Expedition Update: Farallon Islands

On October 22-25, 2016, a partnership between OceanGate Foundation and NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries mounted an exciting expedition to explore the depths around the Farallon Islands, 30 miles offshore from San Francisco.

The expedition chartered the Cyclops 1 submersible to take 5 crew to explore 3 target sites: the Ituna shipwreck and two local seamounts.

After 2 days of diving in the sanctuary, inclement weather and unkind seas forced the expedition inland, and the team spent 2 days diving in the San Francisco Bay, exploring the depths around the iconic Alcatraz Island. BME co-founder Guillermo Söhnlein joined the OceanGate crew for an amazing experience diving beneath one of America's most popular waterways.

(Photos courtesy of NOAA, OceanGate, and BME.)

Exploring the World with Luminox

We are truly excited to welcome Luminox as the official watch of our Plunge Into The Abyss expedition!

From the first time we dove in a deep submersible beyond depths where sunlight could penetrate, we knew that we would have to find a watch that could operate in those rigorous conditions. After all, precise timing of underwater operations can mean the difference between life and death, but in the darkness of the deep ocean we needed to preserve our night vision. We experimented with several different time-keeping devices before our friend and fellow explorer Scott Cassell introduced us to Luminox in 2010. One dive wearing a Luminox watch, and we were hooked!

Luminox combines the best of two worlds: traditional Swiss watch-making craftsmanship and practical operational excellence for field work in extreme environments. Their “Always On” self-powered illumination system makes watches more visible and easier to read in low or no light situations. This is perfect for military and law enforcement uses. Of course, it also makes their watches “Essential Gear” for exploring extreme environments … like the oceans and space.

We greatly appreciate the support that the entire Luminox team has shown us in the past, and we look forward to working with them on many expeditions!

Hoist the jib, shake a reef!Expedition Planning Under Sail

Staysails and luffing. Close hauled and in irons. Maydays and Securites. All terms you’re likely to never hear unless you’re joining the crew of a sailboat.

Last month, I joined a motley group of students, professionals and educators for a week on Pangaea Exploration’s Sea Dragon for an Exploration Science program in the Cayman Islands. From hoisting the main halyard to kite mapping, lectures and field trips were designed to teach skills necessary for modern-day explorers and expedition leaders. Hoist and map we did, with the vim and vigor of the saltiest sailors.

As with the best experiential education courses, our first-hand experiences carried as much weight as formal programming. In addition to learning coral reef survey methods and testing dozens of exploration-relevant apps, a few lessons are sure to stick with me for future expedition planning:

1. Crowdsource for fundraising, not course-setting

After learning the ins and outs of maritime navigation, we were asked to plot a course from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac…and plan every hour of that journey. Trying to plan every hour of a trip for myself is a challenge, but planning with thirteen people with unique interests and desires may result in abandoning ship. After this exercise, our captain revealed that normally the permanent crew and a group leader set the course in order to streamline planning and minimize conflict.

2. Best laid plans of mice and men

Even once our itinerary was meticulously outlined, the captain cautioned us to allow extra time for navigating customs, foul weather, and other unforeseen obstacles. He may have jinxed us. Though we planned to go ashore and explore each island, weak moorings and increasing swell caused us to pinball between the islands, eventually abandoning our plans and returning to Grand Cayman. On the other hand, we unexpectedly happened to moor on two shipwrecks and enjoyed some marvelous unplanned snorkeling! Flexibility is the name of the game for expeditions with a range of goals and participants.

3. The scouts are right: Be prepared for anything

After a formal session on provisioning and being left to our own devices for meal planning by the second day of our trip, learning to plan ahead became necessary. In case of unplanned delays, carrying enough provisions for twice the length of an intended trip is recommended. On the food front, we turned out some exceptionally gourmet meals, even once food came more from cans and boxes than the fridge. Having extra gear became equally apparent following the theft of a snorkel and mask by Poseidon. In case of loss or breakage, having extras of anything that would cause you injury or inconvenience is a must.

After a week of learning how to run an expedition, the most important lesson became apparent: to jump at any chance to join an expedition on a sailboat in the Caribbean Sea!

Photo credits (in order): Ian Tomcho, Dr. Keene Haywood, Samantha Wishnak

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Contributed by Samantha Wishnak Education and Outreach Coordinator Blue Marble Exploration Monterey, CA, USA

SeaOrbiter: Space Station of the Sea

I would like to tell you about a project that I imagined thanks to the influence of legendary explorers such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Jacques Piccard. Indeed, this project is placing exploration of the still widely unknown aquatic realm at the center of its concerns. This project is called SeaOrbiter and it is the culmination of 30 years of innovative research and work based on bionic architecture inspired by marine forms and a concern for sustainable development.

