Scuba and Hookah Diving 



Scuba and hookah diving equip- 

 ment is used at the tower to install ocean- 

 ographic instruments on the tower frame- 

 work and on a broad area of the surround- 

 ing sea floor. The tower is equipped with 

 an air-compressor system on the upper 

 deck. Air at 100 psi is routed through 

 high-pressure piping to the lower decks 

 for use with hookah and pneumatic de- 

 vices. Scuba tanks are filled ashore, 

 then transported to and stored on the 

 tower. 



Maintenance and repair of under- 

 water sensors, connectors, and moving 

 parts are undertaken by diving techni- 

 cians. Underwater maintenance of the 

 structure also requires the services of 

 diving personnel. This maintenance in- 

 cludes removal of marine fouling, in- 

 stallation and servicing of cathodic pro- 

 tection devices, and replacement of 

 protective materials. 



The divers have developed or 

 modified tools and equipments to facilitate 

 their operation. Pneumatic tools have 

 been redesigned to work underwater and 

 thus increase efficiency during mainten- 

 ance periods. Letters patent have been 

 issued for some of the unique devices 

 developed for use in the area around the 

 tower. 



Pneumatic chipping hammers, operated 

 on the same compressed air as the 

 hookah gear, are used to clean marine 

 organisms and other types of fouling 

 from the underwater portions of the 

 tower structure. Excessive fouling 

 adversely affects the normal flow of 

 ocean currents. 



Biologists are able to study the ecology of an ever- 

 changing community and contribute their findings to 

 the overall knowledge of the ocean. The collection 

 of delicate specimens such as this siphonophore 

 may be more carefully done by divers than with nets 

 lowered from the tower. 



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