After a quick port stop, the R/V Endeavor is on its way to begin a side scan sonar mission in the Sea of Crete. Dwight Coleman writes, We left Iraklion at 2:00 pm today after a slight delay to get one of the ship's radars repaired. The weather is decent -- wind is 10 knots, and the sea is a little rolly. Not too bad.

The Immersion Presents team has arrived in Greece. We're joining a scientific expedition that has been going on for more than a month. During this part of the expedition, scientists will be studying the a volcanic eruption that happened about 3600 years ago on the Greek island of Thera. They will be using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) developed by the Institute for Exploration to look at volcanic materials on the seafloor. They want to understand better what happened during the ancient eruption.

Santorini is the modern name of the island of Thera. We are here to study an ancient volcanic eruption, but being here also gives us a chance to experience some of the sights and culture of this island.

Last night, the science team made a discovery that got everyone excited. While exploring the underwater volcano Kolumbo, northeast of Thera, they saw a very active field of hydrothermal vents. The video pictures from the ROV Argus revealed tall chimney structures with gasses bubbling out. At one point, the camera view was filled with bubbles! Around the vents, colorful bacterial mats covered the sea floor.