Today is our first research dive

Today is our first research dive. We will be diving on one of the four glass sponge reefs that are currently protected from bottom trawling. We chose this site because in the past, when this area was open to trawling, the fishermen caught deep sea corals here.

Once we descend to the bottom of the sea, we will run 200 meter transects gathering data. In other words, we will travel a straight line for 200 meters recording everything we see on the video cameras.  Once we are done our transect work, we will be free to explore, looking for corals nestled amongst the sponges. We will shoot video of the corals we find and then gather some samples.

Today we are doing short 90 minute dives to allow all six pilots to get underwater. This will give all of us a chance to refamiliarize ourselves with the subs, get used to working in the deep dark sea, and practice using the underwater camera to record life under the sea.

Today is also the day that many of us realize a dream. For many years we have been bound by the limits of scuba diving. Today we are free to exceed these bounds and go where no one has gone before. It may be only 200 meters away, but for thousands of years it has been out of site. Today we will change this.

~ Jennifer Lash