NOAA
Diving Program
March
1999 Featured Platform
NOAA
Diving Program
March
1999 Featured Platform
As
the nation's ocean science agency, NOAA has many programs that require
research below the ocean's surface. Underwater research and experiments
are conducted by NOAA scientists, engineers, and technicians who are trained
and certified to dive by the NOAA Diving
Program (NDP). NDP, under the auspices of Office of Marine and Aviation
Operations (OMAO), is responsible for overseeing and managing NOAA diving
personnel, equipment, and activities ensuring that all diving is performed
in a safe and efficient manner. NOAA divers work in waters throughout the
world in conditions that vary 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 deploy and retrieve scientific instruments,
document the behavior of fish and other marine animals, perform emergency
and routine ship repair and maintenance, assess the impact of man on the
environment, or locate and chart submerged objects.
NOAA
divers are currently assigned to OMAO, the National Weather Service, the
National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Ocean Service, and the
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. With more than 300 active divers,
NOAA has the largest complement of divers of any civilian Federal agency.
Averaging more than 9,000 dives per year, the NDP has consistently maintained
an excellent diving safety record. This safety record is due to three guiding
principles: 1) thorough training, 2) adherence to established standards
and procedures, and 3) use of top quality, well-maintained equipment. The
NDP provides the means and leadership required for adherence to these principles
through its numerous training programs, administrative procedures, and
standardized equipment distribution and maintenance program.
The NDP is headquartered at the NOAA Diving Center located at the NOAA Western Regional Center in Seattle, Washington. The Diving Center functions as the administrative support center and primary diver training facility for the NDP. Opened in 1989, the Center includes offices, a modern classroom with state-of-the-art audiovisual capability, dive equipment repair and storage areas, a training tank (30 feet high by 15 feet wide), and three fully-functional hyperbaric chambers (84", 60", 42" diameter). Gas systems consist of a low pressure air system for chamber operations and surface-supplied diving, plus high pressure air and Nitrox systems for scuba diving.
The NDP has established itself as a leading authority in the training of divers and diving-support personnel. A variety of training courses are offered that range in level from basic diving to advanced diving operations and Diver Medical Technician. NDP also trains other federal, state, and local government employees to become qualified divers. NDP is also the approving authority for the NOAA Diving Manual, which is known worldwide as one of the most authoritative resources for scientific and technical diving available today.
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