Expedition Antarctica took to the waters for a 50-day expedition across the Southern Ocean and beyond the icy continent. On board New Zealand’s research vessel RV Tangaroa, an international team used state-of-the-art technology to scan the seabed. The Aegis imaging system allowed scientists to capture fascinated images like nothing seen before.
While the mission is still ongoing, “The Secrets of Antarctica” documentary was released on YouTube in July revealing the amazing finds to date.
The narrator explained: “While the sea stays calm the team prepares to plunge into an alien world.
“For the first time, these scientists will get to see what’s down there courtesy of the deep-toned imaging system they call Aegis, custom-made for this type of deep-sea exploration.
“Its high-definition video and stills cameras will act as the team’s eyes and this high pressure, low-light environment.
“No one has actually field-tested the unit in such icy conditions before, but it’s too late to think about that now.”
The documentary then showed the scientists lowering the technology deep into the waters.
The narrator continued: “Like an explorer dispatched to a foreign world, the imaging system begins its fact-finding mission and scientists hold their breath.
“Nobody really knows what’s down here.
“To marine biologists, this is big, like the first Moonwalk.
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“Now they’ve seen the creatures on the video they want to get their hands on them.”
Later in the documentary, the team went one step further and trawled the depths of the sea.
One of the researchers was “blown out the water” by an unexplainable creature.
The voice-over explained: “Santa’s sack has delivered a special gift for Andrew.
“Snailfish are poorly understood and Andrew may have found a new species.
The sea holds a dizzying variety of fish to baffle and thrill marine biologists.
“Nature even saw fit to make about 115 species of Andrew’s snailfish.
“But, sometimes along comes the kind of discovery that blows biologists out of the water.”
