Mike St. Germain during decompression
Terrence utilizes oxygen during decompression
Typical Hatteras Conditions
August 15, 1999 – Chad Roberts, another Scientific Diver, arrived last night and was rotated in the team as a support diver today. The team assignments for today were:
- Captain, R/V Cape Fear – Dan Aspenleiter
- Principle Investigator – Dr. John Broadwater
- NOAA Historian – Jeff Johnston
- Diving Safety Officer – Dave Dinsmore
- Dive Supervisor – Dave Dinsmore
- Diving Medical Officer (DMO) – Michael Ott
- Dive Medical Technician (DMT)/On deck Standby Diver – Ken Johns
- Chase Boat Operator – Mike Smith
- Chamber Operator/Chase Boat Support Diver – Chris Cote
- In-water Support Diver (deep) – Chad Roberts
- In-water Support Diver (shallow) – Kyle Creamer
- Research Diver – Doug Kesling
- Research Diver – Mike St. Germain
- Research Diver – Terrence Tysall
The weather forecast for today was severe. They were calling for high winds, thunderstorms and heavy seas, so we anticipated not even leaving the dock this morning. However, when the sun came up, conditions looked very favorable, and we left the dock about 0700. The current was strong but seemed to be manageable when we got to the site, so we decided to go ahead with the dive. The team’s task for today was to begin the set up for the dredging around the turret. Large K cylinders filled with air will be staged near the turret on the bottom along with the dredge and the safety cylinders.
The conditions in the water were much more demanding than we had hoped. When the team decended below 80 feet they were met with a subsurface current that exceeded two knots. Needless to say, this made the deployment of the needed equipment much more “challenging.” To add to the bottom teams difficulty, the visibility below 160 feet was in the range of 0 – 5 feet. Doug Kesling led his team, and working together, they were able to get the equipment needed for dredging staged in the proper areas. Upon completing their in-water decompression, all personel were brought aboard the R/V Cape Fear and debriefed by the principle investigator Dr. John Broadwater. Once we reached the dock, all team members turned to and completed preparations for tomorrow’s activities in the sanctuary.
To check on the weather conditions, go to the National Weather Service web site.