04/02/2026
NOR/ ECHO81 LLC recently had the privilege of working with Hudson River Community Sailing to survey their mooring fields in New York City.
As a result of the project, we were invited to speak with local high school students in their after-school program about careers in the marine survey industry, and the technology we use every day to map and understand the underwater world.
Last week, Marcus Kwasek joined them at their New York City location to talk about:
- What marine surveying is, and why it matters
- How sonar helps us “see” the seafloor
- The role of ocean currents, wind, and vessel dynamics
- How private industry supports critical maritime infrastructure
We also shared real-world tools used in active projects, including:
- ROVs for visual inspections
- Multibeam Echosounders for high-resolution bathymetry
- Side Scan Sonar for identifying objects and seabed features
- Magnetometers for detecting buried or ferrous targets
- Subbottom Profilers for understanding what lies beneath the seafloor
It was exciting to share how these technologies are helping teams rethink infrastructure challenges and make smarter, safer decisions about ports, mooring fields, and marine environments.
The best part? Hearing directly from the students afterward. Here are a few of their reflections:
“I found the scan of our mooring field pretty interesting because we got to find out things that affect us that we didn’t know about before.”
“I thought it was really cool how he explained how they get clear images of the sea floor … when there is low visibility.”
Moments like this are a reminder of why outreach and education matter. Introducing students to marine technology and real-world applications helps spark curiosity and opens doors to careers they may never have considered before.
Huge thanks to Hudson River Community Sailing for the opportunity and for the work they do connecting young people to the maritime world. Looking forward to more chances to support education through marine science and survey technology.
