News

Flying Drone Captures Underwater Images of 300-Year-Old Coral

Published

11 years ago

October 25, 2013

Coral reefs sustain about a quarter of all marine life and are shelter for more than 4,000 species. The fish that live within coral reefs are an important food staple for about 500 million people around the world.

Yet despite their crucial role in the marine ecosystem, coral reefs are mostly unmapped. Hand-mapping or photographing reefs is incredibly tedious, time-consuming and potentially inaccurate, while satellite imagery gets muddled by waves. Radar can’t penetrate the water’s surface and sonar fails in shallow areas.

To get around these limitations, Palumbi and Stanford aeronautics graduate student Ved Chirayath developed a tiny, remote-controlled drone that can film coral reefs from up to 200 feet (61 meters) above the ocean.

But ripples on the water create distortion and blur that make the drone images difficult to interpret. So after the images were gathered, Chirayath used a technique called fluid lensing to digitally remove those distortions and sharpen the images.

“The lensing takes a huge problem in looking through the surface of the water and turns it into an advantage,” Palumbi said. “It not only removes the ripples, but uses their magnification to enhance the image,” he added, referring to the fact that objects underwater tend to appear closer than they are because of how light bends when it moves from air to water.

The researchers then used a 360-degree camera to photograph the reefs from underwater.

Combining the images from both the drone and the underwater camera, the team produced gorgeous panoramic images of the reefs surrounding a marine protected area in American Samoa around Ofu Island.

The corals, some of which are 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 m) wide, live in a reef called the “Village of Elders” that seems perfectly suited to these ancient corals.

As a follow-up, the team plans to combine data on water temperature and water flow with the images to see how climate change alters the reef ecosystem.

Source: www.livescience.com

News

DYNAMICNORD announce 20% discount on their entire range of products for Duikvaker 2025

Published

1 hour ago

January 24, 2025

Team Scubaverse

Attention bargain hunters. DYNAMICNORD offers an attractive trade show promotion for Duikvaker 2025. A whopping 20% can be saved.

During the Duikvaker trade show in Houten in February 2025, DYNAMICNORD will be offering great bargains – both at any DYNAMICNORD dealer and in the online shop. Take 20% off the entire range of products.

Click here to select your favourite products: www.dynamicnord.com

The promo code is: duikvaker25

Promotion period: Saturday, 01.02.2025 0:00 until Wednesday, 05.02.2025 24:00

Only at DYNAMICNORD dealers and in the online shop.

dynamicnord

Chance of winning

If you would like to see the entire range and our new products, you are cordially invited to visit DYNAMICNORD at the Duikvaker trade show in hall 1, booth 1b06. There will be further highlights and a sweepstake at the trade show. Visitors get the chance to win a regulator. More information can be found on our social channels:

www.facebook.com/dynamicnord.official

www.instagram.com/dynamicnord.official/

New Products

DYNAMICNORD is bringing numerous new products to the trade show. The diving world can look forward to regulators, dive computers, tech wings, BCDs, camouflage neoprene suits, drysuits, undersuits, and a complete snorkelling and apnoea line.

The entire DYNAMICNORD team is looking forward to great conversations with divers and partners.

DYNAMICNORD – Your Outdoor Companion.

www.dynamicnord.com

News

DAN Launches The DANcast, a Podcast To Inspire Better, Safer Diving

Published

22 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Team Scubaverse

The DANcast, Divers Alert Network’s new official podcast, delivers safety insights through engaging conversations with divers from across the industry. The series combines practical knowledge with personal stories to inform and inspire. Building on DAN’s educational mission, the podcast is intended to enhance listeners’ knowledge and empower them to make safer, smarter decisions during their own adventures.

The show brings together a variety of voices — safety and medical experts, researchers, equipment manufacturers, underwater photographers and filmmakers, dive operators, and other passionate professionals who believe in DAN’s mission. Episodes cover topics that are sure to resonate with seasoned and new divers alike. Listeners can expect in-depth discussions of scientific research, training practices, technological innovations, conservation efforts, underwater imaging, and more.

The DANcast’s first season debuts January 22, 2025, and will include episodes recorded live at the 2024 DEMA Show in Las Vegas. The premiere episode is a conversation with Howard and Michele Hall of Howard Hall Productions, creators of acclaimed marine wildlife and natural history films, including IMAX theatrical features.

DAN will release new episodes every two weeks. For more information about The DANcast, including the latest episodes and links to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and YouTube, visit DAN.org/Podcast.