SCIENTIFIC DIVERS: WHEN RESEARCHERS TAKE WATER

Historically, biologists and other specialists in the marine environment have taken to the water to seek, in situ, the information and samples necessary for their studies. But learning "on the job" which was commonplace thirty years ago has gradually been structured to fully comply with the legislation. We met Gilles Saragoni, responsible for diving activities at the marine ecology laboratory of the University of Perpignan. He explains how scientific divers are trained, and shows us some examples of missions in the field.

NEAR 30 YEARS OF INTERNSHIP

Since 1984, all researchers and technicians who take the water carry out diving training courses, organized by the CNRS in several marine stations of our coast. And given the variety of tasks they may have to perform, the program is particularly varied. The theoretical part insists of course on the organization of diving and on safety. But underwater, trainees touch everything.

APPROACH ALL DISCIPLINES

The goal is not simply to teach them to dive, since the majority of them already have training, but to teach them to master underwater all the tools and techniques that they will have to use. And photos and videos are now fully part of the remit of researchers: whether it involves photo-identification, or for example keeping a visual trace of a specific site to then study it in the laboratory, mastery of the image has become a significant asset. They also learn, for example, to count the fish on a site, using techniques of monitoring by transects, to lift loads with parachutes, to map an area, to do sediment cores, to use a sucker ...

SEVERAL TRAININGS

At the University of Perpignan, Gilles Saragoni actually offers several types of training: one of them, permanent training from the CNRS, is generally intended for technicians, engineers, doctoral students and researchers who use diving and who can obtain the qualification of scientific diving leader (allowing them to organize diving missions). On the other hand, a scientific diving module is offered to Masters in Marine Ecology, which gives them a plus in particular to find a field internship requiring underwater interventions. For the past year, a DU in scientific diving has also been offered to other students or professionals (from local communities for example) who may be required to use diving as part of their activity. All must now meet the requirements of the Ministry of Labor, and hold a certificate of aptitude for hyperbarism (CAH) class I mention B (ability to 30 m.)

A BASIS FOR INVENTING

It is thanks to this technical base that scientific divers are then able to combine what they have learned, to imagine new techniques to carry out missions as varied as possible. Whether counting the fish on a protected site, evaluating the settlement of a new artificial reef, capturing fish larvae as in the film below, then releasing them when they have passed the critical stage for the survival of the species ...

Terrestrial images: Christine AZALBERT

Underwater images: CNRS