Southern California is famed for its sunny weather and dramatic Pacific Ocean coastline. But from land, one might not realize that the rocky and rigid coastline has caused many shipwrecks throughout the course of history, many of which are undocumented.
Kevin Klemens, a United States Navy Veteran and marine technology enthusiast, has taken it upon himself to explore the underwater regions in search of uncharted shipwrecks. However, he’s not boating, snorkeling, or scuba diving as one might expect. He’s taking a much more efficient, cost-effective, and modern approach to the tasks at hand.
Utilizing the Blue Robotics BlueROV2, an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and a Microsoft Surface Pro with rugged xCase, Klemens can explore the vast coastline without ever leaving dry land. This allows him to “dive” in locations that might otherwise be dangerous or hard to get to by foot. The goal of his expeditions are to explore the uncharted portions of the Southern California inner-continental shelf and document any historic sites in the area.
To control the battery powered ROV, a Surface Pro is used to maneuver the underwater vessel and view the live video feed coming from the onboard HD video camera. Although the ROV is attached to a tether for emergencies or power loss, the video stream is vital to exploring the ocean in a safe fashion without harming or disturbing wildlife, plants, or fragile shipwrecks.
Protecting his powerful Surface tablet is a premium rugged case from MobileDemand. The protective shell is built to survive accidental bumps and drops which he may occasionally encounter when traveling up and down the coast. The rugged Surface case is also equipped with dual carrying straps to make it easy for Kevin to hold on to the device. The tablet ports are protected by rubber plugs, preventing blowing sand and water from potentially ruining the Surface tablet.
With the use of a rugged Surface Pro and the ROV, Kevin has discovered two uncharted shipwrecks and plans to expand his exploration ventures up the coast of California.