Help us upgrade the deep-sea camera that filmed the giant squid!

On a 15 day expedition, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to explore some of the deepest waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Edie Widder (CEO and Senior Scientist, ORCA) and Dr. Nathan Robinson (Director, Cape Eleuthera Institute) deployed a deep-sea camera that was specifically built in 2012 by ORCA to capture the first-ever footage of a giant squid in its natural habitat. This camera, called the MEDUSA, was outfitted with a far red light illumination that is invisible to most deep-sea inhabitants and an innovative electronic lure that imitates the bioluminescent burglar alarm display of a common deep-sea jellyfish. This technology allows us to lure in deep-sea life that would be scared away by the bright lights of other deep-sea cameras and allows us to gain a unique insights into the undisturbed behavior of deep-sea animals. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/19biolum/logs/jun20/jun20.html

Using the Medusa, we captured the first-ever footage of a giant squid in the waters of Japan in 2012 and we recently followed this up by recently recording a giant squid in the Gulf of Mexico. As we continue our plans to gain evermore insightful footage into the life-styles of these enigmatic animals, we are hoping to upgrade the MEDUSA to incorporate several new functions. With enough support, we can purchase a higher-resolution low-light color camera instead of the low-resolution black-and-white camera that the MEDUSA currently employs. We can also reduce the overall size of the camera platform, making it easier to deploy and increase the data transfer rate thus reducing the turn-around time and allowing for more deployments.

Make a donation to help us continue to conduct important deep sea research using this one-of-a-kind, unobtrusive deep sea camera system. Let's keep exploring!

ORCA the Ocean Research & Conservation Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non for profit dedicated to the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain through the development of innovative technologies and science-based conservation action.

At the Cape Eleuthera Institute, we combine cutting-edge research with educational and outreach initiatives to improve our understanding of marine ecosystems and to support a sustainable future for The Bahamas.