2010 Updates: See the Tektite Exhibit in Second Life at The Abyss Observatory; the Tektite Underwater Habitat Museum; Project Tektite 40th Anniversary Reunion in Lameshur Bay, St. John, Virgin Islands, November 6, 2010. (end date)
2009 Updates: Wikipedia Articles about Tektite I and II and Tektite Gallery Page
Project Tektite 40th Anniversary Reunion at the Virgin Islands Environmental Research Station (VIERS) on February 15, 2009 (begin date)
Project Tektite was an oceanographic research project conducted in 1969-1970 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The fall and winter of 2007 seem to be dedicated to searching for information about my life and activities 40 years ago. One of the events in my life as a young man that has influenced my professional and personal life, was my participation in 1970 in the Tektite II project. I have reconnected with one of my colleagues in Tektite, Kenny Meyer, and in my cerfing the web for more information, I found this excellent photo on Flickr.com, taken by aquanaut Ed Clifton, whom I have never met. Further research actually found a description of the beginnings of the project in 1969, from a personal view, by the photographer of this photo and aquanaut who was involved in Tektite from the beginning. Tektite Habitat Uploaded by Tom Clifton
An Evening on a Tropical Beach by Ed Clifton (Tektite I & II)
“The night of February 14, 1969, I sat alone on the south shore of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, listening to the waves lapping against a beach of coral rubble. The sky was brilliantly lit with stars, and a light, warm breeze touched my face. Introspection claimed me, for I was on the brink of trading my familiar sun and starlit world for an alien undersea environment. The following afternoon, three marine biologists and I would splash down to a seafloor habitat where we would spend the next 60 days as aquanauts in the Tektite Man-in-the-Sea Project.
“I was not, I must admit, a seasoned diver. I had become certified with scuba two years earlier and had since made a few tentative dives in the southern Oregon surf zone, where we had hoped to employ underwater observation in our research of nearshore sedimentology. I suppose I had, all told, a total of 25 dives under my belt. My primary qualification for being a tektite diver was probably my willingness to commit 60 days of my life to being the first geologist-aquanaut.
“As I sat in the darkness, I could hear a steel band and shouts of revelry in the distance. The Navy Seabees, who had carved a base camp out of the jungle and who were providing logistical support for the project, were justifiably celebrating Splashdown Eve. I wondered what part of my subaerial existence I would miss most over the next two months. Would it be the stars? The feeling of a breeze on my face? The underwater world seemed dark and forbidding. What did it hold? How was all this going to work?
“As I mused, listening to the lap of the waves and the sound of distant partying, I became aware that there were other sounds in the night: splashes and the popping sound of feeding fish. The sea was alive! Suddenly my introspection dissolved into eagerness to explore this world in a way privileged to very few others. I sat there for a while longer listening to the sound of life in the sea and then returned to the party.
“The Tektite Project proved to be a wonderful, rewarding experience. I returned to the Oregon coast the following summer and we put scuba to full use in the first comprehensive study of a high-energy surf zone. I was also an eager participant a year later in the Tektite 2 experiment, which gained me an additional 20 days of undersea habitation.
“And what was it that I most missed while living underwater (other than wife and family, of course!)? It was something I had always taken for granted—the healing warmth of the sun.”
H. Edward Clifton, GSA Senior Fellow
Scientist Aquanaut, Tektite I and Tektite II, 1969/70
Comments on Flickr, 2007
Everett: One of the connections is that part of the research done on Tektite was for NASA to study the effects of close confinement for an extended time. Since the aquanauts were living at 45 feet in saturation diving, they could not come to the surface without 24 hours of decompression. I was on the team of observers who monitored the 5 ‘naut team via CCTV, tracking their every activity and videotaping special interactions. Quite fascinating. There were dozens of rumors, jokes, fish stories that came out of the sometimes mind numbing duty.
Ed Clifton: Yes, this does bring back memories! And what I said about that evening on the beach is absolutely true. And so is Tom’s note about the origin of the name of the project. According to Brent Thompson, the GE project manager for designing the habitat, the project didn’t originally have a name. While looking for an existing design in the GE archives, he found plans for a space station that had been developed some years before within the GE Space Division.
