Side-Scan Sonar
Towed or hull-mounted sonar that images seabed texture and objects sitting on it, rather than depth alone.
What It Produces
Produces a photograph-like acoustic image of the seabed surface — debris, wreckage, seagrass boundaries, and ghost nets show up as texture and shadow, not just elevation.
Where It Fits
Reads the surface, not what's beneath it — routinely paired with multibeam for depth and sub-bottom profiling for anything buried.
Deployed From
Run from the same 7m/9m platforms covered under Platforms, applied to subsea survey work and heritage and conservation missions alike — the technique doesn't change, only the purpose it's deployed for.
What is Side-Scan Sonar?
Towed or hull-mounted sonar that images seabed texture and objects sitting on it, rather than depth alone.
What does it produce?
Produces a photograph-like acoustic image of the seabed surface — debris, wreckage, seagrass boundaries, and ghost nets show up as texture and shadow, not just elevation.
What are its limits?
Reads the surface, not what's beneath it — routinely paired with multibeam for depth and sub-bottom profiling for anything buried.