Triton Submarines, a world leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of manned submersibles, opened its doors again for the fifth annual ORCA Explorer’s Experience to benefit the Ocean Research and Conservation Association. Funds raised support the efforts of the nonprofit to protect our Indian River Lagoon, a vital estuary for ocean marine life. Cocktails in hand, guests wandered about viewing the impressive assortment of submersibles and watched videos taken from them of extraordinary creatures in the world’s deepest oceans. “This is a miraculous transformation. To turn this working submersible development floor into a party night in just 24 hours is a miracle every year,” said Edith (Edie) Widder, Ph.D., ORCA founder, CEO and senior scientist. She recalled making the first recordings of a live giant squid in its natural habitat aboard a Triton submersible in 2012. More recently, she discovered that by flashing a light outside the sub a couple of times, the underwater world flashes back. “It’s like the planet is talking to you,” said Widder. “I think this is important stuff. And we couldn’t have done it without the Triton submersibles.” Patrick Lahey, Triton CEO and co-founder, spoke about the various sized submersibles, including one that can carry up to 10 people, dive to 1,200 feet and even has a carbon fiber toilet. “It’s really an extraordinary sub and we’re hoping to put it back into service. And instead of it being sequestered on a private motor yacht, where only a handful of people in the world got a chance to see it, it will be available for anybody who would like to see what it’s like to dive in the deep sea,” said Lahey. “It would change your understanding of the ocean and your interest in the ocean if you made a dive in a machine like that. Because once you see the ocean from the perspective of a sub, if you weren’t an advocate, you’ll become one,” he added. Many of the subs are used for ocean research, including the Triton 3300/3, one of 10 that they’ve built, and which he called “a real workhorse for us.” It and numerous others have been used in the production of extraordinary documentary films, such as the Ocean Explorer series. During dinner, Missy Weiss, director of Citizen Science and Education, spoke about the work ORCA continues to undertake to protect the biologically diverse lagoon. Now in declining health, it has seen an increased frequency and intensity of harmful algal blooms, fish kills, massive decreases in sea grass, and massive manatee mortality. But, Weiss said, she has hope for the future because of organizations like ORCA that are using innovation, knowledge, science research, technology, and the power of the people. Their collected data is reliable and unbiased and can be used by stakeholders to drive political change and reverse the lagoon’s degradation. Before asking for support to continue ORCA programs and projects, Weiss related some of their accomplishments over the past year. Their real-time water monitoring network continues to expand spatially and analytically, and is now the largest real-time water monitoring network in the lagoon, if not the state. ORCA has completed the most comprehensive and largest ecotoxicity mapping project to date in the St. Sebastian River, providing invaluable data. Through their education department more than 30,000 students have learned about the importance of making data-driven decisions to become stewards of the lagoon. In 2024, their Citizen Science program had some 2,000 community members of all ages donate more than 8,500 hours of their time, from collecting water and soil sediments in the field to analyzing samples in the lab. For more information, visit TeamORCA.org or TritonSubs.com. <em>Photos by Joshua Kodis</em> [gallery ids="215813,215814,215815,215816,215817,215818,215819,215820,215821,215822,215823,215824,215825,215826,215827,215828,215829,215830,215831,215832,215833,215834,215835,215836,215837,215838,215839"]