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National Park staff completes Dive Rebreather training course

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa—Last week the National Park of American Samoa’s marine staff was certified after completion of a one week dive rebreather training course. Rebreathers absorb the carbon dioxide of a diver’s exhaled breath and then rebreathes or recycles the unused oxygen content of each breath. These units allow oxygen to be recycled, reduce the volume needed by users, are compact and lightweight, and allow divers to work longer at a given depth.

Marine Ecologist Tim Clark said, “We are fortunate to be the first, out of 30 national parks with dive  programs, to complete this training.” The National Park of American Samoa will utilize this dive mode exclusively for underwater scientific research to track fish, inventory and monitor, and investigate invasive species.

Current projects include tracking Humphead wrass to determine spawning and daily migration patterns and to investigate a possible population explosion of Crown of Thorns marine seastars.

The rebreather course was conducted by Jeff Godfrey, the University of Connecticut’s dive safety officer.

About the National Park of American Samoa

The national park was established in 1988 to preserve the coral reefs, tropical rainforest, archeological and cultural resources, the habitat of fruit bats, and to provide educational opportunities for visitors and residents. National park lands and waters are leased from villages and the American Samoa Government through a long-term agreement with the National Park Service.

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For more information about visiting the National Park of American Samoa, call 633-7082, email NPSA_

Info@nps.gov, or go to www.nps.gov/npsa. Also, visit the national park’s Facebook and Twitter pages.