Miami's Mystery Reefs

Mission:

OceanGate Expeditions will explore these mystery reefs and surrounding waters aboard Antipodes, a five-person research submarine. As a trained crew member, you have the rare opportunity to help discover historic shipwrecks, explore never-before-seen artificial reefs, and help collect information to aid scientific discovery.

• Take an active role in the operation of the submarine and surface support vessels
• Survey the condition of a variety of shipwrecks and capture sonar images of these undersea relics
• Document sea life inhabiting the reefs at a variety of depths
• Observe the behavior of native and invasive species in these deep water habitats

Each Mission Specialist spends a day in the OceanGate Ground School with submarine pilots and experts to master the skills necessary to be a member of the sub crew. Mission Specialists learn undersea communications, sonar operations, subsurface navigation, research procedures and undersea photography. At the conclusion of the Ground School, Mission Specialists are certified to perform one of these roles during a dive.

Guest Experts:

During this expedition, OceanGate Expeditions will host experts from local research and regulatory organizations including the Miami-Dade County Department of Permitting, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs (PERA) who manage the local artificial reef program that includes shipwrecks over 80 years old. Over the last 25 years, this program has deployed nearly 50 large vessels and other material to create a target rich area providing numerous opportunities to explore artificial reefs at a variety of depths and document the differences in habitat among old and new reefs.

"For many areas, information on the deep water benthic habitats is almost non existent. Recent explorations of deepwater areas off southeast Florida have documented extensive areas of benthic habitats, formed by sponges, soft corals and deep water hard corals. The extent that these communities exist off Miami-Dade is not known, and represent a significant information gap for local, state and federal resource managers tasked with protection of our benthic resources."

Mission Activities:

Day 1: Orientation and Ground School

• Meet the core crew for an expedition overview and mission brief.
• Begin Ground School to learn about the key systems of the submarine including life support and safety equipment, emergency procedures, sonar, and communications.
• Work with the submarine team to plan the dive and prepare the submarine and surface support vessel for the specific mission such as recharging batteries, resupplying life support supplies and calculating payload.
• Optional evening program with Guest Experts.

Day 2: Submarine Preparation and Exploration

• Assist the pilot with reviewing the pre-dive checklist.
• Assist with navigating and transporting the submarine and support vessels to the dive site.
• Descend to the dive target and execute the dive profile.
• Debrief with the team after the dive.

Please note: mission activities, dive locations and schedule are subject to change or cancellation at the discretion of the Expedition Leader to maintain the safety and comfort .