This winter ('06-'07) will be the third year that I will be developing and testing my low cost bathymetric mapping system in the Caribbean.

During the first year that I used the system, I surveyed Trellis Bay, on the Eastern end of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

The second year, I mapped Rodney Bay Marina, part of Rodney Bay (both in St. Lucia), and most exetensively, Admiralty Bay of Bequia (the northern most of the Grenadines).

The Admiralty Bay survey made it obvious that bathymetry was not enough. I needed bottom catagorization and depth/thickness of sand where it exists.

The primary client is the cruising boat that is looking for a good place to anchor. Burying their anchor in sand is the only secure mooring method in this harbor.

This year, I will visually sample the bottom using a cable-connected underwater camera capable of going to 60 ft. The samples will be taken on a grid. Hopefully, the result will be a map of bottom classification.

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