Sri Lanka gets First-Ever Live Ship-to-Shore Deep-Sea Experience

The audience enjoying moments of deep sea capture by Asha de Vos

Dr. Asha de Vos 

The audience had the opportunity to virtually step aboard an active research vessel and experience deep sea exploration as it unfolded in real time

Oceanswell welcomed a full audience to the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka auditorium for an exclusive Ship-to-Shore event, connecting the audience live with Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) during Trinidad and Tobago’s first-ever locally-led deep sea expedition. 

The audience had the opportunity to virtually step aboard an active research vessel and experience deep sea exploration as it unfolded in real time. The live broadcast connected Colombo with Trinidad and Tobago, the Indian Ocean with the Atlantic, offering a rare glimpse into the science, technology, and teamwork behind the expedition. 

The evening began with Dr. Diva Amon, Shalanka Ranjula, and Eugenia Thomas introducing the expedition and taking participants on a virtual tour of the vessel. They shared what life is like aboard a research vessel, explained the goals of the expedition, and answered a wide range of questions from the audience. Participants also had the opportunity to meet Outreach Lead Alexander Havens, who paused from operating the livestream camera to answer technical questions about SuBastian, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used to explore the deep sea with a capacity to go to 4000 m. 

Deep sea discoveries

Following the live session, the programme returned home, where Dr. Asha de Vos shared highlights from her pioneering deep sea expedition in Sri Lanka. Her presentation featured her fascinating deep sea discoveries captured using the National Geographic deep sea camera system, a deep sea species collected from a recent expedition which prompted a conversation about the importance of continuous curiosity and observation, intriguing facts about anglerfish prompted by a creative anglerfish model made by students from Ladies’ College, Colombo, and an engaging discussion on threats facing the deep sea, including deep sea mining. The event concluded with an extended question-and-answer session, allowing participants to further explore the mysteries of the deep sea. 

The audience’s curiosity, thoughtful questions, and enthusiasm created lively discussions that continued even after the formal programme ended. As a memento, every attendee received a DEEP WONDERS sticker to ensure the night remained with them forever. Oceanswell extends its sincere gratitude to Schmidt Ocean Institute, SpeSeas, Dr. Diva Amon, Shalanka Ranjula, Eugenia Thomas and Alexander Havens for making this extraordinary experience possible and bringing the excitement of deep sea exploration live to Sri Lankan audiences for the very first time.