ROV control room: After seven months away from the ship, Video Engineer Gregg Diffendale and Science Team Lead Tim Shank back in the ROV Control Room. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2012. Download larger version (jpg, 130 KB).
ROV Dive Highlights
Video footage captured by the Little Hercules ROV and camera platform during the March 20 ROV dive from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during the Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012. Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2012. Download (mp4, 350.7 MB)
Following a brief early morning multibeam survey, ship and mission personnel launched Little Herc and Seirios for their first dive of the 2012 field season. Today's target was a relatively shallow rocky scarp at a depth of approximately 450 meters. Since it had been about seven months since our last ROV dive, we did not rush anything today. We re-reviewed safety protocols and built in extra time for launch and descent. Fortunately, all ship and underwater equipment worked quite well. However, a few outstanding issues remain with our standard internet video feeds. We hope to have them fixed and operational in the next few days.
