Diving Program

Chris Koenig, Ph. D.

My research deals primarily with reef fish ecology, including: (1) monitoring the population recovery of the endangered goliath grouper, (2) identification of nursery habitat, and (3) evaluation of efficacy of marine reserves. Diving is indispensable to all of this work. In the goliath grouper research, we tag the fish underwater with specially designed spearguns and estimate population densities using visual census and tag-resight methods. For the description of juvenile habitat, we videotape habitat features and collect juveniles and representative habitat-associated organisms. Because the marine reserves we are studying are located on the shelf edge (depths of 50 to 100 m), we have developed special techniques that allow us to avoid the lethal effects of barotrauma (swimbladder gas expansion within the body cavity). We haul the fish to a safe depth, then dive to that depth, vent the swimbladder gas, then haul the fish on board. Thus, fish captured in deep water can be processed, tagged and released with a very high survival rate. Without diving, this and our other studies would not be possible.

The max depth I dive to is about 120 FSW. In the reserve work I may make as many as 7 dives per day, but usually it is about 4. For venting fish, I usually dive for about 5 to 10 minutes. For goliath surveys my dive times vary considerable depending on the number of fish, the depth, the census technique, etc. Such surveys are not over depths of 130 ft. For more information on Dr. Koenig's research please visit.

Nicole Fogarty, Ph. D. candidate

I study hybridization between two threatened corals (elkhorn and staghorn). Although these corals are found in shallow water, I would not be able to complete my research without SCUBA diving. I use SCUBA diving to conduct surveys, map coral colonies, collect specimens, transplant corals, and collect gametes (eggs and sperm) during the annual coral spawning event. These tasks would be very difficult if not impossible if I had to do them while snorkeling. Since coral spawning occurs at night, I have completed over 75 night dives in the past 5 years. Working at night presents its own difficulties, but with the use of SCUBA and several dive teams, we can safely conduct this research. I have conducted this research throughout the Caribbean (Antigua, Curacao, Florida Keys, Belize, Panama, and St. Thomas USVI). Each site is very different, therefore I use SCUBA diving in a variety of different ways. Typically, I use a boat to get to my sites which are between 6 and 40 feet in depth. Because my SCUBA dives are shallow, I often have a bottom time of 90 - 120 minutes. All of the marine science research facilities that I use for my research require SCUBA divers to meet the requirements set by the AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Science), meaning you must acquire reciprocity for scientific diving through an AAUS institution, such as Florida State University. Without the Florida State University's Academic Diving Program and the SCUBA agencies that have funded my work (PADI AWARE, PADI Foundation, and AAUS), I would have not been able to complete my dissertation fieldwork. For further information on my research or scientific diving contact Nikki Fogarty at fogarty@bio.fsu.edu or visit http://bio.fsu.edu/~fogarty/.