Although it provided the basis for the undersea habitat, no one at GE could recall its origins. Shortly thereafter, Brent was leafing through a dictionary looking for something when he chanced upon the word tektite: “an object of uncertain origin from space that comes to rest on the sea floor”, and said, “That’s what this is! It’s a tektite!” The name did, as WW’s dad indicates, provide a good link of the space-ocean interests and it stuck.
I also want to apologize to … for any discomfiture arising from disparaging comments that I or my fellow aquanauts might have made during our dive about the “shrinklets” who were watching us continuously from the surface. I can only hope that they relieved some of the mind-numbing duty he mentions.
Everett: Thank you so much for the response and the the further clarification of Tektite history. No, as one of the later ‘shrinklets’, I have no problem with any or all comments made about the observers on your mission or us late comers of Tektite II, during or after any of those times. I have accumulated some more of the images and articles from Tektite I and II in my photo gallery, Tektite2. I feel the project has never been given the attention it deserves, and while I celebrate Dr. Earle and her accomplishments, it is unfortunate that more attention has not been paid to the other research done during your mission and the missions in 1970.
I was one of Helmreich’s “behavioral observers” during the last few months of Tektite 2. I must have been in basecamp when Ed Clifton was a watch commander, although, to my regret, I don’t recall him.
I never knew the watch commanders called us “shrinklets.” In retrospect, that seems appropriate. Dr. Helmreich recruited most of the observers from the University of Texas pyschology department. I was an undergraduate; so was Barry. Some of the observers were graduate students. Our training consisted mostly of learning to enter data with IBM porta-punch templates according to the experimental protocol and scuba diving. I suspect we were the camp’s hoi polloi; an irritating, misbehaved, team of 8 20-somethings restrained only by a heavy work and otherwise cut loose in the tropics. We probably deserved a far more derisive label than shrinklet.
Nonetheless, the project afforded many wonderful opportunities. I remember one of the watch commanders took me out on a dive with the “new” rebreather. We heard a lot about marine biology. We did occasional support dives helping the Navy guys take pots to the habitat. We got to go inside the habitat for clean up after the last mission. We dove a wreck somewhere between the British and American Virgin Is. Most importantly, we had a chance to participate in some big science, in an alien culture, far removed from middle-class creature comforts.
My memories of that time are foggy at best. I posted a few old photos of Tektite 2 on picasa that might prove evocative. http://picasaweb.google.com/kennym10/Tektite2Album. Perhaps they will trigger recollections from our time near the Lameshur bays.
Kenny Meyer
Behavioral Observer, Tektite 2 (Aug-Nov)
For the past 5 years, I have been planning to construct, and writing the (massive) proposal/plans package for, our own shallow-water UW reef observation station. It will be constructed in an octagonal shape, from 3/8-inch steel plate, with four 24″ dome windows, and a lockable entrance. It will be supplied with 12-volt DC power for the lights and fresh air from a shore compressor. It will measure a total of 12′ x 12′ x 10′. I drew my inspiration from a 1969 issue of “LIFE” magazine, which featured Tektite-I. God Bless you pioneers, your work continues to inspire my students and I even today.
In gratitude,
Doug Hepler, M.Ed.
Teacher, Industrial Technology
Kwajalein Jr-Sr High School
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
Mr. Hepler,
Thanks for your comments on the Tektite posting. While I was only a psychology student behavior observer, and not an aquanaut, the experience did have a profound effect on my life and professional career. Your project sounds like a wonderful opportunity for your students, and those to come, to have an impact on oceanography and the technical arts for years to come. Please let me know when you have news or pictures of your program or project. I will post them on the blog. Good luck with your plans and fund raising efforts.
Barry Everett
Tektite II Alumnus
Does anybody have any picture of the the NAVY Seabees that helped build the tektite project in the mid to late 60’s? My father worked on that project and I’m woundering if maybe somebody might have a picture with him in it. Thanks for any help you can give.
