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This is a great idea. It would save me a lot of time and wear and tear on my body. The only problem is that video can't see the cave the way I can in person, and I want to see the cave and what is around the next corner. Find me something to suppress that urge and bring on the robots. For now, we have no problem diving the cave to any point since the deco has already been maxed out and works, and the time or distance is no obstacle with the gear we have, the stamina of the players and the teamwork we employ. Most of us can not only eat and sleep in the water, we do not get cold , bored, or anything. It is like running, riding the bike or ocean swimming - give me more of it. Also, the cave does not appear to ever get deeper than 310 ish. Where a robot would really be valuable is in the deep and vertical stuff of Europe or Mexico, Turkey, Brazil, etc - these caves are still unknown. The problems come in where there are sumps . The robot would have to get out of the water and get back in. However, I hear Phil Newton (sp) is working on a much smaller and ligher 1 ata suit, which may be the answer to that. I am also personally not intereseted in funding, grants, money, TV. sponsorship or anythihg else. I like to do it my way with my money. This keeps Rule Number One firmly in tact, and my team goes along with this. The professional stuff is handled by GUE , not WKPP. JJ seems to be doing a good job of maintaining Rule Number One there as well and getting paid to do it. I am not in the buisness, so see no need to accomodate anyone. I have Option Number One - "Don't Dive", and I exercise it without thinking twice. Also, you may not know this, but I have nothing to do with Wakulla - I am just one of the divers and only do one type of dive when and if I dive there - the long range exploration. Casey McKinlay ( WKPP Project Coordinator ) runs that permit, not me. I have only participated in a small part of what the WKPP is doing there. My focus is Leon Sinks. I just did a lot of Wakulla to prevent Stone from getting any of the conduit. I'll get the rest when the time comes. Cybertyger@ao*.co* wrote: > > George: > > What about using ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles--unmanned robots) to > explore/map the cave? Has anyone done this? Some are quite small and they > could be operated from the surface (or maybe from a deep, open section of the > cave by immersed divers or by dry divers in a habitat) and would relay > real-time video back (you could do a live web-cast of the images on the > internet to stimulate interest and spur more sponsorships and funding, maybe > even a TV special--show the history of diving in the cave, how far it's come, > and then show how the ROVs may extend that knowledge further). The ROV could > even collect water/rock/sediment/biological samples. Sure, they're unmanned, > but if the purpose is to determine the extent and configuration of the > passages--to see what's down there-- then who cares? No gasses, no > decompression, no safety risks. An ROV fleet could be sent all over the > caves....Dr. Robert Ballard maneuvered an ROV from a submersible 12,000 feet > down in the Atlantic, and penetrated the wreck of the Titanic, ie, they were > operating the robot far beyond line of sight in a complex overhead > environment. I am sure something suitable could be developed for Wakulla. > Maybe a new breed of tetherless ROVs, operated exclusively by radio signals. > Or is the point purely for humans to penetrate the caves as far as possible? > > Rick Chesler, Los Angeles, Aquatic Biologist, PADI Divemaster -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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