambitious five year research proposal to potential sponsors which will include general cetacean as well as humpback whale surveys, monitoring of dolphin watching, beach monitoring as well as coastline surveys, determining cetacean management priorities, and an important aspect will be to train local young Omani's in surveying techniques.

As the first unassisted solo kayak expedition in Oman, Meili has faced his share of unexpected challenges. "While kayaking down the Batinah Coast, the landscape changed from shores to continuous cliffs for as long as 37 kms," he recalls. "To be sitting in a kayak for more than ten hours and not knowing when the shoreline will approach, especially in case of an emergency, was very challenging."

At 1300 kms, Meili has already completed around two thirds of the expedition, with another 600 to 700 kms to go.

Ernest Meili's expedition is sponsored by Special Technical Services LLC and a private donor.