The Smithsonian Institution
Scientific Diving Program

by Michael A. Lang, NAUI #5879IT

The SDP was established in 1972 and substantially revised in 1988 to support scientific research and control diving activities conducted under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. Under this system, compliance with the occupational safety and health administration’s (OSHA) scientific diving exemption from commercial diving regulations is ensured.

The purpose of the SDP is to ensure that research objectives are met through scientific diving conducted in a manner that will help protect divers from accidental occupational injury and illness, and to set forth regulations and standards for training, certification and equipment maintenance that allow a working reciprocity between the Smithsonian and other organizations involved in scientific diving. Any diving operations that the Institution controls because of the use of its equipment, locations selected, or relationship with the individuals concerned is subject to Smithsonian auspices. Diving without a current, validated Smithsonian Scientific Diver card and dive plan, reviewed and approved by the Smithsonian Scientific Diving Officers (six), is not permitted. Specific policies and regulations under which the SDP operates are described in the Smithsonian Institution Scientific Diving Safety Handbook (SD 120), 2nd ed. Feb 23, 1993). The Scientific Diving Program is directed by the Scientific Diving Officer, in coordination with the Smithsonian Institution Scientific Diving Control Board (SDCB). The Board is a formally constituted body of scientific divers that has responsibility for diver certification, diving policy and operations and, with the Assistant Provost for Science, the oversight and administration of the program. The SDCB is composed of nine voting members” the SDO and eight scientists who are appointed by their respective Directors for a three-year term. The non-voting advisors include the Assistant Provost for Science and representative from the Office of General Counsel and an advisor in hyperbaric medicine. One Assistant SDO and six Bureau Diving Officers oversee scientific diving activities at their Bureaus and report to the SDO.

The Smithsonian Institution is, among 44 other research institutions and universities, an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS). The academy represents approximately 3000 diving scientists nationwide, and promulgates national, peer-reviewed standards for the certification and operation of scientific diving programs. These standards apply to institutions with scientific diving programs that are in turn responsible for the training and certification of their research staff. The Smithsonian is also a NAUI Accredited Educational Institution and a corporate sponsor of the Divers Alert Network, DAN.

Regulations:
The Department of Labor’s OSHA regulates commercial diving and scientific diving (29 CFR Part 1910 - Sub-part T), and recognizes the AAUS as the representative body of the scientific diving Community. OSHA regulations for scientific diving apply whenever an employer-employee relationship exists. A Diving Control Board composed of active diving scientists and a diving safety manual covering diving procedures are the key components of a scientific diving program. A scientific diver is a scientist or scientist-in-training who uses scuba as a tool to gather scientific data. “Scientific diving” means diving performed solely as a necessary part of a scientific, research, or educational activity by employees whose sole purpose for diving is a perform scientific research tasks.

Certifications and Operations
The operating window for scientific diving has historically been zero to 190 feet of salt water (fsw) on compressed air with open circuit scuba. This history spans over 40 years, approximately one million scientific dives, and can be traced to the original diving program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1952. The Smithsonian scientific diver certification is contingent upon performance of an initial diving medical examination (chest x-ray, pulmonary function study, blood tests, stress test and EKG, audiometry and vision tests), followed by interval examinations every three years (every two years after 40 years of age); annual scuba equipment inspection and maintenance is required, as is current training in CPR, diving first aid and oxygen administration. Maintenance of certification is contingent upon logging 12 dives per year, at least one every six months, and two dives to the depth of certification. The SDO approves dive plans prior to diving and reviews diving log sheets after each scientific diving expedition or quarterly at the latest. A separate detailed report must be filed immediately for any accident or equipment failures. The US Navy tables have been used very successfully, as have dive computers in the last ten years. Decompression diving on air is authorized by the SDP on a case by case basis after the scientific divers have received specialized training.

Lang and Vann (1992) stated “Currently, the risk of decompression illness in the US is estimated at 1-2 incidents per 1000 - 2000 dives for the commercial diving sector, two incidents per 10,000 dives for recreational diving activities and one incident per 100,000 dives for the scientific diving community.” This excellent safety record in the scientific diving community can be partially attributed to the above mentioned control and to a progressive depth certification process (30’, 60’, 100’, 130’, 150’, 190’). By the time a 130’ certification is approved, the scientific diver has logged 32 dives under supervision. Certification also requires thorough, initial, entry level training (100 hour course with 12 open water dives, resulting in 30’ certification.) This is an authorization to begin learning to dive with other, experienced scientific diver. Lang and Egstrom (1990) summarized “it has long been the position of the AAUS that the ultimate responsibility of diver safety rests with the individual diver.” This philosophy mandates conservative diver training programs and cautious performance of scientific diving activities. Since January, 1990 the SDP has published two editions of the Smithsonian Scientific Diving Safety Manual; supported and supervised scientific diving projects from research vessels and field stations around the world; authorized 396 scientists to dive under Smithsonian auspices; logged 20,430 incident-free scientific dives; conducted numerous entry-level, specialty and advanced scientific diving courses; organized first governmental scientific diving program conference at Smithsonian to co-ordinate diving activities and enhance mutual recognition of diving certifications within the federal government; completed “Research Vessel Scientific Diving Safety Project” with National Science Foundation support; and conducted and published proceedings of several AAUS workshops.

Future Projects
The focus of the 16th annual AAUS Scientific Diving Symposium, Oct. 10-13 1996 will be on Methods and Techniques of Underwater Research. The SDP will host this event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Its location will attract participation from universities, NGO’s, Smithsonian scientific divers, governmental agencies and the local diving public. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo Amazonia Exhibit and the National Museum of Natural History’s Marine Hall will allow symposium participants to interact in a less formal atmosphere. The International Coral Reef Symposium has become the single most important meeting for scientists, students, conservationists, resource managers and governmental representatives to discuss the major issue affecting the functioning, preservation, and development of coral reef systems worldwide. The 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, June 24-29, 1996 was hosted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Universidad of Panama. This symposium attracted an estimated 1200 participants from 74 countries who discussed scientific, economic, environmental and conservation issues relevant to the world’s coral reef systems which each year attract thousands of tourists, and divers. DEMA’s Ocean Futures Foundations has supported and become an official sponsor of this symposium. Diving field trips were organized before and after the symposium to allow scientists to dive on Caribbean and Pacific coral reef systems under the leadership of a scientist with an active research program in that particular area.

Michael Lang, NAUI #5879IT is the Scientific Diving Officer at the Smithsonian Institution, where he is responsible for operational aspects of science projects involving underwater data or specimen collection using scuba. He directs one of the nations largest civilian scientific diving programs,authorizing over 175 scientific divers per year. Michael was a staff biologist at San Diego State University for eight years prior to his arrival at the Smithsonian Institution in 1990, and in the course of thousands of dives has focused his own research on the ecology and systematic of shallow-water benthic octopods. his efforts in diving safety research have resulted in several symposium and workshop proceedings on cold water diving, dive computers, biomechanics of safe ascents, and repetitive diving physiological aspects.He received the 1991 DAN/Rolex Diver award, a 1993 NAUI Outstanding Service Award and a 1995 AAUS Dedicated Service award.

Sources - Winter 1996 copyright 1996 NAUI. All rights reserved.

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