NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer lowering the ROV off the coast of Puerto Rico.
The National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration in conjunction with Air/Sea Heritage Foundation explored offshore Puerto Rico from August 25 to September 2, 2022.
The dive was transmitted live since May, with the beginning of the expedition in other areas of the Caribbean. Its broadcast would begin at 6:45 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. ET on Sept. 2, with the expectation of exploring the deep water and trying to find the Clipper Endeavor.
The Clipper was a commercial light aircraft that crashed into the sea a few miles off San Juan in 1952. NOAA Ocean Exploration even warned that if they found human remains, they were going to cut the live broadcast. Reports on the expeditions will be submitted to its pages in 60 to 90 days.
“Bluntnose sixgill shark” as seen from the three cameras and the ROV map.
This type of NOAA expedition has been conducted since 2015 in the different depths of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, aboard the Okeanos Explorer, a vessel that carries a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that allows live transmission and visualization of maps.
According to NOAA, most of the space to which they submerged the ROV is largely unexplored. The “Voyage to the Ridge 2022”, The exploration, the name given to the exploration, is divided into three phases, the last round being in Puerto Rico.
The organization hoped to learn about the geological context of the northern Atlantic Ocean in order to understand future geohazards and the species that live in these deep areas that can reach 6,000 meters underwater.
Part of a plastic bicycle.
Crab in coral.
Garbage, including cans, in the background.
Although they did not find the plane, on August 25 they were able to see something that appeared to be a cushion which gave some “hope” that it is connected to the 1952 event. However, they did find a lot of trash and at least one species never before seen alive by them. With the finding of large amounts of debris, the scientists who monitored the ROV find the situation “unfortunate,” as they explain, “it is almost impossible” to perform underwater cleanups at such depths.
Some of the findings were:
- Anthropogenic materials such as: fabrics, containers, glasses, ropes, bags, beer cans, remains of a bicycle, a plastic bucket, among others.
- Curious species such as: the “Frogfish” (Family Antennariidae),“Squat lobster” (Superfamilies Galatheoidea & Chirostyloidea), a possible “Sea star” (Remaster, first live and color view on August 25), “Polyps of zoanthids” (first live and color view on August 25), "Polyps of zoanthids" (Zoanthus), Small crab on coral, “Brittle star” (Class Ophiuroidea), a “Bluntnose sixgill shark”.” (Hexanchus), among many others.
“Frogfish in the depths of Puerto Rico.
According to the website of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Bluntnose sixgill sharks usually live 200 to 1,000 meters underwater, are vulnerable to fisheries, are usually widely distributed in the waters and have a low metabolism, as mentioned in the live broadcast. The website Sport Diver, The “Frogfish”, although it can camouflage itself, takes weeks to change color, unlike the chameleon, which does it faster.
Estrella is a Remaster genre.
The “Brittle stars”, according to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, are well known for their ability to remove an arm to escape predators, as their arm will grow back.
As for the “Squat lobsters”, the Monterey Bay Aquarium indicates that they may resemble lobsters, but more closely resemble the attributes of a hermit crab. And the “Polyps of zoanthids” grow as a whole, like a carpet patch and encrust stones, according to the Waikiki Aquarium.
To see the photo gallery of the expedition, please visit the website of NOAA Ocean Exploration.