Use of Technical Diving to Survey Forage Habitat of the Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Abstract

In 1998 the Honolulu Laboratory adopted technical diving to survey the forage habitat of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Working on the deep slopes (170-200 ft) of the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands divers collected data on the fish community and installed archival devices. The team was composed of NOAA and University of Hawaii scientists who received technical dive training from recreational contractors six months prior to the first operation. Deploying divers from ships in unprotected seas and tracking the dive team during their drift dives represented the primary operational hazards. Dive plan, equipment, and surface support were tailored to improve the scientists' ability to collect data. The operation was a joint venture with the U.S. Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit One. They provided a compact double-lock decompression chamber with support staff and oversaw on-site treatment contingencies. General methods and logistical constraints of this operation are detailed and future needs identified.