Rescuing Sea Birds

 We have had many recurring visitors in the submersible hangar. These visitors have all been small, dark feathered birds with webbed feet. Just the other day I was informed that there was one stuck in the hangar and injured, so I put on some gloves and went over to where the bird was located. After carefully removing some metal poles that were keeping the bird's right wing stuck, I gently cupped it in my hands and brought it out on deck and placed it into a milk crate. It looked visibly healthy, only shaken up a bit from being stuck. After about fifteen minutes I placed it on deck, and not long after it flew away. I kept my eyes on it for as long as I could see it to gauge it's health in the air, and it looked good as new. I discovered based on some research and image matching that the most likely species of this bird is the Sooty Shearwater. This is a sea bird which travels long distances over the ocean, and lives out here. Not all birds need land to live, however there are some instances where land birds will live on the ship while in port and get stuck on the ship after we leave port. I haven't seen any of these land birds, and I am glad for that. The day after saving this bird, we found another one in the hangar. I followed the same procedure. Five minutes after I placed the bird in the milk crate it flew back into the hangar, bumped into my coworker, then into my head, and then flew out the side of the hangar. Since that occurrence we have found one or two each night for the last 3 days. I know that there are nests of sea birds near the bow, so I think that is where they are coming from. Good news is that this species is independent once fledged.

We had our first delayed dive this morning. One of the battery cables which alerts of a leak in the starboard battery was not giving a satisfactory continuity reading. What is difficult about this problem is that in order to replace the cable, the main j-box has to be drained. A major component of working on Alvin is pressure compensation. Air is very compressable creating implodable volumes, but replacing the air volume with oil significantly reduces the compressability. So underwater these boxes do not get caved in and implode There are many "j-boxes' compensated with different types of oils. The main j-box is filled with about 8 gallons of a mineral oil. The box is drained and filled through a small hole so it takes a long time. I worked on draining it and removing the cover so that the electronic technicians could access the cable. After their replacement and successful testing I had to put it back together and refill it. Connected to the box are large tubes with wires which run into the sphere through what are called penetrators. These are very important because they penetrate the sphere supplying the electronics that run the controls and sensors. A sphere is one of the most efficient shapes at withstanding high pressure. When you take a piece out of the sphere to run wires into it, you are creating an area that is less efficient at withstanding pressure. It is extremely important that the air is chased out of these tubes to prevent compression issues underwater. Overall this process delayed the dive time by two hours and it took the efforts of everyone on the ops team to take care of it. A normal morning turned stressful just like that, but I enjoyed it. 

We are scheduled to get into San Diego the morning of the 19th, and I found out a couple days ago that I am staying on for the next trip which runs all of April. I am stoked to be able to continue this learning opportunity. I wouldn't complain if it lead to a job, but we'll see what happens.

Shark attack!

 If you are reading this, then my title most likely grabbed your attention. As I have mentioned previously there are swimmers tasked with removing lines on the sub for launches and attaching lines for recovery. After a couple days on site, the ship began attracting some attention. Almost every dive for 5 dives straight the swimmers would see a white tip shark near them in the water. There is an older gentleman who works with the Sentry AUV team, and he enjoys casting some fishing line in his free time. On a recent night I saw him casting off the port stern when I noticed his rod tip begin to bend. I rushed over to help him land the fish and I brought Scott, a swimmer in training. Some context on Scott; he is a Texan who hates the ocean, and he is only working with Alvin because the electronics are fascinating. However, he is required to swim, so he has been going out with the sharks and hating his life. He was the nearest person, maybe I should not have brought him with me. Anyway, Dana, the man fishing, landed a small skipjack tuna no larger than 8 inches. I helped him remove the lure and we released the fish. Dana casted again, and in no more than 5 seconds another fish was on. In just another 5 seconds we all witnessed a shark steal the fish off the line with blinding speed. The fish was there and then it was gone. Scott was very happy to see just how deadly the sharks can be. Needless to say Dana is not allowed to fish anymore because it is only increasing the shark activity.

As I was removing a cover on the top of the sub the other day, a bright red spider scurried out. What appeared to be a spider was actually a crab which took a ride all the way from 3,000 meters down. I gave it to the scientists to study, and went on with my day. I can't imagine what the lil bro was thinking. Going from immense pressure and zero light, to extremely low ambient pressure and hot sunlight. 

Dive #7

 We're on dive #7 today. The submersible is currently sitting around a depth of 2500 meters depth. When the sub gets back to the surface the ship has to maneuver to keep the sub forward of the bow and starboard. A small boat takes swimmers to the sub so that they can manually hook up the lines that are needed for recovery. The current carries the sub along the side of the ship. One of the Alvin ops members has to throw a tow line off the stern which the small boat grabs and brings to the sub which gets attached to the back of the sub by the swimmers. The tow line gets pulled in by a winch and the swimmers deploy a water anchor (unerwater parachute) on the sub to create drag. When the sub gets to the ship the main line and tail line drop and the swimmers attach them so that the A-frame can lift the sub onto the deck. There are more steps than that but that is the general procedure for recovery. There have been white tip sharks waiting for the swimmers everyday now they seem conditioned to when we are doing operations, so the third mate is an extra swimmer on shark watch duties. 

