Oman 3165

Because of recent events in the Middle East, Mark updates us on the Oman 3165 Expedition and why it has had to be paused until Winter 2027. Safely back in the UK there is still lots of work to be done though. One of those is to start analysing the enormous of data the expedition has already gathered. In this podcast Mark has headed over to the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St. Andr...

Meet Aisha Al-Balushi: activist, educator and environmental impact officer Asyad Container Terminal’s Environmental Officer Aisha Al-Balushi shares her passion for helping the shipping industry and other organisations to make more sustainable decisions and choices. Her passion for the environment was formed in childhood in Oman where she was lucky enough to grow up with a strong connection to natu...

Now the unseasonally bad weather has abated, Mark is back on the water again and continuing south west towards the port of Duqm which is about 3 days paddling away. He is joined on the expedition now by his old friend, and logistics wizard, Alan Morrissey. Alan joins Mark fresh from an expedition through the vast empty quarter and supporting Alice Morrison to be the world’s first walking explorer...

Oman has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall and high winds so, while Mark waits patiently for the weather to allow him to pick up the journey where he left off at Bar Al Hikman, he takes the opportunity to catch up with Captain Khalil bin Ali Al Hooti, Vice President of Asyad Shipping . Captain Khalil shares his thoughts on Oman’s rich maritime heritage and how its location has helped to shape t...

Having reached the south west corner of Bar Al Hikman, a site of international importance for migrating and wintering wading birds, Mark catches up once again with Jonathan Turner, CEO of Masirah Marine, a font of knowledge regarding anything to do with Oman’s marine environment and maritime heritage to find out more about what makes the area so unique. Discover more about the expedition and track...

From the beautiful, but isolated salt flats of Bar al Hikman, sheltered from the seas by Masirah Island, Mark has reached the midway point of the expedition. After an amazing couple of days back in the kayak and 40 days since he started paddling, Mark has reached the halfway point of his journey along the coastline of Oman. Tim, Marks land-based support, has headed inland to circumnavigate the sal...

The coastal waters Mark is paddling through are blooming into life. The upwelling cooler water is bringing with it nutrients from the deep, providing the fuel for the phytoplankton soup that plays such pivotal role in the food chain of the marine ecosystem. This phytoplankton bloom has given Mark a wonderful sight, bioluminescence has been lighting up the water as every waves crashes onto the shor...

As Mark launches into the next stage of the Oman 3165 Expedition he drops into see marine ecologist Andy Willson in Muscat. Andy set up Future seas, an Oman based marine research and conservation company and has been a huge supporter of the expedition. During the expedition pause, Andy has been servicing the hydrophone and setting up the analysis of the recordings Mark has been gathering each day....

Mark is finally back on the water after two days stormbound on land. Today’s leg starts near one of Oman’s stunning pink lakes, just south of Al Ashkharah and took Mark south along the coast to Ras Jibsh. Landing at Ras Jibsh Mark reflects at the joy of being back on the water again, especially as this was the final paddling day of Leg 1 of Oman 3165. So Mark takes a moment to reflect back on the...

With weather forcing a pause in Mark’s time on the water, he takes the opportunity to share a recent conversation with Essam Al Sheibany, Vice President of Sustainability at Asyad group, the Oman 3165 Expedition partner.  Operating one of the world’s largest and most diversified fleets, serving over 60 countries, Asyad Shipping takes its responsibility to develop a more sustainable way of shi...

Jonathan Turner runs an Oman based commercial diving company, Masirah International. Originally from Scotland, Jonathan is as passionate about Oman and its maritime environment as Mark. Jonathan describes some of the marine wildlife highlights Mark should expect to see, but also how he has observed the amount of marine change in the years he has been under the water in Oman. Looking into the futur...

