Divers in the Midst

In February 2017, WHOI’s Dive Operations Manager Edward O’Brien (right) and visiting diver Giorgio Caramanna work in murky 39-degree water south of Martha’s Vineyard to deploy an instrument for scientists and engineers at WHOI and the University of Rhode Island. The Interface Wave Sediment Profiler (iWaSP) instrument measures ocean bottom properties in sediments including mud, sand, and silt. O’Brien, the head of the WHOI Scientific Diving Program, trains divers in SCUBA and other techniques, and WHOI’s certified divers can assist researchers with instrument deployment and other underwater tasks. (Photo by Sean P. Whelan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)