NEWS

Friday, June 14, 2013

Introducing the World’s First Underwater Sculpture Gallery

Divers Institute of Technology

Scientists and environmentalists are not the only ones attempting to save the world’s rapidly disappearing underwater ecosystems. Renowned artist and dedicated conservationist, Jason deCaires Taylor, has been hard at work creating the world’s first series of underwater sculpture gardens. Taylor’s gardens not only serve as popular diving destinations, but are also home to hundreds of sea creatures struggling with climate change.

About the Garden

Taylor has created underwater sculpture gardens around the world in countries such as Mexico, Grenada, and the Bahamas. The gardens range in size from over six hundred sculptures to a few individual pieces. The depth of a particular garden also varies depending on its location.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Taylor’s gardens is the fact that they are environmentally friendly and often serve as artificial reefs. For instance, in one garden off the coast of Mexico, Taylor designed a concrete replica of a Volkswagen Beetle to house a variety of sea creatures. According to information on Taylor’s website, “One of the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they have lifted the pressure off natural reefs… By diverting attention to artificial reefs, natural reefs have now been given a greater chance to repair and to regenerate”.

Consider a Career in Commercial Diving

Ever considered a career in commercial diving? The Divers Institute of Technology can help you prepare for a globally marketable career in commercial diving or underwater welding in just seven months! For more information about commercial diving programs call us at 800-634-8377 or contact us online.

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Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Green Sea Turtle Swims Underwater Thanks to World’s First Dive Belt Built for Endangered Sea Creatures

Divers Institute of Technology

Ali, an endangered green sea turtle, is finally getting the chance to swim underwater for the first time in 11 years thanks to advances in diving equipment. Eleven years ago, Ali was struck by a boat causing an air bubble to form under her shell. Though Ali has recovered completely since the accident, the air bubble remains trapped under her shell and prevents her from completely submerging underwater.

The Solution

According to an article in Daily Mail UK, after hearing of Ali’s plight, researchers at Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park began developing a dive belt designed for sea creatures. According to Fiona Smith, a curator at the Sea Life Park, “The common thing to do is to stick weights to injured turtles’ shells to allow them to dive… Ali’s shell was in slightly worse condition because of her accident [so] it wasn’t that easy.” To solve the problem, the team brought the case to a nearby dive shop that then developed a unique design for Ali. They created a belt that operates in the same way as a human dive belt and comes with 2.5lbs of removable lead. The lead allows Ali to stay underwater, but is still light enough that she can surface when she chooses.

Ali Today

After a period of acclimating to the new harness, Ali managed to dive for the first time since her accident. While the dive belt is still experimental, the team hopes the “new invention will improve her quality of life. If the belt is successful it could pave the way for the other turtles.”

Consider a Career in Commercial Diving

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Friday, May 24, 2013

Costa Concordia Shipwreck Quadcopter Video Footage

Divers Institute of Technology

The 2012 Costa Concordia shipwreck resulted in one of the most expensive and complex ship salvage operations in history. Check out the breathtaking footage from the salvage operation as captured by quadcopters equipped with video cameras.

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

News Release – 15th Annual Maritime Career Day Exceeds Expectations

Divers Institute of Technology

SEATTLE – Approximately, more than 650 students and job seekers explored the wide array of maritime companies present at the 15th Annual Maritime Career Day hosted by the Friends of Maritime on May 7. This represents a 38 percent increase in attendance over last year, which organizers attribute to growing interest in family-wage maritime jobs.

Maritime Career Day, which kicked off this year’s Vigor Seattle Maritime Festival, offered a glimpse into the growing and varied maritime job market, one of the largest employment sectors in Washington State. Representatives from industries including trade, transportation, fishing and the public sector showcased their work to attendees. In addition, presenters such as the Divers Institute of Technology, Port of Seattle Police, Seattle Fire Station, Seattle Maritime Academy, Seattle Sea Scouts, and U.S. Coast Guard provided vessel tours and demonstrations.

“The event was a huge success. It allowed students and job seekers see what life might be like working aboard a ship, on the beach in shipyards, or in the offices of the many maritime companies operating in the Seattle area” noted Gary Stauffer, chair of the Friends of Maritime’s planning committee and President of the Youth Maritime Training Association. “Most of the businesses exhibiting at Career Day were accepting applications for entry level jobs and left impressed with the stack of applications from job seekers by the end of the day.”

