PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
The Moody Gardens Aquarium
Dive Communications Upgrade
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
In May 2023, Bayou City Sound (BCS) was contacted by Jake Emmert, Dive Safety Officer for Moody Gardens Aquarium (MGA) in Galveston, Texas. The facility was experiencing diver communications issues that had been persisting since a system overhaul in 2017. Audio system intelligibility, dive communications "echo", and overall system functionality were just a few of the problems that plagued MGA for over 6 years. The initial desired functionality in the facility was to be able to perform interactive dive tours for the public, allowing for conversations between divers in the tanks and visiting patrons in public areas. Additionally, MGA needed to be able to perform daily operations such as "maintenance dives" to clean tanks, feed and care for the animals, and provide overall upkeep for the facility. Diver communications are imperative to the success of any aquarium, and the diver's safety is of utmost importance in achieving that success. These functions were extremely problematic, and in most cases unsafe and unachievable with the way the system was currently configured. With 3 large aquarium tanks, multiple public areas, and a very complex network of audio components, BCS would need to deploy top-notch engineers to make sense of it all.
SO WE WENT TO WORK!
BCS owner and senior engineer Tom Bohacek, along with senior engineer and project manager Jade Fontenot, knew that with a system of this magnitude, they had their work cut out for them. Keeping in mind that MGA had invested a good amount of money in the current system, and starting over from the beginning was not an option, they would need to reverse-engineer everything in the system from the ground up. After several site visits, pouring through audio DSP files and programming, multiple phone calls with manufacturers, and a ton of engineering time, the vision for what the system could be became more clear.
Often times, while "fixing" systems that are already in service, BCS discovers the opportunity to improve the functionality of said systems, and this project was no exception. The end result is a system that operates in the manner that the facility requires, while exceeding their expectations by improving the functionality far beyond it's previous configuration.
The key highlights and functionality of the newly engineered system are as follows:
- BCS augmented the system with audio processors capable of introducing acoustical echo cancellation.
This allowed for clear, concise, and safer diver communications, as well as reintroduced the ability to
bring dive tours back to the public.
- BCS provided new diver "wet deck" panels and interfaces for divers and dive tenders.
This improved and stabilized communications, while providing added functionality such as
diver microphone gating and individual control for wetsuit equipment.
- BCS repurposed existing user interfaces for tour guides, making it easier to control the system in public areas.
- BCS provided DSP and COM reprogramming, calibrated and equalized public areas, and performed system-wide quality of service measurements.
SEE THE PROJECT PICTURES AND VIDEOS BELOW:
