SCUBA AS A TOOL FOR SCIENTISTS 
by EUGENE kK. PARKER 
General Engineering Laboratory 
General Electric Company 
Schenectady, New York 
ABSTRACT 
Scientists opportunity to observe under- 
water environment "in situ" by use of scuba 
(self contained underwater breathing apparatus). 
The"Scuba Zone" encompasses: Air-water barrier 
through hyperbenthal, mesobenthal, hypobenthal 
to parahypobenthal stratas to a depth of 150 
feet. Description of scuba. Comparison with 
some other underwater observation and sampling 
devices. The Use of scuba by scientists. 
THE PAPER 
From the shoreline out to a depth of 50 
meters lies an area called the scuba zone. This 
is the zone accessible to the scuba (self- 
contained underwater breathing apparatus) diver. 
(Fig- 1 The Scuba Zone) 
For centuries man has waded the tidal pools 
and shallows. He has sailed the surface. He 
has probed into the water; raking, scratching, 
netting, and dredging up samples of underwater 
life and bottom. More recently he has invaded 
this domain in diving bells, suit and helmet 
rigs and underwater vehicles. None of these 
have permitted man to comfortably study the 
underwater ecology with an appreciable degree 
of ease or continuity. 
The advent of workable scuba has changed 
this picture. Instead of trudging on the 
bottom, or hanging suspended, man has almost 
attained the freedom of a fish. As yet his 
free diving range is limited to relatively 
shallow waters. Recent experiments with special 
scuba indicate that this range may someday 
extend to a thousand feet deep. (Hans 
Keller experiments) 
In this discussion we are concerned 
principally with diving at depths of twenty to 
fifty feet, occasionally to one hundred feet, 
and rarely to one hundred and fifty. 
Although skindiving has become as socially 
acceptable as golf, its acceptance by some 
scientists as a legitimate scientific medium 
has not grown proportionately. Many men of 
science have been deprived of the opportunity 
to make "in situ" examination and study of 
subjects within the "scuba zone". Sometimes 
this deprivation is because of real or assumed 
physical or psychological inability to use scuba. 
Occasionally it is because they feel scuba has 
little to offer. The purpose of this paper is 
to demonstrate the usefulmess of this medium 
for underwater scientific study. 
That the scuba zone is still a fertile area 
for scientific exploration is becoming more 
apparent. 
Willis Pequegnat, in his article "New World 
for Marine Biologists" (April 1961 Natural 
History) states: "During each descent into these 
shallow waters, we encountered more and more un- 
familiar species, especially among the rock 
inhabiting faunas. It soon became clear that 
we were investigating an almost untouched domain 
of the sea: untouched, not from lack of interest, 
but simply because of its previous inaccessi- 
bility." 
In underwater ecological problems many 
aspects of lymnology and similarly, of oceanog- 
raphy meet. The biology, geology, physics and 
chemistry are interrelated. Scuba permits 
otherwise land- and deck-bound scientists to 
study this interrelation. Studies of the inter- 
relation of currents, salinity, temperatures, 
subsurface topography, sedimentary deposits, 
fossils, and animal life are enhanced by 
personal underwater study. It may not be too 
far fetched to suggest that by actually insinu- 
ating oneself into this environment a better 
sympathy with these factors can be achieved. 
This could be likened to the entymologist 
observing insects in their natural habitat. 
At this juncture a capsule sketch of scuba 
diving equipment is helpful. 
There are two basic classifications of 
scuba: closed circuit and open circuit. The 
diver wearing closed circuit literally rebreathes 
a major part of his own exhalations. Exhaled 
breath is reconstituted by a chemical filter, a 
small amount of oxygen is added and the revital- 
ized mixture is rebreathed. A very small amount 
of excess exhausted air is dissipated into the 
water. Very little bubble trace can be discerned 
on the surface. This is one reason why under- 
water demolition teams use closed circuit scuba. 
The other reason is that several hours of 
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