That’s why waterproof housings are fundamental for ocean tools: they keep everything safe and working while I have fun exploring. (At least that's the idea!)
What happens if a waterproof housing leaks? Not only will the electronics inside get ruined, but if you bring the tool back up to the surface, the trapped air inside could cause the water to expand and make your device explode! That’s why it’s super-important to double-check everything before putting an electronic device in the water, especially if it runs off of batteries. We always give the tool a shake and listen for water inside. For bigger devices, we have something cool called a "purge release valve", which safely lets the air out of a leaking container before anything can go wrong.
Does GPS work underwater? Nope! GPS signals can’t travel through water like they do through air. So, instead of satellites, we use something called acoustics to figure out where things are underwater. It’s a little like Marco Polo! A device sends out a high-pitched sound, and special underwater microphones, called receivers, listen for it. By timing how long it takes the sound to reach each microphone, we can figure out the direction and distance of where the sound came from, like when your friend is calling out Polo. Then, we use the GPS on a boat or a station above water to pinpoint the exact location underwater.
Microphones underwater? Yep! But we don’t use regular microphones; we use special ones called hydrophones. Hydrophones can pick up sounds underwater, like the fish noises I’ve played for your class. But here’s the catch: hydrophones are really expensive. One recorder can cost almost $5,000!