More information and pictures at http://www.flickr.com/groups/tektite/
I was just reading over the report on the Tektite Project, last night in fact. I was just blown away by the idea of it all. I remember, as a child, the Apollo program and later on followed the Skylab project, but I had no idea at the time that Tektite existed.
We are going down to Saint John in a couple of weeks and just came across a reference to it in a book.
I am a filmmaker so my wife has suggested that Tektite would make a good documentary. I agreed and have started the slow process of research. I’ll probably send my underwater remote camera to the site since I snorkel but don’t scuba.
If you have any interest in a documentary please do not hesitate to contact me.
Alvin Case
Boston, MA
Snorkling in Lameshur Bay (and especially Little Lameshur) is quite amazing enough. My remaining interest in Tektite is to gather as much information as available, post it here or Flickr, and perhaps build a virtual reality version in Second Life. Please bring back many photos and ideas and enjoy all of the island experience.
I was recently on St John and visited the former camp for the support group for Tektite. The camp is beautiful and has been mostly restored to it’s original condition. One of the houses was converted into a museum for the Tektite Project. The volunteers have done a remarkable job of bringing back to life the project and explaining to us laypeople about the underwater habitat, aquanauts and the goal of Tektite.
I think a documentary is definitely needed. I am also surprised no one has already done one.
The camp is now called VIERS (Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station) It is being used for education purposes by environmental and marine biology groups to do studies. The camp also offers to educate private groups to study the camps’ solar uses. It utilizes solar energy for heating water and treating the camp’s septic system.
It’s a great place to vacation as well. The camp offers accommodations to anyone wishing to just spend some time hanging out in the jungle or visiting the nearby beaches. The people are friendly and will make your stay a welcome one.
Thanks for the comments and interest…
Barry, I saw your website when I did an Ask search. I was in that first group of UT guys along with you, Glen Ashworth, Mark Althaus, Charles Fitzsimmons, Danny Pitts and my watch partner, Luke Capeheart (whose picture is in one of the photos at your site). As I recall we shared some high speed and dangerous motorcycle trips to the other side of St. John. The hill up leaving the camp was a killer. I enjoyed your comments and photos. They brought memories of a truely interesting time. I can’t believe it has been almost 40 years! I hope all is well with you. Thanks for creating the site. Jeb
Thanks for the comments, Jeb. Any picture you might have from those days would be most appreciated. That was an amazing time in our lives, and so are these! 😉
I think I have some old photos some of which I think were polarids so they may be bleached out some. I’ll try to copy them but they may not scan. As an alternative, if you wish give me a mailing address and I’ll send them if they won’t email.
Hi My name is Doug Briggs and I was a safety diver on the Tektite 2 project! I was there from Feb. to Nov. of 1970 I was with Highline College in Midway, Wa. and we had a diving program and got selected to be the divers who where in charge of making sure the scientists didn’t get hurt when they went out of the habitat.
I have wanted to find out what ever happened to everything since it was shut down, life has a way of getting away from you and it has been far to long. So please if anyone would like to get in touch with me, I have stories, pictures and maybe even something that is relevant. Thanks Doug Briggs
Thanks, Doug, for your comments. We would love to hear more from the safety divers, and any pictures, etc., would be greatly appreciated.
Barry, I plan to send out an e-mail to the tektite 2 crew members to see if there is any interest in getting together for a 40th anniversary dive in the spring of ’10 @ Saint John. I have addresses for Glen Ashworth, Lucien Capehart, Ken Meyer and Dr. Bob. I see that Doug Briggs has an interest in T2. If you have any e-mail addresses of others-behavior observers, safety divers etc, that you think might be interested, please let me know. It looks like the old base camp is still intact. I wonder if Iggy the iguana is still there. Thanks, Jeb
Don’t have others, but if we keep up the postings here, and perhaps with a group on FaceBook, perhaps we scare up a few more contacts.
