A world beneath the waves comes to life with the click of a mouse through a revolutionary exhibit exploring the Bay of Fundy.
“You actually feel like you’re underwater with us,” said Claire Goodwin, a research scientist with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.
Goodwin is at the helm of “Dive Deeper,” nearly six years in the making.
“A lot of people just wouldn’t realize what marine life we have down here, or be able to explore it for themselves,” said Goodwin.
Users can explore 3D maps and 360 degree videos of six areas of the Quoddy region, from Point Lepreau to Grand Manan, where flora and fauna flourish.
“Every inch is covered with different animal life,” said Goodwin. “So you’ve got sponges, you’ve got northern red anemones, you’ve got sea potatoes clustering on the seabed.”
From soaring sights of old sow -- the western hemisphere’s largest whirlpool -- to the dark depths below, curious creatures like the Atlantic wolfish lurk in the shadows, but through the safety of a screen.
“It’s a big fish that has really strong teeth. It feeds on crabs and mollusks and it can crunch them up,” said Goodwin. “It can produce antifreeze proteins in its blood to stop its blood freezing in our cold waters.”
Oceans cover two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, yet only 20 per cent of the seafloor has been meticulously mapped and photographed. Projects like this one take time and expertise.
“You’re working in a very challenging environment,” said Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark of Dalhousie University.
Harvey-Clark started diving 46 years ago. He led the film crew tasked with capturing 60 videos, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing.
“A lot of the time when we were there, we would have a slack tide period on the bottom of no more than about 15 or 20 minutes,” said Harvey-Clark. “And then the current would start to run, and a couple of times, it ran so hard – it just blew us right off the site.”
Digital underwater preservation projects like this might help protect our most mysterious and fragile ecosystems.
“By connecting people with the marine environment, we’re hoping to inspire them to want to conserve it,” said Goodwin.
Uncharted waters become familiar territory for anyone anywhere to explore.
