Champagne Reef SCUBA Dive

During a day in port at Dominica, a group of Nautilus scientists went out for a mini-mission to explore the Champagne Reef. This reef is unique, featuring bubbling gas vents similar to the deep sea sites studied that explorers studied using MAPRs and ROVs weeks before. Several samples of bacteria mats and rocks were collected. 

SCUBA diving can be a tool for exploration, but it is limited in the depths which can be reached safely. Scientific SCUBA divers are allowed to dive as deep at 40 meters or 130 feet. ROV Hercules can dive as deep at 4000 meters or around 13,000 feet. Selecting the correct tool for the questions explorers want to answer is important to help gain the most new knowledge.