It sounds like some Aussies are going for some deep-water submersible safari:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-12-22T023409Z_01_SYD209382_RTRUKOC_0_US-AUSTRALIA-MARINE.xml

Anyone know any details? The partner named in the article seems to be Justin Marshall (http://ilc00f.facbacs.uq.edu.au/VTHRC/ecovis/) at Queensland, who seems to have an unnatural, er, I mean healthy interest in ceph vision, among other good stuff...

And his book (http://www.amazon.com/Sensory-Processing-Aquatic-Environments-Bullock/dp/0387955275/sr=8-1/qid=1166759335/ref=sr_1_1/103-5244374-4345400?ie=UTF8&s=books) has a lot of familiar names (including Joe Kirschvink, who I sure wasn't expecting...)

I hope they will make a lot of video with the DOE and then air it on television. the Blue Planet episode (Animal Planet and BBC - The Deep) showed some great footage from one of these subs.

"Deep Australia" will search for the elusive giant squid that can grow to 20 meters, as well as pygmy blue whales and big sharks that are known to live in the deep ocean.

Hmmmmm. This is a rather unusual mammal to go chasing with a submersible.

Hmmmmm. This is a rather unusual mammal to go chasing with a submersible.

I've read the story and I think he was pulling names out of the air, or should I say the deep-sea. Kinda 'Insert charismatic megafauna here'. PSW seems an odd choice though.

I wonder how they're paying for it all?