“We had an overwhelming response to our participation in the event,” mentioned Kristian Uri, general manager at Fishermen’s Finest, one of the 31 companies and organizations that supported the event.

The maritime industry provides around 17,000 direct jobs and contributes about $10 billion to the economy. Seattle is the homeport to the U.S. North Pacific fishing fleet and Seattle is the point of entry for 50 percent of the seafood caught in the United States. Washington State is the most trade dependent state in the country.

Companies Present:

Alaskan Leader Fisheries
American Seafoods
Argosy Cruise
Bellingham Technical College
California Maritime Academy
Crowley Marine Services
Divers Institute and Technology
Fisherman’s Finest Inc.
Foss
Global Diving & Salvage Inc.
Harley Marine Services
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders
Northwest Marine Trade Association
Ocean Beauty Seafoods
Port of Seattle
Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society
Puget Sound Pilots
Safe Boats International
Sea Scouts/Yankee Clipper
Seattle Fire Department
Seattle Maritime Academy
Totem Ocean Trailer Express
Trident Seafoods
US Coast Guard
US Merchant Marine Academy
US Navy
US Seafoods
UW School of Oceanography
Vigor Industrial
Workboat Academy
YMTA

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Blue Holes Project

Divers Institute of Technology

Photo courtesy of National Geographic

The blue holes of the Bahamas are among the most mysterious regions on Earth. In addition to containing a sizeable portion of the world’s fresh drinking water, the holes are home to hundreds of unique marine ecosystems and provide unparalleled glimpses into the Earth’s history. According to an article by National Geographic, “They provide a window into the distant past, as the cave’s geological formations can be analyzed to reconstruct past climate and the unique water chemistry of the blue holes has preserved skeletal remains of Paleo-Indian as well as extinct and still living species.”

Goals of the Blue Holes Project

The Blue Holes Project began in 2008 as a collaboration between Expeditions Council grant recipient Kenny Broad, his team, and The National Museum of the Bahamas. According to the article, the project was intended as “a comprehensive exploration of the biological, geological and cultural characteristics of anchialine caves (marine groundwater caves called inland blue holes) and submarine caves (known as ocean blue holes) of the Bahamas.” In particular, Broad and his team hope the project will reveal more information about the region’s history, the rate of global sea rise, and the local impacts of global warming.

Great Risk Yields Great Rewards – The Dangers of Blue Hole Diving

Blue holes can form when rainwater permeates limestone to create inland aquifers that can reach depths of over 600 feet. As Broad’s team discovered firsthand, “These geologic reservoirs…contain a series of maze-like passageways going miles in many directions. These cave systems can transition from giant rooms to tiny holes that divers must remove all of their gear in order to squeeze through. To add to the challenge, currents reverse in the ocean caves, making timing of dives critical.” Nevertheless, Broad’s team has successfully gathered an impressive amount of data and breathtaking footage.

The Future of the Blue Holes

Unfortunately for the scientific community, many of the blue hole cave systems are threatened by Bahamas development projects. Broad’s team plans to hand over their data to the Bahamas Antiques, Monuments, and Museums Corporation for the purpose of creating a resource-management plan aimed at preserving the holes.

Working with the Government

The divers of Odyssey Marine Exploration who discovered the sunken ship were ecstatic to find about 240 tons of silver. Odyssey Marine Exploration was under a contract with the British government after finding out the ship’s true identity, which gave Odyssey 80% of the silver’s value, and the remaining 20% to the government. While the silver still belonged to the British, they were not in a position to spend the money or time retrieving it, but with help from Odyssey, both parties could benefit. Greg Stemm, the chief executive of Odyssey, pointed out that cargo recovery is a great way for governments to increase revenues. In situations like this, private companies risk their own money to recover the precious metals, and then split the profits. He said, “It doesn’t cost taxpayers a dollar and accrues right to the bottom line. Governments are waking up to the potential.”

The Recovery

So just how much of the treasure were the divers of Odyssey able to recover? Roughly 48 tons of silver, or about $38 million. The divers hauled 1,203 bars of silver, or 1.4 million ounces. This could be the largest and deepest precious metal recovery of all time. Odyssey Marine Exploration is hoping to eventually recover the remaining cargo. You can also see a video of the S.S. Gairsoppa here.

