Scientific Diving

Exploring underwater environemnts by scuba diving provide essential advantageus for modern marine sciences. Researcher do not only obtain their scientific samples and data imperative for their work. The researcher's physical presence in the habitat of their research subject provides first-hand information on the specific environment, occurence of associated fauna and flora, and the chance to observe biotic interactions between organisms in situ.

Scientific diving is a powerful method for monitoring and analyzing marine and freshwater systems. This type of research allows the gathering of high-resolution data of targeted organisms and their associated fauna and flora. Working under water yields its own set of hazards. To reduce the risks of injuries and worse due to work with heavy equipment, zero-visibility, strong currents, entanglement, and dangerous marine life, scientific diving requires special training, proficiency, and continous practice of skills.

Being trained as an AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) Scientific Dive with a depth rating of 130 fsw (40 msw), TDI Technical Decompression and Trimix Diver, NSS-CDS/TDI/NAUI Cave Diver, and NAUI Master Diver provide the skills, proficiency, and mindset necessary to safely conduct research in various underwater environments.

Vacuuming the seafloor

The underwater vacuum, or airlift, allows the recovery of benthic sub-surface organisms and their remains. This custom built device uses compressed air to gently remove the sediment layer by layer without harming marine life.

Digging through sediments

This method allows the detection and recovering of benthic sub-surface organisms and their remains. This type of monitoring allows the coverage of relatively large areas in short time, especially when larger makroorganisms are targeted.

Quadrats

Quadrats promote high-resolution data collecting of larger and smaller benthic organisms which is the basis for their density assessments and ecological interpretations.

Transects

Transects are helpful and time-efficient tools for diversity and density assessments in situations where terrain, depth, research area, or accessibility render quadrats inefficient.

Deep wall research

Explorative research allows the assessment of diversity and health of various taxa in areas hardly accessible by other techniques.