Who are we?
The company Oceania.blue specializes in underwater photography and oceanographic missions. Our goal is to introduce the riches of the ocean to as many people as possible. We work with schoolchildren so that they become aware from an early age of the importance of protecting them.
We are located in the south of France near Saint-Tropez; we dive between Nice and Marseille. Our favorite place is the Port-Cros national park and its adjacent marine area. It is a marine and terrestrial reserve, the environment is preserved, the fauna and flora are abundant there, and allow magnificent shots.
But we also travel all around the world to explore the most beautiful diving sites.
The previous video was filmed off the coast of Saint-Tropez. We take advantage of the winter period to discover new preserved and un explored dive sites near us. We will then dive into these sites that caught our interest in the spring in order to bring back images and videos.
What led us to choose CHASING innovation ROVs
Deep dives involve greater risk-taking. In addition, we dive in a rebreather with a trimix mixture for dives beyond 40 meters. This implies longer decompression stop times. In order to be able to explore deep dive sites while reducing the risks (especially if the site is of little interest for taking underwater images), we looked for a reliable way to be able to judge the interest of a dive site from the surface. By rebreather diving, we can dive up to 120 meters deep (393 feet). We turned to the company Chasing innovation because they offered drones that could go to a depth of 200meters (600 feet) and with a cable length of 200 to 400 m (600-1200 feet). However, initially, in order to validate the use of underwater drones in our missions, we turned to the Gladius mini-S capable of reaching a depth of 100 meters (300 feet) and with a cable length of 200 meters (600 feet) for greater freedom of exploration. For a first underwater ROV, we are seduced by the possibilities offered by the Gladius mini-S for first-person view explorations. However, to move along drop-offs or ship wrecks a model that can move laterally is preferred to keep the object in the camera while moving.
What is it like to explore a new dive site?
Firstly, using a depth sounder and a GPS, we identify areas with an interesting curve. These may be drop-offs or wrecks. As soon as we detect this type of image with the depth sounder, we put a Waypoint to locate it on the chartplotter. We then send the drone to find out what’s underwater. This method allows us to explore several sites one after the other. If a site appears to be of greater interest, it is explored in more detail. The information recorded by the drone’s sensors (including depth) is recorded. We can therefore know the maximum and minimum depth as well as the intermediate depths of the points of interest. By viewing the videos when planning our dive, we can optimize dive time and decompression time.
What advantages do Chasing products bring to our oceanographic missions?
Above all, it is the gain in terms of security that is most important. Divers do not need to be exposed to danger when exploring deep sites.
Using an underwater drone also allows us to save time in our exploration of new dive sites. If a site is not of interest, it is possible to quickly reassemble the drone and move to another site to make a new dive. Previously, we would have had to do long hours of decompression stop and wait until the next day to plan a new dive at a new site. In addition, only one operator can pilot the drone whereas two divers would have been necessary.
Our gladius mini–S allows us to explore more dive sites and focus on the most interesting ones to send divers there !!
