Deep Ocean Expeditions

Submersibles could be exploring southern New Zealand waters within a year if discussions with interested parties went ahead, Deep Ocean Expeditions general manager Peter McDowell said yesterday.

Mr McDowell, of Australia, was at Bluff yesterday overseeing the loading of the company's $1.4 million submersible on to Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy.

The ship, which has transported tourists to sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctica for the past 10 years, had been chartered by the ocean exploring company to take 30 American, Canadian and Australian divers to Vanuatu, Mr McDowell said.

The Canadian-built two-man submersible would be used by the divers to explore the ocean around Vanuatu.

The submersible had a depth capability of 610m and travelled at more than 30m a minute.

Deep Ocean Expeditions submersibles have been used to explore and film the ocean and what it hides all over the world, including the doomed passenger liner Titanic and legendary German battleship Bismarck.

Now some New Zealand groups, including those in the southern New Zealand, had expressed interest in using submersibles to explore New Zealand waters, Mr McDowell said.

He declined to name the groups but said they could be underwater within a year if their plans went ahead. Interest had come from both those interested in fisheries research and filming, he said.

Overfishing and other effects on the oceans by humans meant there was "intense" interest in the world's oceans.

"Ninety-eight percent of the world's oceans are deep and people don't go into the deep. You can send down ROV's (remotely operated vehicles) but it's not the same as seeing it with your own eyes.

"It's like (outer) space in water.