Undersea engineer’s interest in sea, gadgets a good fit
Dale Anderson, 51, is a consulting engineer based from his home overlooking Hayden Lake. His specialty is manned undersea research, where he works with a variety of academic institutions, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. His career began as a diver in a research program developing methods for humans to live for extended periods underwater. Anderson next became director of an undersea habitat program called “Hydrolab” in the ‘70’s, then helped develop the “Aquarius” habitat – currently deployed in the waters off the Florida coast (see the Web site www.uncw.edu/aquarius). One of his favorite projects uses dolphins and sea lions to locate and identify underwater threats to ships and personnel.
What is your job title? “Consulting engineer specializing in manned undersea research.”
How long have you been doing this? “I have been involved in the manned undersea research field for over 35 years. I started as a young, fearless diver in a government funded experimental program to determine if man could safely live underwater. We developed techniques and equipment that allowed divers to live on the seafloor, much like astronauts live in the space station.” (Decompressing inside the habitat for about 24 hours after deep-sea diving prevents decompression sickness or “the bends.”)
How did you choose this line of work? “A combination of my fascination in the undersea world and my interest in gadgets of any description.”
Are you paid: (a) well; (b) more than you are worth; (c) slave wages; (d) could be better? “I have been rewarded well for my work, mostly by personal satisfaction.”
What is the best thing about your job? “The opportunity to live on the seafloor with a whole collection of extraordinary people: world class scientists from all over the globe, enthusiastic students of all ages, astronauts, other aquanauts and support staff.”
What is the worst thing about your job? “Grant proposal writing and bureaucratic bumbling.”
Do you plan on doing this job (a) until retirement; (b) until something better comes along? “As long as I can!”
Do you have any on-the-job funny stories? “One of the most memorable stories took place in St. Croix Hydrolab. One of the early habitats, it was fairly primitive in that it did not have a toilet inside the habitat. To ‘go to the bathroom,’ you put on a mask, dropped out of the habitat and into the water with nothing more than your swimsuit. You then swim over to the nearest ‘bus’ or coral head using the ‘hookah’ (a breathing mouthpiece connected to the habitat by a long hose with an air supply for breathing). Once comfortably situated near the ‘bush,’ you begin your business. One day, after a long day of underwater work, a famous lady scientist decided to make a visit to the bathroom bush before showering off and getting into the habitat. She stripped down to nothing and swam over to a coral head; she was concentrating on the business at hand when a large tourist group who was diving in the area swam around the habitat (remember, this is the only undersea habitat in the world) and came upon the nice lady. She finished and turned around, only to find herself face-to-face with 20 surprised tourists! I bet they are still talking about the mermaid they saw underwater!”
Any bad experiences? “After a hurricane had passed by Key Largo a few years ago, the support staff made a quick inspection dive on the habitat. No one was in residence due to the hurricane, but when they looked into the large viewport on the side, they saw bunk cushions, cereal boxes and other provisions and electronics floating about halfway up the inside of the habitat. We developed a novel method to fix the upper hatch so this would never happen again. The Aquarius crew got the habitat completely repaired and inspected and we were back in business in two months!”
If there was a movie made about you and your job, what actor should play you? ” My wife says George Clooney. I think Sean Connery would make a better choice!”