Consider a Career in Diving

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Monday, April 15, 2013

Diving Dangers Could Be Reduced With New Technology

Divers Institute of Technology

Diving Dangers

Diving dangers could be reduced using new technology that would allow divers to dive deeper and for a longer period of time. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a branch of the United States Department of Defense, has begun development on a new technology that has the potential to change the lives of divers.

Dangers for Divers

Professional divers are all too familiar with the risks associated with diving too deep and then surfacing too quickly. While underwater, divers inevitably absorb some air into their body tissues, which is a normal part of deep sea diving. However, a quick ascension to the surface of the water causes the gas to form bubbles in the body. This effect is commonly referred to as “the bends” or decompression sickness. Divers suffering from decompression sickness can experience disorientation, a chance of seizure, and in some cases, sudden death. Other side effects include the potential for joints to freeze up, almost as if they were paralyzed.

New Technology

Scientists in the Pentagon are working on new technology that would allow divers to go deeper for longer. This new technology involves hooking the divers up to sensors that read physical signs in the body as well as levels of gases, like nitric oxide, that help prevent diving sicknesses. If the levels get too low, the device knows to send more of the gas to the diver.

Who will use it?

The diving gear will be portable enough for a diver to carry, but sophisticated enough to be used by bomb-disposal crews and on special military operations. It will also be helpful for commercial divers who are working to uncover and extract deep sea oil, gas, and minerals. Although the project is still in the development stage, there is great promise for military, civilian, and commercial divers to benefit from this new technology.

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Monday, April 1, 2013

Grounded Warship Removed from Philippines Reef

Divers Institute of Technology

This month a 250-ton bow of a U.S warship, the USS Guardian, was removed from the Tubbataha Reef. The warship has been grounded on the reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Philippines, since January 17^th. While the exact cause of the grounding is being investigated, it is believed to have been caused by a map error that misplaced the reef’s location.

The Removal Process

Removing an entire U.S. warship from an environmentally protected reef is no small feat. To make the removal process manageable, the ship is being cut into four sections and will be removed one section at a time. Even this doesn’t fully solve the logistical problems because each of the four segments is estimated to weigh 250 tons. In order to divide the ship into the four segments, U.S Navy divers and contractors must first meticulously remove debris and clear a work path inside the ship. Once a path is cleared, chainsaws, reciprocating saws, and hydraulic tools are used to manually cut the hull. Eventually each piece will be cut and lifted onto a nearby ship by a large crane.

Progress and Aftermath

The removal seems to be going according schedule. With the help of Navy and contract divers both the bow and engine room of the ship have already been successfully removed. The entire vessel is scheduled to be removed by mid-April.

Unfortunately, the damage may have already been done. According to CNN, the Tubbataha Reef, “ is home to about 500 species of fish, 350 species of coral as well as whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and breeding seabirds… The Guardian is estimated to have damaged about 4,000 square meters (about 43,000 square feet) of the reef.” In response, the U.S. navy has pledged to investigate and mitigate the damage as much as possible and plans to “provide appropriate compensation for damage to the reef caused by the ship.”

Interested in a career in commercial diving or underwater welding? The Divers Institute of Technology (DIT) can help prepare your for a globally marketable career in just seven months. DIT is veteran-owned and veteran-operated, plus the Post 9/11 GI Bill will help veterans with tuition costs. Contact us today at 1.800.634.8377

*original article

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Deep Sea Diving History Made by James Cameron

Divers Institute of Technology

The Mariana Trench: Earth’s Final Frontier

Last year renowned filmmaker and National Geographic explorer James Cameron took deep sea diving to a whole new level. Cameron, famous for films such as Titanic and Avatar, successfully completed the deepest solo submarine dive in history. According to a National Geographic article Cameron was the “first human to reach the 6.8-mile-deep (11-kilometer-deep) undersea valley solo…Cameron arrived at the bottom with the tech to collect scientific data, specimens, and visions unthinkable in 1960, when the only other manned Challenger Deep dive took place”. However, Cameron’s record-breaking dive posed dangers to both the people and multi-million dollar equipment involved in the project leaving some to wonder why he took the financial risk. Image courtesy of National Geographic

