UCR Research Partnership

Undersea Hunter and the DeepSee submersible have enjoyed a longstanding partnership with the University of Costa Rica, and each year we donate a certain quantity of trips to UCR scientists to further their research. 

Each and every recreational submarine dive we take with passengers catalogs depths, temperatures and other info at various locations. We also record videos with a laser scale, which scientists can then freeze frame by frame, zooming in to count algae, particles in the water, etc. Analyzing years of this information creates a sort of virtual mosaic of the island’s underwater topography.

Such invaluable data enables scientists to track of the health of the deep waters surrounding Cocos Island, which would otherwise never be explored by human eyes. This research has been critical in identifying “new” species previously unknown to science.  For example in 2012 UCR scientists discovered a new family of soft corals they named Aquaumbridae. Its first new speices was named Aquaumbra klapferi, after Undersea Hunter co-founder Avi Klapfer.

Not only that, but each and every scuba dive performed above the Sea Hunter and Argo also contributes to a vast body of research. Every single time we hit the water, our guides take detailed biodiversity counts and estimates, recording variables like water temperature, currents and a slew of other metrics. This data has been compiled into several large-scale studies to assess the health of Cocos Island over time. (LINK TO JULIA BAUM STUDY). We are thrilled to announce that as of 2020, Undersea Hunter guests will also have the option to participate.