Marine Operations
Institute of Marine and Coastal
Sciences
Rutgers University Marine Field Station
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Marine Operations Institute of Marine and Coastal
Sciences |
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The Science Dive Program THE INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND COASTAL SCIENCES SCIENTIFIC DIVING PROGRAM
For additional information regarding IMCS’s diving
program, contact: |
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The
Scientific Diving Program for Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine
and Coastal Sciences (IMCS) was established in 1990 to support scientific
research and control diving activities conducted under the auspices of
this institution. The Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences is an organizational
member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), an organization
dedicated to the advancement of scientific diving through the promotion
of comprehensive training and educational programs. The IMCS diving program
permits the scientific research community to access the undersea environment
either as a participating research diver or through the services of the
core members of IMCS’s research dive team. 
The
diving program operates under the guidance of the Diving Control Broad
which sets forththe regulations and standards for training and diving
activities. All diving conducted under the auspices of IMCS is subject
to the guidelines established by the Diving Control Board and described
in the IMCS’s Scientific Diving Manual. The diving program is managed
by the Scientific Diving Officer in accordance with the directives of
the Diving Control Board. All candidates for the scientific diving program
must demonstrate a proficiency in their knowledge of the scientific diving
program’s guidelines, as well as, their knowledge and skills for
diving in a safe and effective manner. Diving under the auspices of the
IMCS is not permitted unless a candidate has met the qualifications as
set forth by the Diving Control Board and received the approval of the
Scientific Diving Officer. 
The
diving program is located at IMCS’s Tuckerton Marine Field Station.
This facility is situated near the Little Egg Harbor Inlet in southern
New Jersey. The diving program currently has two research vessels available
for its operations the R/V Caleta and the R/V Arabella. The R/V Caleta
is a 9m aluminum hulled vessel capable of supporting SCUBA and portable
surface supply systems. The R/V Arabella is the program’s primary
diving platform. This vessel has a 4.8m (16 feet) beam, an overall length
of 14.3m (48 feet), and is equipped to support SCUBA and surface supplied
diving modes. 
The
major emphasis of the diving program has been to support and conduct undersea
research activities at an inner continental shelf site located directly
offshore of the Tuckerton Field Station. This site is situated in 15m
(50 feet) of water and has been designated as LEO-15. This LEO (Long-term
Ecosystem Observatory) is the first facility to be established as part
of an electro-optical ocean sensing network which will provide the scientific
community with the ability to monitor natural and anthropogenic changes
in the marine environment in situ and real time. Research components that
the scientific program diving program members are involved with include:
habitat characteristics and the relationship of habitat on the recruitment
of marine organisms; effects of physical, environmental, and biological
processes on fisheries; coastal processes, e.g. as monitoring the processes
involved with upwelling events; and, the development and enhancement of
reliable sampling and sensing tools.