A Non-Acoustic Long Distance Underwater Communications System

An underwater communications system is described which utilizes Technology Development Corporation's (TDC) Hydrocom coupled to a Radio Retransmission Buoy. Hydrocom is nonacoustic, utilizing instead an electric current field which is not adversely affected by thermoclines, reverberation, or interferometer effects. It can be operated in noisy and confined environments where acoustic systems are severely degraded and even when objects, such as reefs or man-made structures, lie between the communicators. The Radio Retransmission Buoy enables telephone clarity communications to exist between divers or a submerged vehicle and a ship several miles distant. Suitable radio patch or satellite relay will extend the communications link to any place on Earth, enabling real-time laboratory overview of distant onsite underwater inspection or data gathering.