SeaOrbiter is an exploration vessel as well as a scientific laboratory dedicated to the discovery of the underwater world and the education around sustainable development applied to the ocean.

Weighing in at approximately 500 tons of recyclable aluminum, the semi-submersible SeaOrbiter will drift silently across the ocean, aided by a small propulsion system, and support the crow’s nest and the suite of communications systems that will allow the team to broadcast their adventures live.

The Eye of the SeaOrbiter will be 18 meters (59 ft) high above the surface of the sea, with the overall vessel measuring 58 meters (190 ft). It will support the crow’s nest and the suite of communications systems that will allow the team to broadcast their adventures live. Life aboard, explorations, discoveries, and great scientific advancements will all be documented through the Eye’s technological prowess.

In order for the project to become a reality, we launched in November 2013 a crowdfunding campaign on KissKissBankBank to finance the construction of the ‘Eye’ of the vessel, to start in spring 2014.

The ocean is the heart of the solar system. It is at once the motor and the lungs of our planet. We must reinstate the ocean as the center of our daily lives. We want to make way for a new global socio-economic model which integrates the ocean in a responsible, sustainable manner, as the principal source of innovation and solutions. Medicine, nutrition, pharmacology, renewable energy-- the SeaOrbiter can help us improve these for the betterment of our planet.

Thanks to the help of the public, we rely on all sea lovers, adventure and innovation enthusiasts to help us build SeaOrbiter. Each contribution counts; support SeaOrbiter on KissKissBankBank and follow the project on Twitter @Sea_Orbiter.

Photo credits: SeaOrbiter® / Jacques Rougerie

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Contributed by Jacques Rougerie Architect SeaOrbiter Paris, France

Guest Explorer: Gaelin Rosenwaks

Gaelin Rosenwaks is the Founder and President of Global Ocean Exploration. Always fascinated by the marine world, Gaelin began diving at 14 and has since continued exploring ocean ecosystems.

Beginning her career at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution studying Southern Ocean zooplankton, Gaelin earned her Master’s Degree at Duke University while working with Tag-A-Giant to track bluefin tuna. From the Antarctic to the Arctic to the Pacific and Atlantic, Gaelin has conducted fieldwork in most of the world's oceans. For Gaelin, there is nothing better than being in the open ocean surrounded by endless blue water and passing wildlife.

To share her passion for ocean exploration, marine conservation and photography, Gaelin founded Global Ocean Exploration (GOE) in 2008. She now participates and conducts expeditions in every ocean to alert the public to the challenges facing the oceans and what scientists are doing to understand these changes.

Gaelin is a US Coast Guard Licensed Captain, and a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club where she served as Secretary of the Board of Directors. She has also appeared as a scientific consultant and angler on the National Geographic Channel Series, Fish Warrior.

Follow Gaelin's expeditions on Twitter @GaelinGOExplore or visit her website!


Getting to Know Gaelin Rosenwaks

1. Why do you explore? How are you continually inspired to explore?
   
   I explore because I have a constant curiosity about the planet and our oceans. I am not satisfied with looking at pictures in a book. I always have more questions, I want to take that step beyond the beaten path to find out more no matter where I am in life. My expeditions have taken me to remote areas, some of which have been traveled to before, but it is what is beyond the known that drives me to continue to explore and share what I find.


2. Is there one expedition in the past or future that you consider to be the culmination of your career?
   
   While I have been on many amazing expeditions and have many in mind for the future, I don't think that I can even think about the culmination of my career at this point. In fact, I believe that the nature of exploration makes this question impossible to answer as there is always something more out there, a new adventure, a fantastic discovery.
   
   Until the end of my career and upon reflection, perhaps I could answer this, but I can never see a culmination. If I do, I suppose I would stop exploring. I can say that my first expedition to the Antarctic early in my career set the bar high for all of my future exploration.


3. Most people think explorers are daredevils and risk-takers- how do you perceive risk?
   
   I think that this is one of the greatest misperceptions about explorers, but I realize that while I do not see myself as a risk-taker, others perceive me as one. While I go to far-off, remote places and enter into situations where I do not know the outcome, I am always as prepared as possible for all that I may encounter so as to eliminate as much risk as possible. Careful preparation and an understanding of one's limits minimizes a great deal of risk.


4. What are the greatest personal or professional challenges you face as an explorer?
   
   The greatest personal challenge is being away from home for long periods of time and often in places with limited connectivity. Once in the field, it is fine, but when my dogs are sitting on my duffel bags not wanting me to leave, it makes leaving difficult!


5. Do you have one piece of advice for anyone of any age who dreams of exploring the oceans?
   
   There is nothing better in life than to follow your dreams and passion. With hard work and persistence, you can achieve your dreams and whenever the road gets tough, just go to the beach and take a deep breath of salt air into your lungs; it will remind you instantly why you are on your path.

