Chapter VIII 



ADVANCING MAN-IN-THE-SEA 



New advances in undersea technology, engineering and biomedicine con- 

 tinue to expand the third dimension of man's activities in the ocean. Where 

 in the past our kno\vledge of the seas was hmited to surface-based observa- 

 tions, today we are taking steps to develop knowledge, technology, and 

 equipment to enable man to live and work usefully on the ocean floor for 

 extended periods. These advances result from new developments in saturation 

 diving and manned bottom habitats which free the diver from the restric- 

 tions of diving helmets, diving bells, and air compressors and allow him to 

 live and work below the surface unrestricted by surface weather effects and 

 the physiological problems of pressure change. Because these developments 

 open new opportunities for use of the ocean, Government, industry and uni- 

 versities are seeking individually and in concert to advance U.S. man-in-the- 

 sea programs. 



With new technology and automation why is man needed at all undersea? 

 The answer lies in the benefits his presence provides: advantages in his 

 maneuverability, compactness, agility, and flexibility; in his manipulative 

 skills and dexterity, visual perception, onsite observation; and chiefly, in his 

 integrative and decision-making ability. The fact that these advantages con- 

 stitute real benefits in part accounts for the rapid and continuing expansion 

 of diving today. 



Mounting Interest and Activity 



Each year increasing public and private investment is devoted to manned 

 diving operations, with the present total figure estimated at approximately 

 $486 million annually. Estimated current annual U.S. expenditures in July 

 1969 on man-in-the-sea are contained in table VIII-1. The Nation's industry 

 is increasingly using diving operations, particularly the oil industry which 

 employs divers to install, monitor, maintain, and repair offshore oil installa- 

 tions. Other commercial diving operations include conservation, construction, 

 salvage and safety. Man-in-the-sea observations contribute to fish habit 

 investigation programs, study and control of fishing gear, and the develop- 

 ment of new fishing concepts. 



A number of commercial firms have significant interests in di\ing. A 

 recent survey of some of the leading U.S. firms with significant investments 

 in diving identified 12 diving companies, 24 diving equipment supply 

 services, four recreational diving concerns, five diving equipment fabrica- 



105 



Man is increasing his capabilities to live and work 

 beneath the ocean's surface ; here an aquanaut checks 

 grid markers outside the Tektite I habitat. 



