Featured story

Stunning Whale Shark Video Captured by VideoRay ROV Near Offshore Platform - January 07, 2003

8-Pound ROV Gets into the Water Within Moments to Document 33-Foot Whale Shark Passing the Mustang Island 787 Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

VideoRay LLC today announced that its VideoRay ROV (remotely operated vehicle) was used to capture crisp underwater video of a Whale Shark in the Gulf of Mexico. The video was captured by Mark Miller, a research specialist who works for the Coastal Studies Institute of LSU, during a study of habitats off the Mustang Island 787 platform (MU787). Miller was working on a project funded by Minerals Management Services to perform fishery density and population surveys at working oil and gas platforms in the Gulf.

According to Miller, he was moving sonar transducers right before sunset when he saw the whale shark make a pass by the platform. Within three minutes as the whale shark made his second pass, Miller launched the VideoRay. During three more passes, Miller captured footage of 33-foot long whale shark – which Miller estimates was half the length of the platform. He gathered sixty-five seconds of footage in waters with forty to fifty feet of visibility.

“This footage would have been impossible to capture with our other ROV, which is heavy and takes a long time to get into the water,” says Miller. “The whale shark didn’t avoid the camera and the VideoRay didn’t seem to bother it at all. The VideoRay gave us the opportunity to document this unique animal, which has a living reef swimming around it.” Miller had tried to document the Whale Shark for six years.

VideoRay ROVs are used for underwater security and surveillance, search and rescue missions, wreck explorations, scientific research, and inspections of dams, culverts, piers, and other submerged structures. About the size of a boot box, the VideoRay is tethered and runs from a small generator, a car battery, or a standard wall socket. Its control box includes a joystick, bearing and depth readings, control of two 20-watt halogen lights, and tilt and focus of the high-resolution camera. The operator, located on a boat or land, watches a TV monitor to see the location of the VideoRay. The VideoRay can be equipped with scanning sonar, positioning systems, manipulators, GPS, sondes, and other instrumentation.

About VideoRay:
With more than 2,000 Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in service around the world, VideoRay has clearly become the global leader in Observation ROV technology. VideoRay is an extremely versatile, portable, affordable, and reliable solution for underwater operations including surveys, offshore inspections, search & recovery, homeland & port security, science & research, fish farming, and other unique applications in underwater environments. “Plug and play” technology allows you to quickly attach sensors and accessories in the field so you can successfully complete your mission. VideoRay is available on the General Services Administration.

Back to previous

PRESS

WHY VIDEORAY?

AFFORDABILITY

With ROVs starting under $10,000 (in the US), the cost is quickly justified when compared to commercial dive missions or funding the purchase, mobilization, staffing, and operation of larger ROVs.

PORTABILITY

One person can transport the tiny 8-pound sub, control box and tether. The Scout system weighs less than 70 pounds and packs neatly in one rolling Pelican case. All other systems fit in two Pelican cases that can be transported in a car trunk or helicopter, or checked as airline baggage.

USABILITY

Driving the VideoRay is similar to operating a video game. A specially trained ROV pilot is not needed. (In fact, kids raised on video games routinely put adults to shame piloting VideoRay.). VideoRay is equally at home with a search and rescue team as it is with a yacht owner enjoying live views of a coral reef in St. Thomas. Additional controls on advanced models include front camera focus and tilt, rear camera selection and automatic depth holding (see the product detail pages for complete lists of features and capabilities of each model).

SAFETY

Since VideoRay uses less than 500 watts of power, a car or marine battery with inverter, small gasoline generator, or any 100-240 VAC outlet powers the control box and submersible. The current running through the tether to the submersible is a comparatively safe 48 VDC, rather than the possibly lethal 360-plus VDC used by other ROVs. This makes it safe for divers to handle the submersible in the water, and for kids to swim with it in a pool.

REACH

Standard tether lengths vary by model, but additional neutral, negative, and positively buoyant tethers can be added to extend the overall reach of the VideoRay up to 1,100 feet. Tethers are available in a variety of lengths to meet the needs of particular water conditions or projects.