First thing to do...Explore the Lost Island!

The first phase of the project is simply to explore the dive site. The island of Ferdinandea reaches from about 300 meters deep to 8 meters deep at its peak. The rise of the underwater island stops near the surface, forming a large plateau at about 50 meters depth. The exploratory phase will last about a month and focus on an 8-square-mile area of the island that rises from 50 meters to 8 meters deep.
The plan is to divide the seamount in different areas, tracing the lines from the top get to the bottom of the plain, creating first vertical lines and then placing horizontal lines, so as to create rectangles of research consisting of lines left on the bottom of the posts using steel. Each sector will be numbered and located via GPS system, to allow us to create a map of the bottom. The creation of a detailed map of the seabed with GPS coordinates will allow us to georeference our scientific investigations and record the exact location of the samples we're going to take. The map will also be compared with the multibeam scan in order to add greater detail.
The first dive’s goal will be an overview of the area: before proceeding with the placement of the lines, we need to obtain a global view of the environment with which we are going to interact. In these exploratory dives documentation will be a fundamental part of our work. Through the images and videos that will be taken, we will make the first sketches on paper of the dive site, noting immediately the particulars of the bottom. Then we will move on to the creation of the sectors and then to the subdivision of the site. This stage is very delicate because GPS coordinates must be recorded for each individual sector, a task essential for the creation of the map search. The exploration team divers will then use reels and balls to split and place the grid. The permanent camp on the bottom will require divers to be able to accurately organize systematic research, and so it must provide them with a quick way to access to the different sectors. All in all, it will be a beautiful environment in which to work. These tasks will increase the capacity of every diver in the team and help them improve in the use of specific equipment such as reels and signaling balloons. Each dive will be documented through video and photos to allow us to fix any of our mistakes and further improve our abilities.

Good luck, GUE divers!

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