Upon entering the water from a small boat that has taken them away from a research vessel, three to six blue-water divers clip themselves to a tether system. The tether system is connected to a surface buoy, which, in turn, is attached to the boat. One of the divers, shown here, serves as safety, hovering at the center of the network of lines to keep them from tangling, relay messages between divers, and watch for large marine animals. This frees the other divers to concentrate on the water near them in order to seek and collect transparent jellies in jars.

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