Your personal deep sea webcam

It is often said that we know less about our oceans that we do about the Moon but considering all the technology at our disposal this could very change in the years to come. To this end the Ocean Research Conservation Association (ORCA) has recently launched a new site that will let you spy in on one small section of the deep sea – 3,000 feet down.

The Eye-in-the-ocean is a 502-pound video camera that is a part of an underwater observatory operating in the deep ocean. The camera is one of many instruments powered by the Monterey Accelerated Research Station (MARS) that began operating last November. The giant metal pyramids shaped platform is connected to the shore by 32 miles of cables that pretty well serves as an electrical outlet for all the instruments.

Unfortunately they haven’t made the video viewer embeddable so you will have to visit the ORCA site to be able to spy in on the happenings 3,000 feet down. Just don’t expect any more exciting that you might see watching paint dry – oh wait .. what was that that just floated by??

[via Discovery Online]