The Rebikoff-Niggeler Foundation (FRN) is a non-for-profit organization for marine research based in the Azores/Portugal.
The Foundation’s main activity is to carry out in-situ observation and documentation of deep-sea environments by means of manned submersible technology.
The Rebikoff Foundation has been filming deep-sea fauna for several nature documentaries, including the BBC´s Blue Planet II series. The LULA1000 submersible has been optimized for quality filming of fauna and habitats in deep-sea environments in the Azores.
Joint research projects are being carried out with a number of national and international research partners, and a special partnership exists with the the Azorean Government and the University of the Azores. In situ documentation of deep-sea fauna and habitats is used for scientific and educational purposes.
The crew of the LULA1000 manned submersible managed to record a first-ever video of a hunting pelican eel or gulper eel. The observation was made 1000 meters deep south of the island of São Jorge, in the Azores. This is the first time the pelican eel has been observed directly by humans. Very little is […]
Our short film « Deep time » has been selected by the selection committee of the International Nature Namur Festival and will be included in the program of the Festival 2018, that will take place from October the 12th to 21st in Namur in Belgium. Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/260921609
The LULA1000 submersible passed the 5-year safety inspection by classification society DNV-GL (German Lloyd) Hamburg. A new class certificate has been issued.
At invitation of Member of European Parliament Ricardo Serrão Santos, the Rebikoff Foundation showed the exhibition entitled “Azores: Deeper Than Blue” with films and photos on Azores deep-sea biodiversity in the European Parliament in Brussels, between 5th and 8th June. Here an image from the opening ceremony.
