Archive for July 2026
Diving into history
The wreck of Capt. Robert F. Scott’s Terra Nova, as seen from the brow cameras of Alvin People often ask me if I have a single favorite dive in Alvin, is there a location or deep-sea environment, or experience that ranks as my number one. But there is never an easy answer to this question.…
Read MoreAdvances in photogrammetric imaging
Over the past 25 years or so I’ve been involved in many projects using remotely operated vehicles to collect high-resolution images of the seafloor and stitch them together to create photomosaics. That process has evolved tremendously during that time, both in the way we acquire the image data and in the way we process the…
Read MoreA tale of two vehicles
“To be underwater, or not to be underwater? That is the question.” – Hamlet (If Shakespeare had worked in deep submergence) Which is better for scientific research, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or a human-occupied vehicle (HOV)? The question has been oft debated at sea and in the lab. My own view has oscillated over…
Read MoreAlvin and the shipwreck (not that shipwreck)
Notes on the plan of Quest based on observations by the remotely operated vehicle help guide Alvin pilots over the wreck on the seafloor. (Photo by Ken Kostel, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Alvin is perhaps best known to the public as the sub that first explored the wreck of Titanic. It might come as…
Read MoreHeroic Age Expedition to survey two of the world’s most famous shipwrecks
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, in partnership with WHOI, will undertake “once-in-a-generation” expedition to survey Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Quest and Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova. Read more >
Read MoreHuman-occupied submersible Alvin certified to return to service
U.S. Navy certification permits the sub to resume operations to 6,500 meters after a routine overhaul. Read more >
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