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.)

From Spacecrafts to Submarines

My career in the commercial spaceflight industry has long afforded meaningful intersections with the broader exploration community. Organizations like The Explorers Club have helped to connect like-minded explorers, where two camps inevitably arise: space vs. sea.

While the space community extols the enormity of the unexplored universe, it is not uncommon for oceanic lectures to begin with a comment about more people have walked on the Moon than have reached the deepest point in the sea, or how we know far more about the surface of the Moon than the ocean floor. To the those who suggest space is the Final Frontier, submarine designer Graham Hawkes goes as far as to offer his infamous advice: “your rockets are pointed in the wrong goddamn direction!”

Admittedly, I’ve spent more time following Hawking than Hawkes. I’ve spent the past few years working to advance mankind’s footprint in the solar system, puzzling over the particulars of interplanetary life. I’ve worked alongside industry, academia, and government organizations in the pursuit of space exploration, and I’ve spent weeks at a time in isolation at a prototype Martian research facility, studying in situ resource utilization techniques in the hopes of advancing mankind’s ability to live off-Earth. Beyond the inherent desire to explore space myself, my dedication has always been rooted in the simple fact that Earth will one day cease to support life, and that a future without space exploration is no future at all.

Still, I have always rejected the either/or approach to exploration. As an experienced scuba diver, I’ve always been intrigued by the mysteries of Earth’s vast oceans—an anomaly within our known universe. From hostile environments to extreme lifeforms, it seems evident that dividends from the exploration of both sea and space are critical to our advancement and ultimate survival as a species. So earlier this summer when Blue Marble Exploration founder, Guillermo Söhnlein, invited me to participate in an expedition on board OceanGate’s Antipodes submersible, I jumped at the opportunity.

Stockton Rush—OceanGate's founder, CEO, and sub pilot—utilized advanced sonar to navigate Antipodes in the murky visibility of the ocean floor, allowing our group to explore the remains of the Al-Ind-Esk-A-Sea, a 336-foot fish processing ship that caught fire and burned for several days before sinking off the coast of Seattle in 1982. While I was prepared for the advanced technology that enabled our navigation, I was wholly unprepared for the thrill of submerging hundreds of feet to the ocean floor. Light from the surface dimmed as we descended, and bioluminescent creatures came to life in its absence. Staring out at the alien environment ahead of me, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the same overwhelming sensation experienced by astronauts upon their first glance through the cupola of the International Space Station.

Intellectually, I appreciated the diversity of our planet. But having the opportunity to explore the ocean floor drove home the magnificent uniqueness of Earth within our universe, and how little we truly know about the “blue marble” we call home. The tenacity of life to flourish at those dark depths, and the potential of what we might find even deeper, reminds me how lucky we are to call this planet home, and how much we still have to explore, both on Earth and beyond.

While I remain an evangelist for space exploration, I have a newfound passion for exploring the sea. In 2016, I’ll be joining Blue Marble Exploration on the world’s first crewed submersible expedition to the bottom of Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas, an exploration event which will be broadcast live around the world.

While I’m fond of proclaiming that this is the first time in four billion years that it’s possible for life to become interplanetary, I now realize that this is also the first time in four billion years that we have the knowledge and know-how to study the unique features of our own planet. Blue Marble Exploration will offer a path to take advantage of this unique window in history, and I feel privileged to join the mission.

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Contributed by Kellie Gerardi Emerging Explorer Blue Marble Exploration New York, NY, USA

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

Researching, Filmmaking, Exploring? There's a Sub for That!

In a vast ocean, the number of manned vehicles operating beneath the surface is very limited. Through my most recent expeditions funded by a National Geographic Young Explorer grant, I’ve learned that differences between subs allow each to serve as an ideal platform for research, exploration or filmmaking. These submersibles must conform to rigorous standards if they are to hold up against the varying temperatures and harsh pressures of the sea. Though all subs share the same few critical components including a pressure sphere (the cabin), life support systems, lights, and thrusters, each sub has unique characteristics and individualized operations. In a world of salt water, this keeps things fresh. Researching, filmmaking or collecting samples? There's a submersible for that!

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Antipodes -- Seattle, Washington, USA

In a five-person sub smaller than a minivan, you might not expect any more legroom than an airplane, but the submersible Antipodes is surprisingly spacious. This 305 meter-capable sub, operated by OceanGate, Inc, shares the same critical specifications as similar vessels, but has something no other sub can boast: twin hemispherical domes. When you are submerged for many hours, they serve two valuable purposes: visibility and comfort.

Crewmembers sit on opposing benches deep in the domes, surrounded on three sides by the ocean. Only an IMAX experience evokes a similar sensation of total immersion. Whether flying over a sweeping landscape or in close quarters with a shipwreck, the pilot can simply rotate the sub to achieve a better view. Antipodes is by far the most comfortable sub I have been in, with plenty of overhead space and legroom, allowing more researchers, cameras and crew to collaborate on a dive.

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CuraSub -- Curacao, The Caribbean

While similarly allowing five people to dive to the deep, CuraSub differs in operations and onboard science equipment. A custom-built private marina houses the sub, its support boat, and workshop, and makes diving almost as efficient as going for a swim. The insightful designer of SubStation Curacao developed a floating dock that hugs the sub and not only allows for the easy transfer of crew, but also has an extra safety net built in. Below the surface, a platform underneath the sub ensures that if any water were to accidentally splash into the sub, the sub would still be supported from below and would remain safe and sound on the surface.

While the efficiency of dives is one clear benefit, the science equipment the CuraSub carries makes it a workhorse for underwater research. As a research platform, the sub is outfitted with two manipulator arms and various external cameras. One of the manipulators doubles as a fish sampling device complete with a water-soluble fish anesthetic to collect animals without harming them. Though CuraSub is typically operated from one location, the local area is so vast there is a continuous stream of both geological and biological discoveries.

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Idabel -- Roatan, Honduras

Outside the realm of traditional subs is the painstakingly homebuilt submersible Idabel. My dive in Idabel took me deeper than I’d ever been before, to the bathyal zone. Far below the photic zone where sunlight hits, the bathyal zone ranges from about 500 meters to 6000 meters and is home to creatures that never ascend into the daylight. Many of these creatures are wildly abundant, but they are so unfamiliar to our terrestrial lives that they become fascinating and bizarre. The biology of the deep ocean is one of the most glamorous and exciting worlds and Idabel is particularly suited to facilitating high quality photography and filming of deep sea organisms. The front of the sub even has protective bumpers, allowing the pilot to press right up against a rock wall and pick up a sample or go for a close-up with a camera illuminated by the many lights installed on the sub.

The rarity of diving this deep, and knowing I was still scratching the surface of the ocean, made Idabel my most extraordinary dive so far. I always knew I wanted to go into the deep ocean, but I never realized how dramatically it would change my goals for diving in the extraordinary world below us. Idabel can reach the black and quiet world of the deep sea, Antipodes is the perfect platform for underwater collaboration between many dive participants and CuraSub is outfitted for the safe and efficient collection of samples and data. With every dive on a submersible, you know you’ll be getting a million-dollar view, but it’s the differences between subs that make them uniquely valuable.

Photo credits: Barry Brown (First photo), OceanGate,Inc. (Antipodes photo), Erika Bergman (all other photos)

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Contributed by Erika Bergman Emerging Explorer Blue Marble Exploration Seattle, WA USA