What does planning for an underwater search really feel like? Searching the ocean isn’t as simple as looking out of a window or diving down to see what’s there. The ocean is vast, dark and incredibly deep. To search for it, we first send a ship out to sea — sometimes travelling for days or even weeks to reach the right location. From that ship, we use special underwater equipment and robotic vehicles to scan the seabed and take detailed images, which experts study carefully to look for clues.
I’m one of those experts! When I start planning a search, there’s always a mix of emotions. Some things we look for have only been missing for a short time… Others disappeared decades ago. But almost everything we search for has a human story behind it — families waiting for answers, people hoping for closure, or mysteries the world has never solved.
Knowing that makes the planning feel important. There’s pressure, of course - we want to find what we’re looking for - but there’s also a huge sense of purpose. Learning what happened, understanding the clues, and figuring out how to search is like piecing together a giant underwater puzzle. And when we finally help solve that mystery… It’s one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.
