ATLANTIS researcher Robert Sarmast has launched a members section on his official website, where those interested in updates on his findings during last year’s expedition will have to pay $20 a month to receive information.

Sarmast, who returned to Cyprus earlier this month, is gearing up for a second expedition sometime this year to launch the ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle), a robot that goes down to the depths to capture real video footage and pictures of the structures he said he found through side-scan sonar last November.

The author of Discovery of Atlantis: The Startling Case for the Island of Cyprus, Sarmast believes he located the remains of the legendary civilisation during a much-publicised expedition late last year. He says his book was based on the writings of Plato.

Throughout his last expedition, Sarmast was publishing regular updates on his website discoveryofatlantis.com, but now he has decided to charge a monthly fee to those interested in his work.

His website says that due to an ever-increasing demand for more updates and information about the progress of the Atlantis project, it was decided to add a “member’s section” that would give interested parties “private access to the inner workings of Robert's day-to-day operations and a behind-the-scenes look at the Atlantis team as they approach the final leg of the discovery phase”.

“We will continue to inform the public about the major updates on this public updates page, but for those of you who are interested in knowing the behind-the-scenes stories and the more detailed accounts of our day-to-day progress, we have prepared a reserved section for member's only,” it says.

“We are heading toward the final stage of the discovery process and there is sure to be lots of exciting news, and we promise to inform you as much as possible about the progress. By becoming a subscribed member, you will enjoy exclusive breaking news, more detailed information, special audio and video files, high resolution animation files, and the first peek at the vestiges of Atlantis/Eden as they are released to the world.”

The fee-based membership is part of a drive by Sarmast to raise cash for the second expedition. Commenting on the disappointment of interested members of the public that the images from last year’s findings have not been published, his website says: “The images didn't come cheap and to share them with the public for free is not fair to those who have given so much for this to happen. We also need to utilise the sale of these scans of the seabed in a way that will ensure the required funding is made available for the second expedition.”