A combination of wind, waves, and current forced us to cancel today's ROV dive.

A combination of wind, waves, and current forced us to cancel today's ROV dive. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2012. Download larger version (jpg, 874 KB).

Today, Mother Nature Isn't On Our Side
March 21, 2012

Unfortunately, we had to cancel plans for today's dive along the Florida Escarpment. A combination of a two-knot surface current from the northwest and opposing wind and waves from the southeast, put too much strain on the ship's dynamic positioning (DP) system. DP is required to hold the ship in a particular position during remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations. Though the ROV dive was cancelled, we quickly developed a plan to expand our mapping survey on the shelf. By early afternoon, the wind and seas calmed down.