In 1973 Cooper graduated from theOcean Corporation, acommercial diving school. He then worked forTaylor Diving & Salvage for eleven years as a commercial diver in many different parts of the world. His work included air, mixed gas, andsaturation diving. He also gained experience with welding habitats.[3] Cooper was diving near theIxtoc oil platform when it exploded in 1979, killing a friend of his.[6] Cooper subsequently worked with oil well firefighterRed Adair during the efforts to contain the Ixtoc I oil spill.[7]
As Operations Manager at Aquarius for theNational Undersea Research Center (NURC), Cooper supervised the daily activities of the underwater habitat. He also served asCoast Guard-licensedCaptain, Diving Medical Technician, and habitat technician during missions aboard Aquarius.[8][9] Cooper commented of the scientists participating in a June 1995marine biology mission aboard Aquarius, "In many ways this is like a space mission... We need to keep a close eye on them to make sure everything's okay."[10]
DuringHurricane Gordon in 1994, Cooper helped rescue a crew of scientists and divers who had to evacuate Aquarius and climb up a rescue line to the surface in 15-foot seas after one of the habitat's generators caught fire.[2][6] As of 2008, no scientists or staff members had been injured at Aquarius due to storms.[2]
In July 2004, Cooper took part as a habitat technician in theNASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 6 (NEEMO 6) mission, one of a series ofNASA-NOAA missions which use Aquarius as ananalog environment for space exploration. The NEEMO 6 crew lived and worked underwater aboard Aquarius for ten days.[11][12][13] In April 2005, Cooper served as a habitat technician during theNEEMO 8 mission, the crew of which lived underwater for three days.[14][15]
Other missions aboard Aquarius in which Cooper has participated include a June 2006 mission with theU.S. Navy Specialized Research Diving Detachment (SRDD) during which NURC divers investigated the possibility of usingrebreathers during excursions from Aquarius.[16] During the investigation of the death of Aquarius aquanautDewey Smith in 2009, the panel of outside experts asked Cooper to organize a test in which the hydraulic hammer in use near Smith at the time of his fatal accident was again used underwater in the vicinity of anInspiration closed circuit rebreather (CCR) similar to the one Smith had been using.[17]
Cooper is a friend ofSEALAB aquanautBob Barth, whom he regards as a mentor.[18][19] In 2003, Cooper, Barth,U.S. Navy Supervisor of DivingCaptain Mark Helmkamp and NOAA Captain Craig McLean organized a partnership allowing Navy divers to take part in Aquarius saturation diving missions.[20] In a blog entry written in 1999, Cooper wrote of his fellow Aquarius topside personnel and habitat technicians, "If the scientists are the astronauts, these guys are the junior Bob Barths."[21]
After leaving the Operations Manager position in 2009, Cooper continued serving with Aquarius in his capacities as diver, medical technician and habitat technician, as well as working on program development and collaborations with other agencies.[3] In March 2010, Cooper retired as Operations Director of Aquarius.[7][22] At Cooper's retirement ceremony, Barth commented, "You're the only one, don't be the last!"[23] Cooper subsequently joined the team of retiredUniversity of Connecticut professorRichard A. Cooper, who hopes to build an undersea lab calledSeaBase 1 in theBelize Barrier Reef.[24]
Shepard, Andrew N.; Dinsmore, David A.; Miller, Steven L.; Cooper, Craig B.; Wicklund, Robert I. (1996). Lang, MA; Baldwin, CC (eds.)."Aquarius Undersea Laboratory: The Next Generation".The Diving for Science…1996, "Methods and Techniques of Underwater Research". Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (Sixteenth Annual Scientific Diving Symposium):205–212. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. RetrievedFebruary 29, 2012.
^Shepard, Andrew N.; Dinsmore, David A.; Miller, Steven L.; Cooper, Craig B.; Wicklund, Robert I. (1996). Lang, MA; Baldwin, CC (eds.)."Aquarius Undersea Laboratory: The Next Generation".The Diving for Science…1996, "Methods and Techniques of Underwater Research". Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (Sixteenth Annual Scientific Diving Symposium):205–212. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. RetrievedFebruary 29, 2012.
^abCooper, Craig (August 1999)."Aquarius - Craig Cooper". University of North Carolina Wilmington. Archived fromthe original on December 10, 2012. RetrievedMarch 26, 2012.
^Cooper, Craig (August 13, 1999)."Aquarius - Journal 5". University of North Carolina Wilmington. Archived fromthe original on December 15, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2012.
