South Carolina Waters Expedition #1--Trident OpenROV Underwater Video On The Ashley River

After viewing the Trident OpenROV underwater video of our first exploratory practice expedition on the Ashley River, we were delightfully surprised to see it was more successful than we originally thought--the camera picks up what the eye does not.

With the wind, the current and the murky waters of the Ashley River, it was a real challenge for David Eslinger to maneuver the Trident into strategic positions for ideal images. Controlling the sensitive Trident takes a real knack and its smooth operation is an acquired skill that will only get better with experience.

We did learn the Ashley River bottom, especially around the docks in Bristol Marina, is quit barren and eerily foreboding--void of bright colors. There was no plant life to mention and the silty bottom is littered with abandoned shells and shiny objects.

The Ashley River's waters are thick with suspended particles catching a ride on the constantly moving current--to be expected of a tidal river where debris is constantly flowing in from Charleston Harbor and out from upstream runoff coming down from Dorchester. The hidden world beneath its shimmering surface is visibly cold-blooded in many ways--psychologically and metabolically, except for the occasional frolicking dolphin and rarely seen unhurried manatee.

Some of the more common species of fish that frequent these waters are the Atlantic croaker, southern flounder, striped mullet, red drum, spot fish and spotted seatrout. Although, we did not see any marine species around the docks, while cruising the river we did see some bottlenose dolphin.


Diabolically lurking in these waters is an menace of the microscopic kind, persistent organic pollutants. Previous Charleston studies found high levels of these pollutants in the areas visiting dolphins. Dolphins are considered a sentinel species for monitoring the health of the environment and signaling emerging public health issues.

The sunken sailboat, well, that was another story. Its mysteries for now remain hidden. Maybe, someday we will return when our skills have been honed more precisely to unlock its aging story.