The Base Camp has been incorporated into the VIERS (Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station) organization, and is getting use for that. We saw a House Hunters International (HGTV) show that explored a few of the high dollar digs on the windward side of the island.
Good luck with the 40 year dive. I can’t imagine who will pop out of the woodwork.
> 40 year dive
It would be nice to know what happened to our colleagues, but I’ve haven’t put on a regulator since 1970. Not so sure, I’m up for a dive.
Doug,
I was in basecamp while you were there. Just wondering if you show up in any of the picture I posted to picasa. Here’s the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kennym10/Tektite2Album
Kenny
Hi I might be able to look up some of the old crew if you would want me to and see if they are interested in a dive, I know I am in come hell or high water. Doug
Do you still stay in touch the people from T2? That would be amazing!
I could not make the same claim. If you look at the pictures, I was was barely able to piece together a few names from an old roster (that miraculously, did not get tossed) and help from Barry.
In fact, Barry is the only ex-T2er I know anything about… And I would have lost track of Barry as well if he was not a miraculously effective practitioner of Web 2.0.
Incidentally…
Do you have any photos? If I recall, many of the Navy guys had cameras and were shooting lots of film.
i was aboard uss portland when we lifted the bell to the surface .would like any photo of this event.
Glad to see some resurgence of interest, nearly 40 years after hoping that the Man-in-the-Sea Program would stimulate at least as much active interest in Earth’s seas as there seemed to be in outer space.
In 1970, I served as a watch director (and watch directors’ representative) for Mission 6 (the all-female team) of Tektite II. Returned to work at Lameshur Bay’s Beehive Cove as Deputy/Acting Mission Director for Mission 10 (the September-October International Mission) of the Tektite II Project. I’ve retired after 38 years of civil service and haven’t donned SCUBA gear since 1988 (in Tahiti, following an Earthwatch expedition in New Guinea); my last working dive was with a dry suit (in Maine) a year or so before that.
I gave a large packet of official 8″x10″ publicity photos of Tektite II to the Library of Congress [LC] in the early 1970s. [Someone had left that packet on my desk at the now-defunct Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, U.S. Department of the Interior. Shortly after that, I had gotten a call from the LC asking if I had any suggestions for an exhibit the LC was putting together.] Perhaps someone now associated with the VIERS mailing address in Pasadena, Maryland, which is close to Washington, D.C., can find photos from that LC exhibit in time for a 40th reunion of Tektite II personnel — or at least for permanent display at the VIERS museum on St. John, U.S.V.I.
Thanks for your contributions to this post, Bruce. We saw Dr. Earle on the Colbert Report last week and were struck by all that has emerged from the ocean’s depths since we spent our off-time paddling about in the warm waters of Lameshur so many years ago.
The ‘Behavioral Observers’, UT students known as ‘shrinklets’ by the aquanauts, worked a rotating Navy watch (4 on 8 off in 2 day cycles for 6 days, then 2 days off), and we relished our leave days on the island (St. John’s), or in Charlotte Amalie on the ‘big island’ of St. Thomas.
It would be great to find the LoC files, photos and other memorabilia. Is it possible that in some cabinet in the Smithsonian, there is a stash of stuff about Project Tektite?
Hey I just got a alert from my firewall when I opened your website do you happen to know why this occured? Could it maybe from your ads or something? Thanks, really strange i hope it was harmless?
Dunno. Just keep your shields up, as always. 😉
I have been a reader for a long time, but this is my first time as a commenter. I just wanted to say that this has been / is my favorite post of yours! Keep up the great work and I’ll keep on coming back. If you’d be interested in swapping blogroll links with me, my website is MonaVie Scam.
Thanks. It is amazing the things that happen to us so many years ago, that absolutely define our lives. Watching the stories of the Winter Olympics and the paths that those folks took, and the choices they made, reminds me that we are all products of some very significant events, that at the time, seem insignificant. 😉 – Adding your blog to my BlogRoll.
Does anyone have any information about James Chase Tyler? My boyfriend is his great nephew and his father told us about his association with the Tektite II but we are having trouble finding more information, but are very interested.
