Their first stop was at the first drop-off 150 meters from the water’s edge. Professor Sciuto ordered the dock to stop and hold position as she instructed her students how to gather samples from the depths, "Samples may be taken at specific depths by using the attached stopper and attached calibrated line and a 900 gram weight. Simply lower the bottle to the sample depth. When the trip line is pulled, the sample collection bottle will begin to fill."