Nice to see increasing interest in ROVs for quick and safe underwater visual inspections:
Video at: 9news.com.au
See-thru deep ocean fish
MBARI’s ROV Ventana spotted this very rare barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma) last week, with a see-through head!
MBARI’s ROV was cruising at a depth of ~2,132 feet (650 meters) in the Monterey Submarine Canyon, one of the deepest submarine canyons on the Pacific coast.
The barreleye has two eyes that glow bright green in the ROV lights and a clear, fluid-filled shield that covers its head. The eyes are incredibly light-sensitive and can be oriented straight up, towards the top of the fish’s head, or straight ahead, according to MBARI. Two dark-colored capsules sit in front of the fish’s eyes and contain the organs the animal uses to smell.
Full articles at: MBARI and Live Science 09dec21
ROVs for Ordnance Disposal
The US Marine Corps System Command is testing the use of ROVs for underwater ordnance assessment and disposal.
Bigfin Squid spotted during ROV mapping
A rare creature to see, a bigfin squid was spotted about 2 weeks ago during Dive 10 of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)’s Windows to the Deep 2021 ROV and mapping expedition off the West Florida Escarpment in the Gulf of Mexico. (Video below)
Bigfin squid are widely distributed throughout the world’s deep ocean, and they can live deeper than any other known squid. The current depth record for a bigfin squid is 4,735 meters (3 miles) and the largest known bigfin squid was 6.4 meters (21 feet) long with arms and tentacles 6.1 meters (20 feet) long. Imagine arms 20 times the length of your body!
Full article at: Oceanexplorer.noaa.gov 12nov21
Live from ROVs underwater
Check out this live broadcast from ROVs Hercules and Argus as they explore ancient volcanoes in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument: https://nautiluslive.org/live/channel-2
Channel 1 is direct from the ROV camera (today Hercules is scanning the sea floor), Channel 2 shows the ROV exploring (from ROV Argus’ perspective), and Channel 3 is map and data of current ROV location. All streams will be available until December 6th