The Importance of the Dive

The Mariana trench remains one of the most unexplored regions on the planet with only three people in history having ever reached the bottom. Before Cameron’s dive the most recent expedition took place in 1960 and since then there have been substantial improvements to audio, video, and scientific equipment. For Cameron, the dive’s true purpose was not publicity but rather to uncover the hidden secrets of the trench using new technological advancements. The article explains how during Cameron’s dive “3-D video cameras kept whirring…there is scientific value in getting stereo images because … you can determine the scale and distance of objects from stereo pairs that you can’t from 2-D images”. Image courtesy of the Huffington Post

Man vs. Machine

So why not just send a robotic vehicle? Manned subs can contribute more in the way of research benefits than ROVs. For one, humans are still more advanced than machines when it comes to quickly drawing conclusions about what we see around us. We are also better able to feel out a situation. For instance we are better at knowing when to turn lights on or off so as not to scare deep sea creatures or how to take samples without disrupting the environment.

Perhaps the most important reason to send a human instead of an ROV is because of the press associated with a manned dive. According to biologist Lisa Levin, “at a time of fast-shrinking funds for undersea research, ‘what scientists need is the public support to be able to continue exploration and research of the deep ocean’”. National Geographic hopes this dive will ignite a “Renaissance in deep sea exploration”.

Image courtesy of the Huffington Post

What Now?

Though the samples and footage from Cameron’s dive are still being analyzed, the dive is already beginning to shed light on the mysteries of the trench. Many never-before-seen animal species and microorganisms have already been identified and even more discoveries are expected to take place. Nevertheless, Cameron does not consider his work complete and he’s planning more dives in the near future.

Ever considered a career in commercial diving? The Divers Institute of Technology will help you get the training you need to pursue a career in commercial diving or underwater welding in just seven months. Want more information? Visit Diversinstitute.edu online or contact us at 1.800.634.8377.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

University of Michigan Divers Discover Prehistoric Wood in Lake Huron

Divers Institute of Technology

Video Courtesy of University of Michigan

“Massive New Fossil Discovery.” It conjures images of sun-baked researchers with tiny brushes on hands and knees in the middle of an unforgiving desert. But for a group of underwater divers from the University of Michigan it was the waters of Lake Huron that held a miraculous find.

With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UM Divers began exploring the depths of Lake Huron in search of relics they hoped could shed light on prehistoric North American societies. One of the most important objects discovered during the dive was an 8,900-year-old, 5 ½ ft. long piece of wood.

WHY ALL THE FUSS OVER AN ANCIENT LOG?

According to anthropologist John O’Shea, “This [8,900 years ago] was the stage when humans gradually shifted from hunting large mammals like mastodon and caribou to fishing, gathering and agriculture…But because most of the places in this area where prehistoric people lived are now under water, we don’t have good evidence of this important shift itself– just clues from before and after the change.” O’Shea hopes the analysis and data gathered from the wood will fill in yet another piece of the puzzle. And in all likelihood it will.

RECENT DISCOVERIES

The UM dives have been extremely successful. A notable 2009 dive uncovered stone features used by ancient hunters to herd caribou to slaughter. Improved carbon dating has helped reveal information about plant species that once lived in the region. The divers also found remnants of charcoal located near what appeared to be ancient camping sites. According to O’Shea, “Slowly, the environmental picture is filling in…There was a marsh close by this site. It seems we’re narrowing in on people, but of course forest fires could have created the charcoal as well as cooking fires. So we need to wait for the analyses to be sure about what we’ve got here.”

The team is excited by their recent discoveries and plan to launch more dives in the near future.

Ever considered a career in commercial diving? Divers Institute of Technology in Seattle offers world-class commercial diver programs designed to help you succeed. After just seven months you could become certified for a career in commercial diving or underwater welding. DIT is veteran-owned and veteran-operated and the Post 9/11 GI Bill will help veterans with tuition costs. Contact us today at 1.800.634.8377 or by going online to DiversInstitute.edu.

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Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding School

NEWS

About the Garden

Consider a Career in Commercial Diving

The Solution

Ali Today

Consider a Career in Commercial Diving

Goals of the Blue Holes Project

Great Risk Yields Great Rewards – The Dangers of Blue Hole Diving

The Future of the Blue Holes

Working with the Government

The Recovery

Consider a Career in Diving

Dangers for Divers

New Technology

Who will use it?

The Removal Process

Progress and Aftermath

The Mariana Trench: Earth’s Final Frontier

The Importance of the Dive

Man vs. Machine

What Now?

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