Will anyone have something else on this? I would would be interested to find out additional regarding this as it is all new to me
That is the purpose of this and the other links here: to aggregate information on the Tektite Project. Please check out the other sources at https://catahoula.wordpress.com/tektite_gallery/ .
The Tektite projects in 1969 and 1970 not only provided a wealth of research in Marine Biology, Oceanography, and other hard science, they also contributed considerably to the investigation of the sociological and psychological questions of of extended isolation in a working, hostile environment. These studies laid the groundwork for subsequent research into the effects and behavioral attributes on crews of deep space exploration.
Hello, I am a PhD Candidate at Stanford University working on a dissertation that deals, in part, with the significance of the Tektite program. I’m currently collaborating with a documentary filmmaker and we are helping the VIERS center in their efforts to create a lasting archive of the project.
Regarding the Library of Congress materials, I am in the process of reproducing these materials. I made very low resolution scans of all of the promotional 8×10 glossies in July, and will be returning to complete the job in the upcoming weeks. I would be happy to send web-ready versions to anyone in the Tektite image group who is in charge of these materials. You should be happy to know that a small archive of this material is still found within the NOAA, NASA, and US Navy archives.
For those who do not already know, there is a reunion planned in early November of this year (11/6/10), and a number of Tektite alumni will be in attendance.
We will be at the reunion in early November and if you are coming, we would very much like to speak with you about your experiences. We also strongly encourage you to bring any materials such as photographs, newspaper clippings, films, and objects to the event, so that we may document, scan, or photograph them for the Tektite archive. We’ve seen a lot of Tektite related objects, from silverware to patches, to candid snapshots at base camp, and we would be thrilled if you brought any of these kinds of objects along with you as well. We are particularly interested in film and motion picture (even home movies, slides, or audio recordings would be wonderful). It is our hope that our upcoming article and the archival materials may be expanded into an exhibition and short film in the near future. We would be extremely honored to include you in our list of contributors to our growing archive of governmental, institutional, and personal materials related to the Tektite program.
Thanks in advance for your interest.
Hi! to anyone reading this.
I was part of the General Electric team, who designed the Tektite Habitat and
BacPac re-breather.
I have only just found the various websites and to read all the very positive comments makes me feel very proud to have been part of this very successful project.
I was going to be one of the engineers to go to the Virgin Islands. I decided to accept the necessary injections, including typhoid and para-typhoid, all at one time. I felt terrrible for at least two weeks!!! All engineers were ecpected to be able to Scuba dive. We had to have a medical and when I mentioned that I suffered from sinus problems, I was immediately disqualified!
I know that the habitat finished up on a beach in California and had school parties viewing it. I was told by the man who purchased it, that it was finally scrapped!!!! He still had a few iitems, some of which I had designed.
Any infomation would be appreciated.
I am now 75 and this year will add 3 more GREAT GRANDCHILDREN to make the total 11!! These are ALL from only 3 of our 6 Grandchildren. They are 3 of our eldest son’s 4 children!!!
My wife and I emigrated to America with 2 children, in 1963 and returned to England with 4 children in 1970. Our family has almost grown exponentially!!!
i would love to hear from anyy one connected with Tektite!
Hi again!
I forgot to mention.what I consider to be an amazing fact.
One of the engineers had the responsibility of calculating the flotation level of the fully completed Tektite Habitat. A line was painted at his calculated point and it floated right on the line!!! How’s That!!!!!
It was also within budget and exactly on time!!!!
Or perhaps, these folks may visit see creatures along with wild birds of their natural habitat…. These people camp out there under the atmosphere in terms of feasible along with reside since character ordained individuals to complete.Sky Habitat
Hi Mike:
Just got to catching up on my e-mails, I was a safty diver from Highline CC on Tektite 2 I was down there from mid Feb. to mid Nov. We where the team that sank the habitat to the ocean floor and then ran the chamber and bell and made sure the divers did not come to any harm.
