ARAWAK SYSTEM 95 



were paralleled, supplied plenty of gas. The vests were awkward to get into, and a tender 

 was definitely needed. 



Recommendations 



Smaller, neutrally buoyant (or slightly negative) hoses would be helpful, and the vest needs 

 some redesign. The regulator should not be so close under the chin, since ditching the rig 

 would be virtually impossible. The pumps were very noisy and need some sort of acoustical 

 shielding inside the Sealab. 



ARAWAK EVALUATION, TEAM 2 



General 



During the 13 diving days that the members of Team 2 were in Sealab 11, the two Arawaks 

 were used a total of 36 hours, or slightly more than 1/3 of the total diving time of some 98 

 hours 50 minutes. Individual use of the rigs varied widely from man to man, with ranges of 

 5 to 70 percent of total diving time being Arawak. Every aquanaut used these rigs from a low 

 of 18 minutes total to 10 hours 14 minutes total, with an average use of 3 hours 36 minutes 

 per man. 



Initially the Arawaks were used as a secondary or 'iDack-up" system to the Mark VI, but 

 more and more emphasis was placed on them each day. Most Arawak dives were very local, 

 being used for pot transfer and general maintenance work on or in immediate vicinity of the 

 habitat. No Arawak dives were made to distances greater than 50 ft. from the habitat due to 

 hose limitation. 



Advantages and Disadvantages 



Advantages of the Arawak included the ease and rapidity with which it could be made ready 

 for use. The unlimited gas supply and the safety of being tethered to the habitat gave the aqua- 

 nauts an additional feeling of security which was not felt using the Mark VI. The time and ef- 

 fort necessary for setting up a Mark VI for a dive was an additional strain on the aquanauts; 

 the Arawak was a welcome relief from this. 



Disadvantages were incurred using the two Arawaks, the most prominent of which was the 

 noise inside the diving- staging area while the pumps were running. This noise, plus the dis- 

 torted voices, made conversation nearly impossible in this area. In addition, the buoyant hose 

 had a tendency to pull the aquanaut up and back as he swam out from the habitat. This hose 

 tended to kink and also tended to snag on the transfer pots, which made it unsafe to use during 

 pot transfer. The limited range in which a diver using the Arawak could operate was the most 

 important factor governing their use. 



Recommendations 



Improvements should include a baffle system so the pumps could be run and not interfere 

 with conversation. Hoses should be neutrally buoyant so they won't kink; and a safe, quick- 

 release system should be incorporated into the harness. The quick release is necessary due 

 to the chance that a diver, in an emergency, would have his hose snag while swimming back to 

 the habitat. 



ARAWAK EVALUATION, TEAM 3 

 General 



Use of the Arawak varied from at least one dive for all members to 12 dives for one 

 member. Team average was three dives. The Arawak was used a total of 84 hours. 



