A Navy Drone Found Something 8,200 Feet Deep — Then the Camera Got Closer

Six hours earlier, Elene had spotted a narrow opening beneath a rocky ledge and asked Mason for a closer view. “Can you get the camera under that?” she had asked. Mason studied the monitor. “Closer, yes. Under it, maybe not.” Elene had pushed him once more. “Just enough to see the back.” It was her first mission directing a Navy unmanned vehicle toward possible archaeological targets, and judging distance through its cameras was harder than she expected.

A cross-current suddenly shoved the tether sideways. An alarm sounded. Elene saw the thick cable sliding toward a narrow crack between two rocks. Mason reacted immediately. He did not reverse. Instead, he turned the vehicle, gave the tether slack, and let the current pull it clear. For several seconds, Elene could only watch, holding her breath. Then the cable lifted free.

“That was close,” she had said. Mason glanced at her. “You tell me what you need to see. I decide if we can get there.” Now, back in the present, Elene remembered those words. Mason looked at the dark returns ahead. “How close should I go?” She answered carefully. “As close as you think is safe.”