On July 12th, we completed our 1000th dive using our self-designed, low-cost video system, the Azor drift-cam. Equipped with cameras and lights, this system serves as our eyes in the ocean's depths, guiding us and uncovering the hidden life it holds.

In just six years since its first deployment, the Azor Drift-Cam has visited all geomorphological structures in the Azores shallower than 1000 meters. During this time, we have gathered over 1000 hours of footage and covered more than 600 kilometers of the ocean seabed.

This milestone represents a major achievement not only for our team but for the scientific knowledge of this poorly understood environment. Using this system, we are proud to have developed one of the world’s most comprehensive datasets on the distribution of deep-sea benthic megafauna biodiversity.