Open Water Deployment #1 - Huntington Beach
After several months of preparation in protected waters, the Blue Latitudes Foundation (BLF) team recently completed two open ocean deployments with the Deep Trekker DTG3 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)! Fueled by the launch of the BLF’s recent project, an ROV- based community science assessment, our purpose was to test our ROV protocols in the open ocean with the hopes of soon deploying these protocols to gather marine life data on artificial reefs and offshore oil platforms.
A new partnership with the International SeaKeepers Society helped to make our first open ocean voyage possible. SeaKeepers is a non-profit organization that supports marine science and conservation by utilizing privately owned yachts as platforms for research and education. Their DISCOVERY Yacht Program presents opportunities for scientists and educators to eliminate vessel costs and promote community engagement. Through our partnership, the BLF was connected with a yacht owner based in Huntington Beach who was willing to facilitate an expedition aboard his vessel – the Cabrillo.
Aboard the Cabrillo, our team motored out to nearby artificial reefs constructed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife off of the Huntington Beach harbor. We visited four artificial reef sites, each consisting of 1,000 tons of quarry rock. The DTG3 ROV was deployed adjacent to the reefs and dove to approximately 50 feet. While poor visibility and strong currents made it difficult to capture the reefs on camera, our team practiced piloting the underwater drone and performing transects along predetermined compass headings.
Aboard the Cabrillo
As we drove to the next location, the captain made a quick stop at Platform Emmy. Built in 1963, this oil platform stands in 83 feet of water and is one of the most productive platforms in California. While gazing up at this massive steel structure, our team was reminded of the thriving ecosystems that exist below the surface.
The Blue Latitudes Foundation Team with Platform Emmy
Our next stop was the Long Beach Breakwater. Anchored alongside the breakwater, we launched a new instrument: the Nortek Eco. The Eco is an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) that measures the movement of water using sound. While tracking ocean currents, this instrument also collects temperature and water pressure data. Understanding currents is important in marine ecosystems because they redistribute heat, nutrients, and oxygen within the ocean. While collecting data, the Eco rests on seafloor and profiles the currents above it. When the timer is up, the Eco self- releases and floats to the surface for retrieval. Portable and practical, we so enjoyed using this ADCP to add additional metrics to our data collection.
Open Water Deployment #2 - La Jolla Shores
Our second open ocean deployment took place in La Jolla, California. Given the presence of several unique habitats near shore, including sandy bottom, eelgrass beds, and shallow water rocky reef, we opted to launch from kayaks. Calm seas set the stage and after loading up our snorkel gear and scientific instruments, we paddled west off La Jolla shores into about 30 feet of water over a sandy bottom habitat. At this location we released the Eco for a planned deployment of approximately an hour and a half, during which time the Eco collected data while we set off to deploy the DTG3 ROV at the nearby eelgrass beds.
Emily and Amber launching the Deep Trekker DTG3 ROV
Next, we set out to explore the eelgrass beds within the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve, named in honor of the Kumeyaay tribe that originally inhabited San Diego. A marine reserve is a designated area managed for long-term conservation, that protects crucial habitats and threatened species from harmful human activity (such as overfishing). Because this area of coastline is protected, it is teeming with life! From the surface, we spotted numerous fish and surveyed healthy areas of reef habitat through the lens of the DTG3 ROV. After reeling in the ROV, we paddled back to retrieve the Eco before heading to shore.
Looking Forward
As our ambassadorship with Deep Trekker comes to a close, the BLF will soon be purchasing a DTG3 ROV of our own. We will continue to pilot test the Nortek Eco and can’t wait for our next expedition in the ocean.