Underwater Drone Hydrus Exposes Coral Loss at One of the World’s Southernmost Reefs

Using Hydrus, a micro hovering autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the teams conducted a detailed survey of the reef, capturing geo-referenced high-resolution imagery and 4K video in parallel. The data showed severe coral bleaching and fragmentation, laying bare a hidden yet escalating crisis at one of the world's southernmost reefs.

O2 Marine’s ambition lies in aiding businesses to accelerate efforts in marine environmental assessment and monitoring, marine fauna, and oceanography. This necessitates the use of advanced technology to collect data and insights for knowledge-sharing in a cost-effective way.

“To truly understand the extent of coral bleaching, we need high-resolution, spatially accurate data that captures both the scale and the fine detail of change beneath the surface,” said Claudio Del Deo, Co-Managing Director at O2 Marine.

The data gathered from Hydrus was used to generate a 3D digital twin of the Hall Bank seabed. The model revealed a barren seafloor filled with pale, lifeless corals, documenting the shrinking coral formations.