I’m based in San Francisco and getting ready to start a hobby project: systematically triaging California bathymetry for seafloor structures, then going out to confirm them with an ROV. Open to finding wrecks or whatever else is down there, with the goal of potentially (scuba) diving the interesting ones. Nearshore, cold/turbid conditions, working depths down to ~100m eventually.
I’m still early and trying to learn from people actually doing this rather than just reading spec sheets. A few things I’d value input on:
1. BlueROV2 Heavy vs. Chasing M2 Pro Max for this use case. I’m leaning toward the BlueROV2 for the open ecosystem, handling in current, and repairability/independence (I’ll be operating solo-ish and far from support). My hesitation: I’m comfortable with careful assembly but I’m not really a hardware/software person, and I want to be honest with myself about the ongoing software/setup/troubleshooting load. For those who’ve run both - or came to the BlueROV2 as a non-engineer - how did that actually go?
2. Sonar for target relocation in zero viz. Planning on a Cerulean Omniscan 450 FS (or possibly starting with a Ping360). For finding a vessel-sized target in murky water from a downline and driving to it, is the Omniscan the right call, and how has integration been on either platform?
3. Current + tether management on an exposed coast. Any hard-won lessons on working in current off a small boat with a clump-weight downline - realistic working radius, when it becomes untenable, tether-drag reality, etc.?
4. Bay Area folks / try-before-buy. Is anyone near SF/Monterey flying one of these regularly? I’d love to watch someone deploy/fly one, or connect with the local ROV community before I commit.
No rush on any of this — I’d rather learn slowly and correctly than buy the wrong thing fast. Happy to share how the project develops. Thanks in advance - this community’s openness is a big part of why the BlueROV2 path appeals in the first place!
I definitely think the Chasing ROVs are cool, but are more “toy” grade than professional tool. The primary limitation is repairability - if something goes wrong, you’re not able to fix it yourself, and may end up paying the vendor for repair, in addition to shipping cost and delays. The Chasing system is aimed more at general consumers, and so their user experience may be a touch more friendly / limited, but we’ve had middle and highschool students assemble and operate the BlueROV2 without any major issues!
The Omniscan FS is definitely a better fit for your application! If you installed two, you’d not only have better situational awareness, but limited position hold / tracking ability, which can be handy for navigating in poor visibility.
Live boating is quite tricky - you’ll need a boat pilot, tether handler, and ROV pilot to all coordinate. It is definitely easier if you can anchor or tie off to something! Following a weighted line down to your area of interest is definitely a good solution. I’d recommend 200m slim tether to reach 100m reliably, as this helps a lot with stronger currents!
I’m not sure about the Bay area, but @philparisi is doing lots of cool stuff with wrecks in the Seattle area!
I have a Chasing M2 Pro, I didn’t put it the water for a couple of years because I was switching/upgrading boat. When I did launch it, it failed right away, out of warranty plus out in the middle of nowhere, after time with customer service, diagnosed hardware issue, I opened unit up, discovered failed ESC board, it had a small corroded drop on circuit board, me thinks sweat (or tear )when assembled, no evidence of water ingress. have ordered new one. So self repair is possible. I won’t be back to civilization for a couple months to see if replacement part will work. I wish I would have bought a BlueRov , a little more money. I will upgrade to one in the future, the M2 will suit my needs for a while.
I’ve used the BR2 and Chasing (original yellow model, not the pro version). The Chasing is quick to set up and easy to use and teach others how to pilot it, but it suffered from CONSTANT thruster failures. The thrusters would sieze up, even if washed down with freshwater after the dives. I do not now how the updated Chasing models do with this.
The BR2 can be more customized. You can add sensors, cameras, other equipment, etc. Depending on your exact use case I highly recommend a tough laptop. These upgrades are relatively easy on the hardware/software side. its mostly plug and play. It is more difficult to get started with the BR2, but after you read the manual and understand the networking its fairly straightforward.
For finding vessel sized targets i would recommend the forward looking sonar. It will be so much clearer of what is in front of you. - shipwrecks give me the shits because there are typically lines and loops and stuff to get snagged on. I would not recommend using a clump in this scenario.
You can use a clump weight, it will help, you can give yourself like a 30m leash as a working radius without causing too much fuss. Communication with the captain of the boat is key not to cut the tether with the prop.
Unfortunately I cannot give you a demo with our older BR2. I had the chasing at my last job.
)when assembled, no evidence of water ingress. have ordered new one. So self repair is possible. I won’t be back to civilization for a couple months to see if replacement part will work. I wish I would have bought a BlueRov , a little more money. I will upgrade to one in the future, the M2 will suit my needs for a while.