As for how everything else is going, I am still having a blast. I just finished my geological oceanography class for my masters program the other day. Classwork is difficult with my current schedule, but manageable. I am still not used to the humidity and the sun, being sweaty 24/7 sucks but it's beautiful out here. We had a cookout on deck with music for lunch the other day. I am getting along well with everyone, especially the kitchen staff. One of the first days I saw the white board from afar which displays the menu, and I thought it said banana pie, but it said basmati rice. The handwriting is medicore at best, I'm not bashing anyone but I was very dissapointed. However, I asked the chef how hard it would be to make one and he said he'll make one tonight so I'm pumped. We are scheduled to be back to port in San Diego by the 19th of March, and at the moment I am trying to get on the next expedition out of San Diego. The higher ups want me to stay, there are just some formalities to figure out so we'll see what happens. But the next expedition would leave San Diego on April 1st and return later in April. I don't know much about that one but they will be operating in the gulf of California. 

I feel like this is where I am meant to be, so for however long it lasts I am taking it all in.

First Submersible Dives

I was going to post last night but I was unexpectedly extremely busy. The general description of what the Alvin ops group does is they operate the submersible in order to help scientists do what they want. It becomes quite annoying when the scientists don't understand the limit to what we can do and why. Either for safety reasons or for efficiency reasons we will say no you cannot fit more than what you already have on the sub. There is a platform called the basket on the front of the sub, and that holds all the science gear which the hydraulic arms of the sub utilizes on dives. It has to be oriented in a way that doesn't hinder pilot vision, doesn't become a hazard by entanglement. Before last night there was a plan discussed between the Expedition leader and Principle investigators (Alvin team and scientists) about what they want for each dive. Last night however, the plan was changed last minute and we were working until 2300. It's not an issue I enjoy the work, but when we have to stay up that late and we have to be up at 0500 to inspect and prep the sub it becomes a concern. It's a dynamic environment and I enjoy that. You never know what to expect, and when things need a solution I have a whole mechanical shop with tools and machines to work with. During prep this morning there was a ballast blow box that was malfunctioning, so we replaced it with the spare which I took apart and reassembled. Of course I was always supervised but knowing that I did the work makes it a little crazy. It passed all the pressure tests and worked after it was installed, so I felt good about it. There are also a lot of pelagic white tip sharks hanging out around the ship now it's a cool sight.

First Days at Sea

 Nothing could prepare me for what life at sea would really be like. I gotta say, I am loving it. The ship is constantly rocking and moving around, making walking from one space to another a fun ride. I am enjoying laying in bed with my eyes closed listening to music, it is a different experience. Fingers crossed but I have not felt sick so far. My room is decent sized and my roommate is very easy going. I don't mind the small shower, although I need to get my sea legs because I keep bumping into the walls. I love working in the machine shop and getting a lot of time working with the submersible. These first few days of transit are filled with prep work for when we get to the site and begin diving. I am constantly keeping myself busy. Whether I am just observing or actually participating, I am taking advantage of everything. I'm up around 0600, breakfast at 0710, start work at 0800. From 0800 to 1800 I am usually working with the team not counting other meal times, and until 2300 or 2400 I am reading manuals or looking at the various parts on the sub. I wish I had more machining experience and maybe a minor in engineering, but I am learning as I go. The days are flying by, and I am living the dream. I went out on deck at night for the first time accompanied by my section lead. It's very ominous looking at the dark waters, and the moon was particularly bright. I can't get pictures through my email and into this blog, so if you want to see pictures check out my instagram @nobourassa14

Last Night in Golfito

 Yesterday I went diving with two senior members of the team I am working on. We went out to two wreck sites. Going from cold water diving in Maine to Costa Rica is mind blowing. We saw a spotted eagle ray, some moray eels, spiny sea urchins, giant sea stars, many many fish. Sadly I could not fit my GoPro into my duffle bag. After the dive we took a cab with a group of us and went to a nearby waterfall in the jungle. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and the people are very kind (at least those I've interacted with). Today was the first official day of work. We had a packed day of working on pre launch tasks. I first assisted in securing spaces with line, and then I helped in the mechanic shop. For the majority of the day I helped the team install new parts onto water samplers which are used to take water samples from hydrothermal vents. I was able to operate a mill to drill out some corroded set screws. I am offering help wherever and to whomever. I am really enjoying the dynamic environment and the fast pace. With everything that goes on the attention to detail is critical to this team and I have a newfound respect for organization. We set sail in the morning around 0930, so the next post will be from sea.

Golfito, Costa Rica

 Met up with a group who flew in a day later, and we took a twelve seater plane to Golfito. Checked into the hotel, then went straight to the pool and bar where everyone else was waiting. Introduced myself to the team, and grabbed some refreshments. There are some incredible people here and I still can’t believe I’m doing this. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, and fortunately the Alvin team has tomorrow off so my roommate, my mentor and I are heading out early to do some scuba diving. I’m extremely excited since my experience diving has been cold Maine waters. My state room on board is fairly big which is a pleasant surprise. My roommate's name is Jeremy and he is a design engineer/research engineer who primarily works for the ROV Jason team at WHOI. He’s super helpful and knowledgeable, and we’re diving together which will be amazing. Got the tour earlier today of the whole ship as well as the submersible hangar. We aren’t even underway yet and my mind is still blown. More to come very soon, until next time.