Waterproof Paper

[Michael Black]

I recommend not using paper at all. I've found that there is no such thing
as water-proof paper. When we survey reefs, we use PVC plastic slates. If
you buy a big thin sheet, cut it yourself, sand the edges, and drill a
little hole to tie a string for the pencil or to tie it to your BC. Making
slates is fairly cheap, and it works well. You can custom cut them to the
size and shape you want, and you can put a permanent template on them with
a permanent marker. If the PVC is  too shiny to write on, sand down the
front and back a little. Denser PVC tends to sink, and lighter PVC floats.
You may buy small pieces to test them out in salt water. Or, if you don't
want to go through the hassle, you can buy slates from a company.
        If you want the reef survey on paper and have access to a
photocopier, you can photocopy the slates when you get back to dry land or
you can do it the old-fashioned way and transfer the data by hand. Hope
your project goes well!

                                                :) Michael
>Dear Coral-listers:
>
>We just finished the first test training for the ReefBase Aquanaut System.
> The training went well and Master Instructors 1 through 4 were certified to
>teach divers to gather ecological data on reefs.
>
>One immediate problem, however, is that our Nalgene paper becomes soggy
>after 10 minutes and is then hard to write on with a pencil.
>
>Does anyone out there know of any better underwater paper?
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Dr John McManus
>ReefBase Project Leader
>Aquatic Environments Program
>Email: <j.mcmanus at cgnet.com>