VideoRay Explores Cave in Yucatán, Site of Human Sacrifices

Underwater Robot Captures Video of Skulls and Strange Cave Life to Support Scientific Research for National Geographic

Printer-friendly version
Photos to accompany release

October 17, 2003 -- VideoRay announced today that Bob Christ and Marcus Kolb of VideoRay operated a VideoRay ROV (remotely operated vehicle) on a scientific mission featured in the October 2003 issue of National Geographic magazine and on nationalgeographic.com. The expedition explored sacred sinkholes, called Cenotes, in the Yucatán. The VideoRay entered several Cenotes in search of Maya artifacts and cave biology and found skeletons of victims who had been sacrificed in ancient times. Unlike divers, the 8-pound VideoRay traveled to depths up to 450 feet and could stay there indefinitely, gathering video, still pictures, and scientific readings.

Kolb, director of research and development, and Christ, field mission expert, spent two weeks in the jungle accompanying photographers and scientists. With the VideoRay, they reached depths and captured underwater photographs that might not be possible by divers; identified water conditions; observed isopods and other cave life; and explored tiny passages too small and dangerous for divers. Equipped with a Sony 5 mega pixel camera with a wide-angle adapter, the VideoRay took high-resolution photos of the sacred underwater caves.

Kolb described how he and Christ would lug the 70-pound (30 kilo) VideoRay equipment into the jungle each day, thankful it was much lighter than the SCUBA equipment the divers required. Then, Kolb and Christ would lower the VideoRay to a Cenote, start up the tiny generator, and stay for hours measuring water parameters and looking for cave biology. In Cenote Sabak Ha, Kolb recalls tying a chicken foot to the YSI sonde on the VideoRay, taking it to 450 feet, and waiting to see what marine life would appear. The YSI Sonde measured depth and thickness of the halocline, where fresh water meets salt water. The VideoRay continuously monitored dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature levels. The readings were recorded on a laptop connected to the VideoRay’s control box.

Live video from the VideoRay was sent to the dive supervisor at the surface. The VideoRay scoped out Cenotes before divers entered and provided a precautionary glimpse of underwater conditions. While divers were in more than 200-foot depths of the Cenote, the tiny yellow submersible accompanied them as a dive buddy would, capturing live video and documenting the exploration.

“ It was quite an experience to use all this high tech equipment by day and sleep in hammocks with barely a roof over us at night,” Kolb says.

See the full story from National Geographic at http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0310/feature4/zoom1.html and in the October 2003 issue on newsstands. High-resolution images captured by the VideoRay and other underwater cameras are available here on our website. General product photos are available here.

Contact VideoRay LLC • 400 Eagleview Blvd. • Exton, PA 19341 USA • Phone: (610) 458-3000 • FAX: (610) 458-3010 • www.videoray.com

### All brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.