NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kristy Weaver
Aboard R/V Savannah
May 22, 2012-June 1, 2012
Mission: Reef Fish Survey
Geographical Location: Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Savannah, GA
Date: May 23, 2012
Current Weather: 85 and Sunny
Hello from the Atlantic Ocean! Right now we are about 75 miles off the coast of Savannah, GA. and there is water all around me! The last time we saw land was about an hour after we left the dock yesterday.
Before I left many of you asked that I be careful while I am out here. I wanted to tell you that I am safe and that safety seems to be a very important part of being a scientist, especially when you are on a ship. I took photographs of a lot of the safety equipment and information throughout the ship. We even had a safety meeting before we went out to sea. The first mate (he does a lot of work on the ship) showed us how to put on a survival suit, which is something you wear that covers your whole body and has a hood. This suit will keep you warm and floating if something happens and you need to go into the water.
After the meeting we had a fire drill just like we have at school, except we didn’t leave the boat. The captain (he is the leader of the ship) sounded the alarm and we all put on life vests and met on the deck. The deck is the back of the ship–the part that is outside. A life vest is also called a life jacket or life preserver. A life vest is put on like a jacket, but it doesn’t have any sleeves. It’s bright orange and gets buckled and tied around you so that you can float if you go in the water. You can see a picture of me in my life vest in the safety video that I made.
Many children asked what type of marine life is in the water here. Here is a list and pictures of the animals I have seen so far.
AND…to answer the #1 question that I have received…(drumroll please) YES! Someone did catch a small shark today!
Did you know that you do things in science class that I have seen real scientists do on this ship? What things do you think you do that make you like a real scientist? Check my next blog to find out how you already are a student scientist!
Hey Kris! The pics are awesome! My kids are gonna love the pic of the dolphins! We started our ocean and sea unit last week and dolphins were their favorite on the class graph (followed by the octopus-keep a look out for one they would love to see a pic!) Stay safe and enjoy-it’s such an amazing experience!
Hi Mrs. Claro!
Thanks for reading and commenting! Unfortunately I did not have my camera ready when I saw the dolphins that day so that’s just a NOAA picture. BUT they put on quite a show yesterday and I’m going to make a whole slideshow just of the dolphins! I hope your kids like it:)