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The role of rebreather divers in the study of a marine deep-water cave ecosystem

  • Vasilis Resaikos
  • Marios Papageorgiou
  • Carlos Jimenez

This study delves into the diverse marine habitats of Jubilee Shoals, a submerged rocky reef off Pissouri Bay, Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean). The habitats include Posidonia oceanica meadows on the plateau, coralline communities on the vertical walls, and a cave system at its base. Utilizing closed-circuit rebreathers, trained cave divers quantitatively described the epibenthic communities and biodiversity within the cave system, ensuring both safety and high-quality data collection. Rebreathers allowed silent, bubble-less operation, efficient gas usage, extended dive times, reduced decompression times essential for detailed observation. The findings underscore the need for rebreathers in scientific exploration of deep-water environments, emphasizing their advantages. This approach facilitates undisturbed marine life observation and minimizes environmental impact, paving the way for future research and conservation in similar ecosystems.

  • Keywords:
  • Scientific Diving,
  • Marine Caves,
  • Dark Environment,
  • Epibenthic Communities,
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Vasilis Resaikos

Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Cyprus - ORCID: 0000-0001-5929-024X

Marios Papageorgiou

Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Cyprus - ORCID: 0000-0002-3695-8435

Carlos Jimenez

Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, Cyprus - ORCID:

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  • Publication Year: 2024
  • Pages: 296-306

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  • Publication Year: 2024

Chapter Information

Chapter Title

The role of rebreather divers in the study of a marine deep-water cave ecosystem

Authors

Vasilis Resaikos, Marios Papageorgiou, Carlos Jimenez

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0556-6.27

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Tenth International Symposium Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques

Book Subtitle

Livorno (Italy) 11th-13th June 2024

Editors

Laura Bonora, Marcantonio Catelani, Matteo De Vincenzi, Giorgio Matteucci

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2024

Copyright Information

© 2024 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0556-6

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0556-6

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0557-3

Series Title

Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques

Series E-ISSN

2975-0288

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