I went down there for the 40 year reunion dive, not many came down as it was not to well advertizes But I did take a lot fo pictures and things for the musemum that they have at the base camp. It would be worth going and seeing again. Doug Briggs
Thanks for the post, Doug. I would love to link to any site that has your photos of the 40th!
It has been an interesting few weeks for some of us who have identified ourselves with Tektite. A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a documentary filmmaker from London, and we talked via phone for about hour.
She is developing a project to make a film about Tektite, primarily about Dr. Sylvia Earle, and the all-female dive during T2. I was able to give her some insight from the standpoint of those of us (support staff, safety and support divers and behavioral observers) who enjoyed (and suffered) topside while the aquanauts conducted their missions. I hope she has been able to find some of you to talk with about this 42 year old project, that has had such an impact on my life, and I believe it has on yours. I will post more info as it becomes available.
Here is the text of my followup email to her:
Ms. Cheng: I enjoyed our call yesterday. Thank you for letting me blabber on about the old days. I wanted to update some information we discussed and to provide you with a different email for further communication.
Bob Helmreich’s research assistants at Tektite in 1970 were John Wilhelm and Jim LeFan.
The GE Engineer was Lithuanian, and finally remembered his name. I found the news article with a picture of him watching the habitat being loaded in 1970. Ed Batutis was Mission 1 Engineer on Tektite II, and worked GE as an Atmosphere Chemist.
The college in Washington State was – Highline College in Midway, Washington and there are some comments from a few of the divers on my blog – https://catahoula.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/tektite/
Saturday: Found an article from the school paper from 1971 that identifies the head of the Safety Diver Program as Mr Peter Williams and I believe he is the former Royal Navy Diver that I mentioned. http://flightline.highline.edu/circulation/thunderword/1971/10151971.pdf
In my back and forth with Ed Clifton on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tclifton/6477820/), he apologized for calling the Behavour Observers “shrinklets”, but I believe he was talking about Tektite I in 1969.
The photo that Ed Clifton took from the 1969 project was, for me, the defining image of what it was like to be in the water in Lameshur Bay during those times. The image of the ‘NASA white’ habitat in that ethereal setting has been a part of my life since that time & place, 42 years ago..
Please keep me posted about your progress, and also if there are any questions/research that I can help with.
Barry Everett
Underwater Psychologist 😉
Project Tektite
Lameshur Bay, USVI
March – June 1970
I was there the 2nd year, for one month, taking air samples from within the habitat, looking for bacteria and changes due to altered air pressure/oxygen. I worked for UC Berkeley;s Naval Biological Lab. I took the samples and mailed them to the lab but had no other role. I remember the bar in a shipping crate and rum that was cheaper than coke. Great swimming in the adjoining bay.
Just wondering, as I am about to head down to VIERS shortly to do some artmaking in reference to the TEKTITE project if the results or reports are available for the research that the aquanauts were conducting during there stay in the habitat. Thanks,
Christopher James
Hi there to every one, since I am truly keen of reading this webpage’s post to be updated on a regular basis. It contains good information.
Hi All – I am interested in knowing the status of any such “documentary films” on Tektite that have been mentioned in above comments. Of particular interest is Tektite I. Any such films would be interested in the Seabee’s roles through out the projects.
Carol – Science student on St John 1969 who “stumbled upon Tektite I
Hello Everyone;
Doug Briggs here; I just want to let everyone know that that there will be a 45 year reunion for Tektite II on Oct. 18th. There will be guest speakers from the project to tell of there experience. So if anyone is interested please come and share or just learn first hand what we went through.
As I have stated before I was a safety diver from Highline Collage. There will be a few of us down there to share our thoughts. I will be going down early to help out. Randy Brown is the one that is in charge of setting up the get together.
Some things I did read and I will confirm is that Peter Williams was the dive master in charge of us safety divers, and yes he was from the Royal Navy and or instucture at Highline Collage. He passed away about 2-3 years ago.
That is about it for now if any of you would like to get in touch with me feel free, and if interested in the old base camp and what goes on there, go to http://www.viers.org and you can find more info then I can provide. Thanks Doug Briggs