NOAA DIVING PROGRAM

October 31, 2006 — As an agency whose mission encompasses ocean and coastal research, one of NOAA's greatest assets is the NOAA Diving Program, headquartered at the NOAA Dive Center in Seattle, Wash.

The NOAA Diving Program falls under the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and is responsible for training, equipping and certifying commissioned officers, scientists, engineers and technicians to perform the variety of tasks carried out underwater to support NOAA's mission. With more than 500 active divers, NOAA has the largest complement of divers of any civilian federal agency. In addition, NOAA's reputation as a leader in diving and safety training has led to frequent requests from other governmental and state agencies to participate in NOAA dive training courses.

NOAA divers work throughout the oceans and inland waters of the world in conditions varying from the crystal clear water of a pristine marine sanctuary to the murky and polluted water of a congested harbor. On any given day, NOAA divers may be seen deploying and retrieving scientific instruments, documenting the behavior of fish and other marine animals, performing emergency and routine ship repair and maintenance, assessing the impact of man on the environment, and locating and charting submerged objects. Recent projects include, diving to study black coral species in Hawaii, surveying the wreck of a submerged B-29 bomber in Lake Mead, Nev. (in conjunction with the National Park Service), and documenting the spread of the invasive Lionfish off the coast of North Carolina, all utilizing technical dive techniques. National Ocean Service divers recently cleared a shipwreck in Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary of dangerous derelict fishing gear, making the wreck safe not only to recreational divers, but also to indigenous species of the sanctuary. The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service divers have studied the eating habits of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, even lifting up rocks under which the seals have foraged to see what was on the menu for that day and deploying “electric rocks” that track the frequency of seal feeding activities. Such "up close and personal" observations are not possible when using other methodologies, such as remotely operated vehicles.

The NOAA Diving Program is responsible for overseeing and managing all NOAA diving personnel, equipment and activities, and ensuring that all diving is performed in a safe and efficient manner. The NOAA Diving Program, the NOAA Diving Safety Board, and the NOAA Diving Medical Review Board all work together to accomplish these objectives and to ensure the availability of properly trained divers to meet NOAA's data acquisition and vessel support requirements.

Safety Comes First
The NOAA Diving Program averages more than 14,000 dives per year, while consistently maintaining an excellent diving safety record. This safety record is due to three guiding principles: training, adherence to established standards and procedures, and use of top-quality, well-maintained equipment. The NOAA Diving Program provides the means and leadership for adherence to these principles through its numerous training programs, administrative procedures and Standardized Equipment Program (SEP). The SEP issues, maintains, tests and tracks all NOAA diving equipment. Since its implementation in 1989, the program has increased diver safety significantly and there are currently 417 participants in the program.

NOAA Diving Center
The NOAA Diving Center functions as the administrative headquarters for the NOAA Diving Program and serves as the primary training facility within NOAA for diving and hyperbaric chamber operations.

Opened in 1989, the Center includes administrative offices, a modern classroom with full audiovisual capability, dive equipment repair and storage areas, a 40,000 gallon training tank (30 feet high by 15 feet wide), and three fully-functional hyperbaric chambers (80", 60", 42" diameter). Gas systems consist of a low-pressure air system for support of chamber operations and surface-supplied diving, plus high pressure air and Nitrox systems for scuba diving. The NOAA Diving Center also staffs and supports two fully self-sufficient containerized chamber systems for use on NOAA vessels or in shore based operations conducting diving in remote areas.

An L-shaped staging pier partially encloses a 30-foot deep training basin in Lake Washington, with deeper depths (greater than 200 feet) located within one mile of the Center, and salt-water diving in the Puget sound nearby, providing excellent facilities for open-water training of divers.
For nearly 50 years, NOAA and its predecessor agencies have been engaged in undersea research. Many of the lessons learned and technologies developed during this time have been adopted by the recreational, scientific and military diving communities, thus benefiting divers everywhere.

The experience of seasoned NOAA divers is reflected through their significant contributions to the NOAA Diving Manual, a comprehensive reference specifically designed for the diving professional. The manual was first written in 1975; and the fourth edition is currently available. The diversity of the manual ranges from polluted water diving procedures to saturation and underwater habitat diving.

This invaluable aid is available to divers through the National Technical Information Service Web site at http://www.ntis.gov/product/noaadive.htm, or by contacting Best Publishing Company, 2355 North Steves Blvd., P.O. Box 30100, Flagstaff, Arizona 86003; Tel: (800) 468-1055, ext. 10, or (520) 527-1055; Fax: (520) 526-0370; E-mail: divebooks@bestpub.com

For more information visit NDP's Web site at http://www.ndc.noaa.gov or contact Jeanne G. Kouhestani, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, (301) 713-3431 ext. 220.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Diving Program

NOAA Diving Program Video

NOAA Dive Page

NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations

NOAA National Undersea Research Program (NURP)

NOAA's AQUARIUS

NOAA MAKES SPLASH WITH NEW DIVING MANUAL

NOAA DIVING PROGRAM

NOAA Diving Program: March 1999 Featured Platform

Advancing Diving Technology

Media Contact:
Jeanne G. Kouhestani, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, (301) 713-3431 ext. 220