From the gardens of the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Al Bustan hotel in Muscat, Mark explores how Oman is not just creating a sustainable relationship with its seas but promoting a sustainable tourism industry that brings tourists to enjoy the coastal waters of Oman. It’s part of a fully circular approach to sustainability and the Oman Vision 2040. In the gardens, Talal Al Hashmi, Head of Operations and...

Through the different educational partners of the Oman 3165 Expedition, Mark has already spoken online to thousands of school children around the world. He has visited several schools in Oman, giving talks, showing the expedition kit to children and inspiring them about the possibilities for a more sustainable relationship with their oceans. But getting the Oman 3165 message across to local school...

On Day 22 of the Oman 3165 Expedition Mark updates us from just east of Muscat. He has spent the last few days paddling past Oman’s capital, a long thin city, edged by the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. The landscape has changed from the flat sandy beaches to the west of Muscat to now rocky sea caves and arches that Mark has been able to paddle into and explore. Since the last p...

Salah Al Jabri is an ambassador for Oman Sail , he served 26 years in the Royal Navy of Oman and in 2010 captained the voyage of the restored Arabian dhow, Jewel of Muscat from Muscat to Singapore. Salah is a man of the sea and is joining Mark for 4 days paddling on the Oman 3165 Expedition. At the end of day 2 they sit down together on dry land under a tree and talk about Salah’s life on the ocea...

On Day 16 of the Oman 3165 Expedition the team are having a rest day. Whilst Nigel and Anna Maria are in schools talking to students about Oman 3165, Mark is out and about meeting people whose lives are intertwined with the ocean here in Oman. In this podcast he meets the remarkable Reem Askalan, who over a period of 5 years has explored every nook and cranny of Oman’s coastline documenting safe a...

From the Tolkien like landscapes of Limah, Mark and Mohamed have continued south, paddling into sea caves and exploring beach landing sites. Both were struck by the simple structures used to store water for the local goats, but also the birdlife these watering holes attracted. A kingfisher joined them followed by a small flock of sand grouse. After crossing the border out of Oman and into the UAE...

It’s the end of Day 4 of the Oman 3165 Expedition. Mark and Mohamed have landed at Limah for an overnight rest. The first few legs of the expedition have taken them north, rounding the northern most tip of Oman jutting out into the Srait of Hormuz before turning south again. Because of the remoteness of this part of the expedition, the team have been paddling unsupported and landing on beaches for...

Welcome to the start of The Oman 3165 Expedition. The team are all in Al Khasab making final preparation for Mark and his kayak to hit the water in just under a day. They have been afloat to test the cameras and microphones. They have packed and repacked the kayaks so Mark can be self-supported for the first few days of the expedition. So here’s an opportunity to meet the expedition team, hear abo...

“Oman 3165 is going to be a huge opportunity for classrooms to really smash their walls and explore outside their school”   The Oman 3165 expedition is going to reach school children and university students around the world, helping them learn about our Ocean, our Opportunity and our Obligation. Young minds today are the ones who have the tools and knowledge to create a more sustainable...

Capturing acoustic surveys that transect the entire coast of Oman, never before gathered samples of eDNA suspended in the Omani water and geotagging marine plastic to feed into a global database of waste - The Oman 3165 expedition is more than just an expedition, it’s a 70 day floating field study that will support scientists and researchers around the globe. In this podcast  Dr Gill Braulik...

Mark Evans feels a deep-rooted sense of obligation to protect our shared oceans. His love is for the seas surrounding Oman and he sees this as an opportunity to inspire others, especially young people, to think about the importance of our ocean. On the  International Maritime Organisation’s  World Maritime Day, at  The Royal Geographical Society  in London, the Oman 3165 expedi...

Starting in November 2025, Oman 3165 is a seventy day journey by kayak along the coastline of Oman in celebration of World Maritime Day, capturing stories of innovation and biodiversity, celebrating Oman’s rich maritime heritage and using communication technology to inspire the next generation of ocean caretakers for a sustainable future. Come and join adventurer and paddler Mark Evans for every p...