Practice makes perfect!

That's the mantra of the ODA Crew who are training to use our new underwater (UW) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

We're very thankful for a generous donation which enabled us purchase this cool equipment!

A few days ago, we went for a training run.  The crew took turns using the ROV so we'd each understand how it works and know how to handle it.

Dave put it in the water and turned on the ROV's camera to see what we could see. 

The camera is linked to a computer in the cabin that displays what the ROV is seeing on a monitor.

Everyone got a chuckle when two flounders (or "skates") came to check out the camera. In fact, they continued to follow the ROV as we drove it around in the water! You can see in this photo below how these fish look like they're part of the ray family.

This equipment will make our operations much more efficient.  Not only will our divers spend less time underwater locating the ghost gear, but we'll be able to take a small number of people out on the boat to locate the debris, then come back with a dive team another day to remove the abandonded fishing gear or other polluting materials.

If you’d like to help as a deckhand on an ROV scouting outing (ha!), please send us an email and we’ll get a volunteer application to you.