The two OpenROVs went out to beautiful Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park this weekend with the intertidal research team and visited the new Santa Rosa Island Research Station. The team attempted to incorporate looking at the subtidal zone as well as intertidal monitoring. Due to gale force winds all weekend, the team experienced choppy conditions making for poor visibility in the water.
The ROVs did well until encountering the strong currents. Unfortunately the ROVs suffered from some damage, but both are on the mend. The team is currently conducting more aquatic testing to assess the health of the ROVs.
The MATE Pufferfish is almost complete and should be starting aquatic testing soon. 
To avoid further damage in the future from such conditions, the team has started to reinforce the chassis of the OpenROV with bracing, and also a main capsule strap too ensure the safety of the electronics.
