Date: September 13, 2019
Our intended dive today was at the Block-Alvin Intercanyon, an area predicted to have a moderate to high likelihood of hosting deep-sea corals by habitat suitability models. Unfortunately, weather conditions did not allow for remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, with sustained winds of 30 knots, wind gusts of up to 40 knots, and 6-9 foot seas. As a result, the ROV dive was cancelled and the mapping team conducted all day mapping operations in an area just north of the dive site, which had not yet been mapped using high-resolution sonars.