NEWS > ADVENTURE DIVER GIVES STARFISH THE THUMBS UP

Friday 10th July 2009

Adventure diver Ben Burville recently trialled Tritech's StarFish 450F Side Scan Sonar off the UK's North-East coast. Testing its performance, Ben scanned the seabed at the wreck site of the cargo ship SS Somali which sank under German fire in 1941 off Blyth. StarFish 450F is currently the smallest side scan tow fish on the market measuring less than 15 inches long. It has a unique shape that is optimally designed to move through the water whilst maintaining stability and consequently improving the quality of the seabed images.

Ben commented, "The kit is remarkably small! The StarFish 450F side scan sonar comes in a peli case and can be carried in one hand. I've used side scan sonar in the past and the tow 'fish' was more like a huge naval torpedo that needed two people to launch it! And the quality was inferior to the Starfish."

Starfish is easily powered from almost any source and comes with user friendly StarFish Scanline software; simply plug into a PC or laptop and play.

"The 'fish' itself is about a foot long and remarkably the power cable and feedback cable doubles as the towing cable." Ben said. "One end is attached to the fish and the other to the 'gizmo' software box with a simple connection. The only other thing needed is a laptop computer. It's very easy to set up; it's scanning the seabed as soon as you lower the fish into the water over the back of the boat."

"The images provided detail 50m either side of the boat at a depth of 25-30m. Metal shows up white (as it reflects the sonar waves) and different densities give different shades of colour; objects proud of the seabed leave a shadow. Images are divided into port and starboard as it moves forward. I used the StarFish over the SS Somali where it helped pin point the location of the ship's solid brass fire extinguishers.

"In summary, there are many undiscovered wrecks out there and this impressive bit of kit puts the latest side scan sonar technology into the budget of many dive clubs."

About Ben...

Ben Burville is a medical doctor with a passion for marine life and diving. Trained as an advanced diver and BSAC instructor with the BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club), Ben has been diving for over 20 years. Prior to studying medicine, Ben gained his BSc in Oceanography and Biology from Southampton University. His diving activities have taken him to many destinations including the Arctic, Caribbean and the Red Sea and he has been involved with several BBC productions as an underwater cameraman. Ben has enjoyed diving on numerous shipwrecks. For more about Ben, please visit his channel at www.youtube.com/bburville.