Deepcam
Deepcam was an essential part of our expedition as it was the only way we could see what was going on far below the surface.
The system was essentially a sled mounted with four video cameras, four high power lights, a strobe, a CTD and sector scanning sonar that could detect objects up to 500 metres away.
It was connected to the topside control module via a 1000 metre long steel reinforced fibre optic cable. This allowed us to monitor and record what was happening around the sled from the comfort of the boat.
Once deepcam was in the water it was basically impossible for us to reposition the vessel so deployments were generally undertaken at dusk and continued well into the nigh
This led to some pretty tired expeditioners as we were also monitoring
killer whales and conducting a range of other experiments during daylight
hours.
Having the opportunity to peer deep into the ocean on the edge of a subsea canyon thats several miles deep was an incredible experience, its something that we had dreamt of doing for years.
The addition of a sector scanning sonar to deepcam meant we could literally see anything approaching from a few hundred metres away.
Several times we saw what appeared to be large moving objects approaching the system but we didnt get a physical glimpse of what they were with our video cameras.
We thought whatever it was may be hesitant to approach due to the lights so on the last deployment we turned them off and monitored with sonar alone.
The lights were left off for a period of two hours and when they were reactivated .. nothing .. all power to the lights was gone.
We had no choice but to abort the dive and retrieve the system.
Once we had deepcam back onboard we could see what the problem was, the sled had apparently turned full circle and kinked the fibre optic cable.
What caused this to happen isnt clear although its possible the sled rotated during the night as it was being heaved up and down by the vessel.
You can find the CTD's recording in the slideshow above.