ROVs are becoming more commonplace tools used for underwater inspections of submerged equipment, underwater assets, and marine habitats. Here in an interesting new example of a small, custom-built ROV inspecting underwater hydropower turbines for GE Renewables:
Spit out by a Humpback Whale
On June 11th, Michael Packard, a lobster diver in Provincetown, Massachusetts, had one of those truely unheard of experiences – he was swallowed and then spit back out by a young humpback whale. He was diving for lobster when “it tried to eat me”. Very reminiscent of the story of Jonah.
Full story at: NYTimes 12jun2021
And here is a similar story from The Buffalo Commercial newspaper about James Bartlett, who was found alive inside a whale’s belly: Newspapers.com 13apr1892
Live-stream from underwater – Eastern Australia
We streamed live from two BlueROV2s to remote viewers at Aminya Village (a BaptistCare residence) via Zoom a few weeks ago, which was very exciting for all involved.
One BlueROV2 streamed underwater images from Two Fold Bay in Eden NSW to show us amazing sponges and ascidians, while fighting bad swell and difficult visibility. Did you know that both sponges and ascidians are animals, not plants? We were also treated to a stunning red Gorgonian Fan, which was probably older than any of our participants.
The second BlueROV2 shared live video from Lake King in Gippsland VIC, where the bream populations are starting to recover and lots of fry (baby fish) were visible under the nearby jetty. Our pilot also found and recovered a bottle from the seabed floor (tricky manoeuvre) and has taken it to the local historical society for identification.
The initial feedback about the bottle recovered in Gippsland is that is is likely a Leggos Rations container from 1894-1940, probably from railway workers in the area.
Real-time underwater video clean-up
Undersea has been working closely with SeaClearly to bring video processing to underwater ROV video feeds in real-time. Here is an example of what SeaClearly does:
Buoybot prototype
What an amazingly creative solution to a problem! Andrew built a self-positioning buoy for RC boat racing after authorities said weighted buoys could no longer be used. Congrats Andrew on making a great idea come to life!
Queensland Radio Yachting Association 22may21
