WCS is announcing a unique opportunity for organizations working in ocean education, research, or conservation. In partnership with Sofar Ocean Technologies, a San Francisco-based company specializing in ocean exploration, WCS is opening a call for applications for organizations that would like to work with Sofar’s underwater drone, the Trident.  A limited number of Trident packages, consisting of the drone and essential accessories, will be made available as an in-kind grant to eligible organizations that apply through the process.

The Trident is a fast, agile, and portable underwater drone that can be used in fresh and/or salt water. Operators can use their phone or tablet to control the drone and stream live, full HD video from underwater straight to the device. As  a condition of accepting the in-kind grant from WCS, grantees will be asked to share the HD footage online via their social media platforms.

The opportunity is open to non-profit organizations, both in the United States and abroad, that seek to advance a mission of conservation, research, or education.

“We really want to reach organizations that share our commitment to conservation, especially those that work on a community level,” says Dana Tricarico, Program Officer with WCS’s Underwater Exploration program. “This is an incredible opportunity for these organizations to receive a tool that will support their work, and help promote it to a large audience online.”

The Trident comes with an underwater-optimized, with a full HD camera with low latency and 1080p video streaming and recording. It has an onboard rechargeable lithium batteries providing 3 to 4 hours of power to explore underwater and a topside unit to communicate wirelessly between the drone’s topside end of the tether and the Android controller.

In addition to the Trident drone, grantees will receive a 100m tether, wall charger, drone controller, and hard travel case. The grant-funded program will send the drone package to participating organizations at no cost to them, including shipping to US destinations and to port of entry outside the US. Interested organizations can fill out an easy online application that asks them to highlight their organization and project goals, as well as a plan to promote the drone footage on social media. 

For more information on how to apply to the WCS Underwater Exploration Program, visit https://marine.wcs.org/Underwater-Exploration.aspx

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