Adventures of an Aquanaut:Exploration to Inspire STEM Learning

It has been exactly 10 years since I fulfilled a childhood dream of visiting Antarctica.

As an Antarctic Studies student at the University of Canterbury, I was given the opportunity to spend two weeks at New Zealand’s Scott Base on Ross Island. This internationally competitive postgraduate course provided first-hand experience of living and working in the extreme polar environment.

It was a life-changing event that ignited my passion to inspire the public, particularly young people, to live more sustainably and harmoniously. Rather than pursue a Research Higher Degree, I returned home to Australia with the idea of using unusual exploration initiatives to inspire STEM learning.

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BioSUB

Funding for my first initiative, the BioSUB Project, was provided through a $50,000 sponsorship prize I won in the Australian Geographic 'Live your dream' Wildest Adventure Competition. My idea was to spend two weeks living in an underwater capsule at the bottom of a lake in a one-of-a-kind science adventure. Making headlines around the world, the BioSUB was a great success and a real labor of love for which I received the coveted Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year award.


The BioSUB was designed as a partly regenerative system and evolved into a virtual underwater classroom. Some of the oxygen I needed to survive underwater was generated by a photosynthetic bioreactor designed and built by students from a high school Advanced Biology class. I also built a pedal powered generator that produced enough electricity to power my laptop. I used cameras, the Internet and a telecom system to communicate with people from all over the world from the depths of the lake. Thousands of people worldwide followed my progress over the Internet.

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Life Amphibious

My projects are a way of raising awareness of critical environmental issues around the globe in a fun, provocative and scientific way. My next project, Life Amphibious, was an adventurous human-powered submarine expedition through the Greek islands. In partnership with the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles, I promoted their “Small Garbage” campaign in island schools. The Ecole de Technologie Superieure in Montreal, Canada, supported me by sending an assistant professor, four young engineers and their pioneering Omer 6 submarine to Greece for the expedition.


The submarine featured a biology-inspired design, resembling a penguin, as the means of propulsion. The aim of the Life Amphibious project was threefold: to get young people excited about science and engineering; to inspire environmental awareness; to provide university students with an educational experience that translated their theoretical knowledge into reality.

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LEGOLAND ATLANTIS

In 2010, I completed a project with LEGOLAND Deutschland® as Project Manager and “Edutainer”. My role was to launch the LEGOLAND Year of Records by living in an underwater house in the LEGOLAND ATLANTIS by SEA LIFE aquarium. I entered on 30 March and surfaced again two weeks later having achieved a new Guinness World Record for the most electricity generated by pedaling underwater (2,502 watt hours).


It was a globally unique experiment with over 100,000 children and parents visiting me on location in LEGOLAND Deutschland® and via the Web site. The project featured on National Geographic Channel’s Naked Science ‘City Under the Sea’ documentary and with over 100 million viewers globally, the project was awarded a silver medal at the Econ Awards in Germany in the category “PR-Activity”.

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Tik and Bubbles Underwater Headquarters

Most recently, I started developing a new educational initiative called Tik and Bubbles with the intention of designing community-based science projects that are creative, collaborative, challenging and fun. Tik, an underwater superhero, will encourage young people to pursue STEM studies and careers, promote and protect Australia’s marine biodiversity and lead an active and healthy lifestyle.


I have just completed a successful peerfunding campaign with StartSomeGood to create the ultimate underwater superhero headquarters to be located off the coast of Australia. I raised over $33,000 and set a new Australian record using their peerfunding platform. Let the challenge begin!

I invite you to follow my new project as it unfolds and encourage you to get in touch with any ideas or questions you may have. If you’d like to get involved in some way please let me know, as I am sure we can find a way.

Follow Lloyd's exploration adventure initiatives on Twitter @Lloyd_Godson or visit his website!

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Contributed by Lloyd Godson Marine Edutainer and Aquanaut New South Wales, Australia

To the Deep!A Starter Guide to Submersibles

Know the difference between a submarine and a submersible? Planning an underwater expedition and need to get a landlubber crew to the deep? Here’s a beginner's guide to human-occupied submersibles to get started.

The history of ocean exploration is well known: the descent of the Bathysphere, Jacques Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, and the discovery of the RMS Titanic wreck are familiar to most. But what options still exist for humans to explore the oceans in person? Only 5% of the ocean, the earth’s largest habitat, has been explored. Humans have a long way to go; what technology exists to continue to explore and push the limits of human understanding?

(Left to Right) Beebe and Barton's Bathysphere and wreck of the RMSTitanic

Whereas submarines are fully autonomous large vessels offering long-term living space for many people, manned submersibles (subs) are small and require surface support, but are highly versatile. Research institutions, governments, and private companies around the world have built submersibles primarily to conduct oceanographic and archaeological research underwater first-hand.

