Video Spotlight: A Real-Time Dive into Mendocino’s Kelp Forest

On August 21, 2019, the Marine Protected Area Collaborative, Reef Check California and Sofar Ocean Technologies took the public on an hour-long diving adventure in the North Coast! This was not a SCUBA dive, but instead, a Live-Dive with an underwater drone or Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)! In partnership with Zack Johnson from Sofar, North Coast Regional Manager, Tristin McHugh, narrated from shore and shared insight on species seen during the dive, and highlighted their importance as members of the kelp forest ecosystem. Viewers from home could ask questions about the kelp forest in the sidebar chat, and Tristin answered them accordingly in real-time! In addition, the live-dive allowed viewers to see the stark differences between a lush and productive kelp forest and a monospecific urchin barren. This dive was live, therefore when watching the video, don’t hesitate to skip through the pauses or “commercial” breaks.