What would you like to find today?

As a special introductory promotion, In Depth Consulting is contracting out sidescan sonar surveying to individual scuba centers, dive clubs, charter boats and dive resorts and offering a very special deal that you'll see is too good to pass up. You see, we want to get to know divers all around the world and what better way to do it than by helping them find new and exciting dive sites in their own local areas.

If you are a the owner of a dive center or charter operation, you know how much a good dive site is worth in revenue over a period of time. Don't divers pay good money to have you take them to a really great wreck or reef? Some sites are incredibly vast and offer divers many many opportunities before the site starts to get old. Others might get a little boring after the 10th or 20th or 50th dive. Many operations lead tours to the same sites over and over again and let's face it, diver attendance is eventually going to suffer. Wouldn't it generate more repeat business to have exciting new sites to choose from? Wouldn't new sites lead to enhanced diver satisfaction? If we could show you a way you might find some new sites (and who knows, maybe even a new wreck or two!) and do this at a very low or even NO cost, wouldn't it make sense to conduct a new dive site survey? Of course it would. If you haven't already checked out some of our sample images, click here to see just a few examples of objects that may lie waiting to be discovered in your local area.

Perhaps you're thinking, "Well we already go looking for new dive sites once in a while with our depth finder or forward scanning sonar. Why would we want a sidescan sonar survey?"

Our response: Well, the use of depth sounders, fishfinders and forward sweeping sonars are all legitimate and at times very effective means of locating objects or formations underwater. The limiting factor lies in the way these devices function. These types of instruments more or less scan to a POINT directly beneath the boat to form a LINE as the boat moves forward through the water. (Some fishfinders' scanning area forms a small cone, but any bottom area covered is still very small) In other words, to find something on the bottom, you would have to pass almost directly over it! Our sidescan sonar scans perpendicular to the path of the boat in what is basically a line, so as the boat moves forward through the water an entire AREA is imaged. And we mean IMAGED. Sometimes it's hard to believe that you're not looking at a photograph with the images our system is capable of generating.

Also, how long does it take to investigate every bump that shows up in your depth finder display? With one of our surveys, you'll have a pretty good idea of what you're diving on before you ever hit the water. And in terms of time savings, let us give you the following example. At our minimal range setting, we image a width (called a swath) of 100 meters. This is equivalent to the length of a football field. We'll also be moving through the water at up to about 5kts, meaning we can accurately image an area equivalent to over 2 FOOTBALL FIELDS per minute at our most sensitive range setting. Normally we'll be operating at at least twice that range setting. Imagine the amount of area we can image for you in 4 hours, our typical scanning day! Bet your depth finder has sidescan envy now...

Another assumption some automatically make is "We can't afford it."

Our response: If the example above doesn't make you realize how much time and money you can save in your dive site searches, while maximizing your productivity in the investigation of new sites, we've got one even better for you. We can show you a way that you can have us do a two day survey at little or no cost to you. NOW would we get your attention and interest?!

What we do is conduct an "Introduction to Sidescan Sonar" course at your facility the evening before the survey. Participants are educated on the concept and workings of sidescan systems and introduced to sonar surveying techniques. These people are then eligible to participate in the next day's survey and gain actual hands on experience. We suggest offering the participants "Right of First Dive" or some such additional incentive for any newly discovered sites. You market the course and keep a portion of the tuition. This can help defray the cost of the survey. We take care of the teaching and provide your people with a great learning experience which is not only informative, but fun. Everybody wins!

Concern: "What if we do not find anything? Then won't the survey just be a waste of money?"

Our response: Definitely NOT! Of course, we cannot guarantee what will be found on your survey. It's possible that we will uncover many interesting new sites, or there is the possibility that we may not find any new areas you would be interested in diving. As in many areas of life, reality is probably somewhere in the middle. One of the suggestions we make to our clients is to first image some known sites. This serves several purposes. First it helps acquaint you with sonar images to be able to view a familiar target. Also, even if no other locations you are interested in turn up, you will still have data that can be used for marketing and promotions, enhanced dive site briefings and products such as underwater slates featuring actual images of dive sites which you can sell for profit to your customers.

Yet another argument: "I'm stubborn and old fashioned. I don't understand any of this newfangled scansonar sideways stuff and I'm happy diving the same ten sites that I have been diving for 15 years."

Our response: Uhhhh.....

For more information, or to discuss a specific project and cost, please contact us.