(Left to Right) Cutaways of a submarine and a submersible

As new technologies develop, filmmakers, marine resource prospectors and tourism outfits are using subs to gain access to previously unreachable parts of the planet. Though each sub is unique and adaptable for use across industries, there are several common designs.

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Spherical & Hemispherical Dome Submersibles

This style of sub allows for the most immersive underwater experience ranging from depths of 200-1000m for multiple pilots and passengers. The large field of view makes these subs ideal platforms for filmmaking and photography as well as conducting research and exploratory missions. In addition to use by scientific institutions, these subs are also increasingly built by for-profit companies and purchased by private individuals.

(Left to Right) OceanGate's Antipodes, GEOMAR's Jago, Triton's 3300

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Deep Submergence Vehicles

Almost exclusively built by national governments, Deep Submergence Vehicles (DSVs) are the “space shuttles” of the sea, built to push the limits of human exploration of the sea and reach 4,500-11,000m. Currently, China, Japan, Russia, France and the US own and operate DSVs in partnership with scientific institutions. To withstand the intense pressure of the deep, windows are small and limit the view outside. Sampling equipment, like manipulator arms and pressurized containers to collect samples are common on these subs, often used in tandem with Remotely-Operated Vehicles (ROVs).

(Left to Right) WHOI's DSV Alvin, Ifremer's DSV Nautile, JAMSTEC's DSV Shinkai

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'Flying' Submersibles

Built more like a plane than a submersible, these subs “fly” through the water, offering a unique exploratory experience. Capable of higher speeds and greater maneuverability than traditional bulbous subs, these winged subs can also be launched without surface support. Diving up to 200m, this type of submersible attracts a market of private individuals, allowing thrill-seeking exploration enthusiasts an unusual glimpse of the underwater world.

(Left to Right) Sub Aviator Systems' Super Aviator and Hawke's DeepFlight Super Falcon

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Commercial Submersibles

The workhorses of the sea, commercial subs are built to assist in rescue and salvage operations, oilrig inspection and maintenance, seafloor mineral resource development and film and data collection. For the most part, these subs are owned by private companies and contracted by government, military, and scientific institutions. Highly maneuverable to enable underwater work, these subs carry one or two pilots and reach depth ranges from 50-1000m.

(Left to Right) Nuytco Research's DeepWorker and Dual DeepWorker

These common submersible designs may be found exploring the ocean in every corner of the planet, and new designs continue to be developed to reach new depths and achieve innovative goals. With so much of the earth's largest habitat unexplored and unknown, the future of human exploration of the ocean using manned submersibles promises to be an exciting one!

Photo credits: Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee's Sub Database

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Contributed by Samantha Wishnak Education and Outreach Coordinator Blue Marble Exploration Brooklyn, NY, USA

Expedition Photography:Recording the Journey

Storytelling and the ability to share one’s expeditions and discoveries are key elements to exploration. During the expeditions of early explorers, like Columbus and James Cook, paintings and drawings captured moments of discovery and hardships. An expedition artist was always brought along to document the journey. Once photography was invented, expedition photographers were brought to photograph these moments of discovery along with the daily life during the journey.


When I think of the seminal work of an expedition photographer, I recall Frank Hurley’s images from Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition in 1914. Through his images, one can get a sense of the desolation of being trapped in the ice and feel the cramped living quarters of the ship during the day-to-day operation. Once trapped in the ice, the images become more compelling as he continued to photograph the ship being crushed by the ice and life on the ice once the ship went down. These images bring the story to life and allow for a deeper connection than words alone. Photographs, like the early paintings, capture the intangible while bringing you into the moment.


Photography has come a long way and is now accessible to everyone and, for that reason, plays an even more important role in our expeditions and storytelling. As an explorer and expedition photographer, I am acutely aware that followers of my expeditions expect to see compelling images.

We now have the ability to bring people sitting on their couches along on the journey in real time. Through blogging and social media, viewers can experience expeditions in the most remote corners of the world through both still images and video, getting a sense of place as exploration happens. Because of this technology, we end up with an unedited version that captures moments and raw emotions rather than, as the explorer and photographer, we remember it once we are home. I think this is extremely powerful.


As a photographer, my camera is always with me on an expedition to catch that unexpected moment, but also to capture the everyday. Moments from an icicle hanging from a ship railing, to the first glimpse of sea ice when steaming north in the Arctic Ocean, or the science being conducted on board. All are documented in an effort to record the journey and share these precious moments from remote corners of the world.

More of Gaelin's photography may be found at Global Ocean Exploration's website, and follow along with her expeditions on Twitter @GaelinGOExplore!

Photo credits: Gaelin Rosenwaks' Arctic acidification expedition (all color photos), Frank Hurley's Antarctic expedition (black and white photos)

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Contributed by Gaelin Rosenwaks Founder/CEO Global Ocean Exploration New York, NY USA