An area of diving that has received extensive media coverage recently is underwater salvage and treasure hunting. Perhaps you've read of projects to raise the sunken Titanic and Andrea Doria from their watery North Atlantic graves, or to recover gold doubloons from Spanish galleys wrecked in the Caribbean. It should be noted, however, that few treasure-hunting projects ever raise the advance capital necessary for such a risky business, and of those that do get off the ground, only a few result in finds important enough to return the backers' investment.
Unromantically enough, in many cases the scrap value of a ship's hull and fittings may exceed any possible treasure value. Salvage divers find steady work more readily than their treasure-hunting counterparts. Nothing is wasted in the maritime field. When a ship is too old for commercial oceangoing use, it is often sold and refitted for inland waterways; twenty years later the same ship may be sold for scrap, even if it's lying beneath one thousand feet of water. Salvage divers with specialized training work at discovering and raising these ships.
Another underwater diving specialty receiving attention relates to research. That is utilizing underwater submersibles to obtain samples of marine organisms. Some individuals believe that the cure for many serious human diseases may be discovered in a marine plant or animal found deep in the ocean! Kim Reisenbichler serves as a senior research technician for Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). This organization, established in 1987, develops "state-of-the-art equipment, instrumentation, systems, and methods of scientific research in the deep waters of the ocean."
Kim credits his education for his position in such a valuable and interesting career. "I was introduced to oceanographic methodology while obtaining my A.A. degree at Fullerton College [California]. And I learned about biology, physiology, and some electronics while pursuing my B.A. and M.A. degrees at UC Santa Barbara." He strongly suggests, "For those who are contemplating entering this field, I cannot stress enough the need to gain practical experience." Kim has been a sport diving instructor and scientific diver for more than twenty years. He adds, "Good grades are essential--the thing that can set you apart from the pack is work experience along with good grades."
As one of those fortunate people who enjoy the beauty of nature under the sea while operating a remotely controlled vehicle and occasionally a manned submersible, Kim is the envy of many. He contributes to society through developing new sampling techniques for manned and remote vehicles.
California does not have a monopoly on the above activity; research activities take place in most waters of the globe. For example, Rutgers University operates LEO (Long-term Ecosystem Observatory) off the New Jersey coast. As part of this system, they operate an undersea robot, while the latter travels in a preprogrammed area to collect data. Speculation exists that someday one of these vehicles might be utilized to provide data from Europe, one of the moons of Jupiter that appears to have an ocean beneath its icy crust.
The twenty-first century will demand a wide variety of specialists from scientists to technicians as we look for the oceans to provide a sea of knowledge benefitting people and society.
SCHOOLS
Two examples of schools offering programs for those interested in working with diving vehicles are the College of Ocean engineering, and the Underwater Vehicle Training Center of the Professional School of Diving of New York. The former institution offers a course entitled, "Bell Diving." The program, which requires prerequisite diving course work and experience, covers "the disciplines of bell systems control; gas management; environmental control; communication; life support systems; decompression techniques; emergency procedures; and lock-out diving."
Located in Houston, Texas, the Underwater Vehicle Training Center offers a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) operator/ technician course. The program of 320 hours spaced over eight weeks exposes the student to a wide variety of training including handling systems, vehicle propulsion, navigation and positioning, photography piloting, and leak detection.
A number of schools offer wreck diving specialty programs. The YMCA course covers topics such as the following:
- ascending and exits
- charter boat etiquette and safety
- dive master duties
- emergency procedures for handling decompression sickness
- gearing up
- introduction to wreck diving
- life support equipment
- marine life inhabitants in and around wrecks
- motion sickness and diet
- preservation of artifacts
- rescue techniques and first aid
- review of hazards of deep diving
- state or federal laws on wreck salvage
- wreck conservation and collection of artifacts
- wreck-hunting techniques
Naturally, such a program requires good health and diving expertise as prerequisites to admission. In addition to classroom lectures, many of the courses involve dives at actual wreck sites.
Al Mikalow, director of the Coastal School of Deep Sea Diving in Oakland, California, reports that the commercial diving industry asks three things of a diver: Does the diver know how to use all kinds of equipment? Can the person handle many different kinds of commercial jobs? Can he or she perform these jobs under the most adverse conditions? At most schools the basic course is similar to that of the Divers Academy of the Eastern Seaboard in Camden, New Jersey.
Some underwater careers are glamorous--a photographer who records the beauty of the undersea world is the envy of us all. Similarly, skippers of charter boats that take people on day trips and those involved in undersea habitat research can justly claim to lead interesting lives. Likewise, undersea treasure hunters may strike it rich as they prowl the ocean's depths hoping to locate wrecks of sunken ships. However, not all diving is as romantic as you may imagine. One of the reasons for the high salaries in this field is the hazardous nature of the work. Divers often work in cold, murky waters as well as in beautiful blue seas. Several factors influence the success of your work--depth, visibility, current, temperature, and the state of the surface. Another factor worth considering is that it takes three to four times longer to complete a task underwater than it does on land!
Persons wishing to enter this profession have done so through on-the-job experience, training while in the Navy, or formal training programs. However, in recent years formal training has become the principal vehicle for entrance into the profession. The future outlook of diving looks good, particularly for those with complementary skills in other areas. In fact, a worldwide deficit of trained underwater technicians has been predicted as exploration of the oceans expands. Diving employment is also steady with industrial companies (particularly the oil companies), government agencies, and small businesses.
One of the most glamorous and exciting water-related careers is commercial diving; the world beneath the sea offers awesome opportunities.
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