AUV Sirius (IMOS Platform code: SIRIUS) undertook a series of trials were undertaken in collaboration with scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to assess benthic habitats off the Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia in May, 2007.
These trials were aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of using an AUV for conducting biodiversity assessment in waters beyond diver depths. The particular focus of these deployments was on documenting sponge habitats in 40m to 80m depths and in exploring canyons in depths of up to 250m.
The dive reports from this campaign summarise AUV activity during each dive. Data for this campaign will soon be available.