Substrate Survey Dive Plan *updated August 21, 2010
Dive Safety
- Follow all PADI and/or NAUI dive safety rules.
- If one diver’s air goes below 500 psi, the entire team will surface, even if the dive’s work is not complete.
- Each diver must fill out their dive log after each dive and verify their pressure group.
Dive Synopsis
- Teams will swim on the surface until near their assigned isobaths, and descend after all divers are ok to dive.
- Each team will deploy a 50m transect along its assigned isobaths (This may be deployed already from the Fish SST), and survey two 20m long segments. Start and end points for each 20m segment must be separated by a minimum 5m gap to ensure independence between samples.
- One student records species/substrate for the first 40 entries. This is one data entry for each .5m from 0m to 20m.
- From the 20m to the 25m mark stop recording to leave a 5m gap to ensure independence between sampling for statistical analysis.
5. Then buddies switch for the second 40 entries. Begin recording again every .5m from the 25m mark to 45m mark.
- Also note any areas of coral damage, sea life sightings, and general visibility.
- When finished with the 30 minute survey roll up the transect line and ascend.
Ocean Pulse and Reef Check Hawai’i Substrate Definitions (see data sheet for
more details)
HC Hard coral: Live hard coral.
HC Ocean Pulse: LC = Lobe Coral, FC = Finger Coral, CC = Cauliflower Coral,
LC = Lace Coral, AC = Antler Coral, PC = Porkchop Coral, Rice Coral = MC,
Blue Rice = BC, Others?
SC Soft coral: Include zoanthids, but not sea anemones (the latter goes into "Other").
SC Ocean Pulse SE = Blue Octocoral (Sarcothelia spp.)
ZO Ocean Pulse = Zoanthid, (PC = P. caesia (rubber coral)
RKC Recently killed coral: The aim is to record coral that has died within the past year.
The coral may be standing or broken into pieces, but appears fresh, white with corallite
structures still recognizable, only partially overgrown by encrusting algae, etc.
RKC Ocean Pulse: Circle HC to indicate RKC.
NIA Nutrient Indicator Algae: The aim is to record blooms of fleshy algae that may be
responding to high levels of nutrient input. Therefore, do not include coralline algae in
this category. All macro-algae except turf and coralline algae is included in the NIA category on the
Reef Check substrate survey. This is because all algae can potentially become problematic if nutrients
are elevated.
SP Sponge: All sponges (but no tunicates) are included; the aim is to detect sponge
blooms that cover large areas of reef.
RC Rock: Any hard substratum whether it is covered in turf or encrusting coralline
algae, barnacles, oysters, etc. is placed in this category. Rock will also include dead
coral that is more than one year old, i.e. is worn down so that few corallite structures are
visible, and covered with a thick layer of encrusting organisms and/or algae.
RB Rubble: Includes rocks, often laying over sand, between 0.5 and 15 cm (1/4 inch to
6 inch) diameter. If it is larger than 6 inches it is rock, smaller than 1/4 inch it is sand.
SD Sand: In the water, sand if it falls quickly to the bottom, unlike silt.
SI Silt/Clay: Sediment that remains in suspension if disturbed. Note that these are
practical definitions not geotechnical. Often, silt is present on top of other indicators
such as rock. In these instances, silt is recorded if the silt layer is thicker than 1 mm or
covers the underlying substrate such that you cannot observe the color of what is
underneath. If the color of the underlying substrate can be discerned, then the contact
will be counted as the underlying substrate NOT silt.
OT Other: Any other sessile (attached) organisms including sea anemones, tunicates,
or non-living substrata.
AN = Anemone, NU = Nudibranch,
Equipment
Transect line
Slate with Substrate data sheet and pencils attached