GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF OCEANS
NIGEL EATON, EDITOR

There's nothing wrong with thinking big - and in the diving world, things don't come much bigger than the Planet Ocean Society.

The brainchild of seasoned US diving entrepreneur Richard H Stewart, the society was launched in March last year with a $17m funding package. Its aim: to involve "all sectors of the ocean community from Rec to Tec in gathering and disseminating information to a global society with ocean interests encompassing the recreational, educational, environmental, scientific, bio-tech, exploration and commercial industries".

If that sounds a little abstract, consider the array of hardware already in place. Three substantial (200ft-plus) ocean research vessels have been purchased, with a fourth in the pipeline. The plan is to use them for "adventure research expeditions" - science and exploration projects which divers can join for weeks or months at a time, initially in the Caribbean. On-board facilities will, says Planet Ocean, include nitrox and trimix, closed-circuit rebreathers, bell and hardhat diving equipment, and hyperbaric chambers.

In addition, the first of a series of submersibles - to be stationed aboard the vessels and at various land-based sites - is now operational. These "Seamobiles" can take a pilot and one passenger in a spherical acrylic cabin to depths of 90m. And, having bought a 34-seat turbo-prop plane, the society has its own airline to provide easy transport to and from its vessels.

Could this be the beginning of a resurgence of interest in large-scale underwater exploration? The 1960s and '70s were the heyday of this activity. Coinciding with the high-profile exploration of space, they saw a host of pioneering underwater projects, ranging from mixed-gas trials (see The Atlantis Affair, page 85) to deep dives in submersibles and extensive experiments in underwater living.

But in the '80s (when, arguably, technology's imaginative thrust was turned away from exploring the natural world and towards enhancing the life of consumers) the mood changed, and projects either dwindled or were conducted beyond the public gaze.

Whether or not the character of the times is now switching again, and we are on the brink of a new age of underwater discovery, remains to be seen. However, in the case of the Planet Ocean Society the vision to investigate the many continuing mysteries of the underwater realm, to involve the non-expert in the process, and to communicate all this to the world at large through film and TV contracts, is undoubtedly strong.

More about the Planet Ocean Society can be found at www.planetoceansociety.com




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