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MarFac Dive Team Active

By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center October 9, 2020

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.

USGS researchers diving on the Marine Protected Area on the south side of Molokini crater.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

MarFac maintains a USGS certified scientific dive team, supervised by the PCMSC Diving Safety Officer, that can function in a variety of ways underwater to support the science mission of the center.

Operational Capabilities

  • Instrument cleaning and inspection
  • Search and salvage
  • Sample collection
  • Data collection
  • Coral coring

Statistics and Equipment

  • 2-3 certified divers rated ≥ 100ft
  • 3 vessels capable of supporting diving, 11ft, 23ft, 34ft
  • 12 Nitrox cylinders
  • Full facemasks with coms (communication capability)
  • Hydraulic coral coring rig
  • Underwater metal detector
  • Portable air compressor
Underwater photo of a person in silhouette, wearing a wetsuit and dive gear and floating near some kelp.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

 

Two people wearing wet suits and diving gear like masks, oxygen tanks, fins, and gloves stand on the deck of a boat.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Certified USGS divers Jenny White McKee (left) and Tim Elfers prepare their gear and tools while on board R/V Parke Snavely. They will jump into the water to help measure vegetation density in Middle River, part of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Learn more about MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.

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A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More
link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
Three men working on the back of a small boat operating gear and moving equipment.

PCMSC MarFac Team

Below is the list of our fieldwork specialists at PCMSC's Marine Facility, or MarFac.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Team

Below is the list of our fieldwork specialists at PCMSC's Marine Facility, or MarFac.
Learn More
link
Small silver metal boat with USGS lettering on the side, water is splashing up on the side and a small wake is formed.

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
Learn More