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S E P T E M B E R 11th |
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The 'usta' fixed our windlass this morning, and we left soon after. The repairs were more extensive than we had anticipated, necessitating a trip to Izmir and another wasted day. | |
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We got to work this afternoon, testing the sled that is
our primary tool in searching for wrecks. The sled is a simple piece of wood
attached to the top of an underwater propulsion unit. We drag it behind the dinghy
along the coastline, the diver beneath able to control his depth by tilting the sled up
and down. Usually, divers always work in pairs, the 'buddy system', but looking
after your partner wastes time better spent looking for shipwrecks. The sled is
equipped with an independent air supply, so if the diver has air flow problems, he has
plenty of air to return to the surface. The cable attaching the sled to the boat
also carries an electric current, allowing the diver to communicate with the surface using
a 'dead-man's switch'. When the diver releases the button, a speaker sounds above
water on the dinghy. Not only can the diver use predetermined signals to tell the
dinghy to stop, go, mark their location with the GPS (satellite global positioning
system), or speed up, but if the diver gets in trouble, he can release the switch, which
summons someone from the surface to come to the diver's aid. The GPS system keeps
track of what area of the coastline has been surveyed, and if the diver sees something of
interest, the pilot on the dinghy can record his position so that we can return the spot
for a more concentrated search. This system's primary concern is safety, but it is much more efficient than the buddy system. The essential function of the buddy is as an emergency supply of air, but with the sled, the diver already has an emergency supply at his disposal. The diver is more self-reliant, and can spend his time looking for wrecks, not after another diver. |
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C O N T A C T U S A T v i r a z o n @ d i v e t u r k e y . c o m |
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