August 4, 2010
Away we go!
Well we are all set – the crew is ready to go, we have all the equipment we need and we are counting down the days until we set sail on August 8.
We’ll be sailing the chartered Oceana Latitude, a 170 foot vessel capable of sailing in both shallow and deep waters, and adapted to serve as a diving platform – but our scientists have already started their preliminary work analysing the magnitude of the spill and its effects on marine life and habitats.
Xavier Pastor, Vice President of Oceana Europe is leading the Gulf of Mexico Expedition, joined by our scientists from both sides of the Atlantic – it’s going to be a huge endeavor, we’ve enlisted scientists, professional divers, underwater photographers and videographers AND will be using two ROVs (one is even capable of descending up to 3,280 feet and filming in high-definition).
We’ll be inviting media and others to take a look for themselves at the work we are doing so the public can understand the effect the spill is having under the surface and away from the beaches, the unseen areas.
Three more days to go! It’s going to be exciting!