Seismic cable with adjustable buoyancy

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a seismic cable is described. In one embodiment, a method for performing a seismic survey in a water column is described. The method comprises providing a length of flexible cable from a cable storage device disposed on a vessel to a cable handling device adjacent the cable storage device. The flexible cable comprises a specific gravity that is greater than a specific gravity of water in the water column. The method further comprises routing the flexible cable to pass adjacent a workstation disposed on the vessel, deploying a free end of the flexible cable into the water column, attaching at least one of a plurality of seismic sensor units to the cable as the cable passes the workstation, and controlling the motion of the vessel and the rotational speed of the cable handling device to allow the flexible cable to rest on the bottom of the water column.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A seismic cable, comprising:
 a first cable segment and a second cable segment coupled together by a connector, the connector comprising a rotatable connection and electrically isolating the first cable segment from the second cable segment, each cable segment comprising:
 an inner jacket defining a hollow core; 
 a braided strength fiber surrounding the inner jacket; and 
   an outer jacket circumferentially surrounding the braided strength fiber.