Underwater drilling device and method for procuring drill cores of a bed of a body of water

A method for procuring at least one drill core of a bed of a body of water with an underwater drilling device, the method comprising:

• lowering a base frame of the underwater drilling device in the body of water for placement on the bed of the body of water,
• rotatably driving a drill string about a drilling axis with a drill drive, wherein the drill string includes at least one tubular drill string element and additionally at least one core barrel for receiving the at least one drill core is provided in the drill string, and
• storing at least one receiving container for the at least one drill core in storage that is spaced apart from the drilling axis, the at least one receiving container includes the at least one tubular drill string element that is closable with at least one receiving opening for introducing the at least one drill core,
• wherein
• the at least one tubular drill string element is used as the at least one receiving container, and
• the at least one drill core, once it has been removed from the drill string, is enclosed in a pressure-tight manner in the at least one receiving container on the base frame underwater by a closing device configured to close the at least one receiving opening of the at least one receiving container in the pressure-tight manner with a closure cap once the at least one drill core has been received.