Voyage to the Ridge 2022

May 14 - September 2, 2022

A View From Above

If you watched some of the livestreamed dive during Voyage to the Ridge 2022, no doubt you were wowed by some of the amazing imagery collected via remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer (D2). But have you gotten acquainted with the views from ROV Seirios?

The sun rises over remotely operated vehicle Seirios on the back deck of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, marking the dawn of a new day of exploration and discovery.
The sun rises over remotely operated vehicle Seirios on the back deck of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, marking the dawn of a new day of exploration and discovery. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Windows to the Deep 2021. Download largest version (jpg, 20.7 MB).

Referred to in the industry as a ‘camera sled,’ Seirios is directly tethered to NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and then is further tethered to D2 via a cable that provides power as well as a pathway for data transmission back to the ship. This configuration allows Seirios to absorb the heave from the ship while keeping D2 stable as it explores the ocean floor.

Seirios always stays above D2, providing ROV pilots from the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration an expanded view of D2 and surrounding areas. Shining down on D2 much like its namesake star, Sirius, Seirios acts as a brilliant source of light in the “night sky” of the ocean, literally shedding light on a location’s features and its inhabitants.

So next time you’re following the livestream, take a moment to pop over to Camera 2 for a slightly different perspective. You never know what you might be missing…

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Seirios shines a light on ROV Deep Discoverer as it moves over a field of live, yellow coral in the genus Eguchipsammia during Dive 01 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition.
Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Seirios shines a light on ROV Deep Discoverer as it moves over a field of live, yellow coral in the genus Eguchipsammia during Dive 01 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022. Download largest version (jpg, 550 KB).
As remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer is investigating the seafloor, ROV Seirios “watches” from above, catching glimpses of things we'd otherwise miss, such as a whiplash squid (left) and a rather large fish (right), both observed during the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition.
As remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer is investigating the seafloor, ROV Seirios “watches” from above, catching glimpses of things we'd otherwise miss, such as a whiplash squid (left) and a rather large fish (right), both observed during the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022. Download largest version (jpg, 1 MB).
The views from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Seirios can provide us with insights into the size and scale of geological (and biological!) features on the seafloor. In the first image, ROV Deep Discoverer is seen imaging a small, low-effervescing hydrothermal vent during Dive 02 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. In the second image, Deep Discoverer explores a field of fairly fresh, poorly sorted landslide deposits during Dive 01 of the third Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. For reference, Deep Discoverer measures an impressive 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) tall and 3 meters (10 feet) long.
The views from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Seirios can provide us with insights into the size and scale of geological (and biological!) features on the seafloor. In the first image, ROV Deep Discoverer is seen imaging a small, low-effervescing hydrothermal vent during Dive 02 of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. In the second image, Deep Discoverer explores a field of fairly fresh, poorly sorted landslide deposits during Dive 01 of the third Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. For reference, Deep Discoverer measures an impressive 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) tall and 3 meters (10 feet) long. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022. Download largest version (jpg, 1.2 MB).
A top-down look at remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer imaging corals and sponges, as captured by ROV Seirios during the eighth dive of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition.
A top-down look at remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer imaging corals and sponges, as captured by ROV Seirios during the eighth dive of the second Voyage to the Ridge 2022 expedition. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Voyage to the Ridge 2022. Download largest version (jpg, 838 KB).

Published August 24, 2022