National Marine Sanctuary – Page 5 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 17, 2014August 21, 2021

Amy Orchard: Day 1, 2 and 3 – Cool Scientists, Multibeam, Setting Traps, Cetaceans, September 16, 2014

NOAA Teacher At Sea
Amy Orchard
Aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
September 14 – 27, 2014

Mission: Fish Tagging
Geographical area of cruise: Riley’s Hump: Tortugas Ecological Reserve South
Date: September 14, 15, 16, 2014

Weather: September 16, 2014 20:00 hours
Latitude 24° 30’ 30’’N Longitude 83° 09’ 9’’W
Few clouds, clear. Humidity 10%.
Wind speed 7 knots.
Air Temperature: 28° Celsius (83° Fahrenheit)
Sea Water Temperature: 30.4° Celsius (86.7°Fahrenheit)

SUNDAY:

Getting to Know the Nancy Foster

Scott Donahue, Science Coordinator for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Chief Scientist for this cruise, brought me aboard and gave me a tour of the Nancy Foster early in the day. Also there was Tim Olsen, Chief Engineer, who I had met on the plane from Atlanta to Key West. I was overwhelmed with the capacity of the ship. It is huge and fully equipped for a wide variety of scientific endeavors, diving, mapping, surveying, launching large equipment etc. I feel lucky to be a part of what is going on.

Click on these two photos for more information

When I boarded the small jet plane from Atlanta to Key West, the man sitting behind me pointed at my TAS hat and said “You are on my ship tomorrow!” It was nice to have a friendly greeting even before I saw the ship. Photo by Scott Donahue 9/14

Scott Donahue, Chief Scientist, showed me the ship and then gave me a nice tour of the NOAA’s ship Nancy Foster Complex where his office is. They have a great LEED certified building with low profile solar panels (due to hurricanes) Photo credit: Tim Olsen 9/14

Short Jaunt into Key West

After taking some time to see Key West, I headed back to the ship where I met Cammy Clark from the Miami Herald who will be with us for one week reporting on our experience. Cammy and I spent the night on the ship awaiting the science team to arrive early tomorrow morning. The ship is in dock so I can’t yet be sure if I will suffer from sea sickness. However, I hear that there is 100% survival rate if it does occur!

Click on these two photos for more information

Key West beach. No one was swimming but me and the pelicans – can’t be near water without getting wet!

Drinking water out of native coconuts, chopped open by a local with a machette. Photo by: nearest tourist!

MONDAY:

Meeting the Scientists

During the two weeks aboard, I will be working with 10 scientists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), 7 NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary scientists and 2 ROV pilots from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I am excited to be a part this interagency collaboration. Seems like an efficient way to communicate and share experiences.

Guess which photo shows the scientists I will be working with…

stock photo

photo by Amy Orchard

Answer: PHOTO ON THE RIGHT. FWC scientists from left to right: Mike McCallister, Jeff Renchen,Danielle Morley, Ariel Tobin (in front), Ben Binder, Paul Barbera. Not as reserved or stodgy as you might picture a group of scientists, but they are incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated to their work. They are unbelievably cool people! They have amazing stories to tell, are easy-going and love to have a good time. I want to be like them when I grow up!

Preparing to Do Science

One of the many things we will do this week is tagging fish. To do this, we will travel away from the ship on small boats to set fish traps. Once the right fish are contained, the dive team will surgically insert an acoustic tag which will allow them to monitor the fish’s movements throughout different reaches of the sanctuary. This information is important to see the effectiveness of protected areas vs. non-protected areas.

The divers perform this surgery underwater (usually at depths of 95-110 feet) in order to reduce stress on the fish and to avoid air bladder expansion.

Today the divers went out to practice their diving skills before the intense work begins. I got to travel with them in the small boat. Even though I am certified to SCUBA dive, only American Academy of Underwater Sciences divers and other divers with official reciprocity are allowed to dive off NOAA ships. (reciprocity is the word of the day – look it up!) The diving these scientists do is much more technical than the recreational diving I do in Mexico, but they enjoy it just as much.

Best note of the day: No sea sickness! (yet)

dive boat being lowered — The 4 small boats sit on the back deck of the ship and are lowered over the side with a large crane. Once the boat is on the water, we climb down a rope ladder (which is swinging ferociously in the waves!)

me on the small dive boat — The *Nancy Foster* has four small boats. Three for dive operations and one reserved as a rescue boat. It was exciting to have a different perspective and to see the *Nancy Foster* out at sea from the small boat. Photo by Linh Nugyen

TUESDAY:

Multibeam Sonar

Last night was the first night I slept on the ship while it was out to sea. I had a really hard time sleeping as I would awaken every half hour feeling as if I were going to roll over and fall out of my top bunk! This movement was due to the fact that science is being done aboard the Nancy Foster 24 hours a day. During the night time, Nick Mitchell and Samantha Martin, the Survey Technicians, are running the Multibeam Sonar which determines ocean depth and creates a map of the sea floor contours. Using 512 sonic beams, sound is emitted, bounces off the sea bed, then returns to the ship.

See these videos for more information: http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/education_animations.htm

The ship would travel out about 3 miles, then turn 180° to make the next pass. Cruising at about 1 mile every 10 minutes (walking speed) we were turning about every 30 minutes, explaining my rockn’ night!

Amy Orchard: Headed Out to Sea! September 5, 2014

NOAA Teacher At Sea
Amy Orchard
(Soon to Be) Onboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
September 14 – 27, 2014

Mission: Fish Survey (Cubera Snapper and Black Grouper)
Geographical area of cruise: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Date: September 5, 2014

Pre-Trip Introduction

Greetings from the sunny Sonoran Desert. My name is Amy Orchard and I live in Tucson, Arizona, USA. This is a wonderful time of the year to be in the desert. Although the day-time temperatures can soar into the 100’s (100 degrees F/37.8 degrees C) the monsoon rains are falling and the desert is lush with many hues of green. Plants that appear to be dead most of the year have sprung alive with a bounty of leaves. Below is a close up of one of my favorites, the Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) If you look closely you can see that the stem itself has some green on it as well, this is how they photosynthesize when there isn’t enough water to support leaf growth.

Foquieria splendens - Ocotillo — Desert monsoon rains bring to life plants that appear to be dead the rest of the year. Zoom in to see the chlorophyll present in the STEM of the plant which allows it to photosynthesis when it is too dry to support leaf growth.

I am lucky enough to have my dream job! Actually, I work two jobs, and both are dreamy. On the side, for fun and for my personal growth, I teach yoga. Most of my students are Middle School aged, but I teach K-adult as well. Yoga is a great way to chill out, become strong and learn to be flexible (physically and mentally.)

My full-time job, the one that opened up this wonderful opportunity to be a Teacher At Sea with NOAA, is as an Education Specialist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is an amazing place that is all at once a museum, a zoo, a botanical garden, an art institute and an aquarium. We only display plants and animals native to the Sonoran Desert Region. This makes it a very unique place. I work with live animals such as tarantulas, snakes, hawks, tortoises, toads, porcupines and skunks.

Mephitis macroura - Hooded Skunk — Do not worry! He is de-scented.

I also work closely with the wildest of all animals – teenagers! I run the youth programs at the museum including our Earth Camp summer expeditions and the teen volunteer program – the Junior Docents. I love working with students in middle school and high school. They are so curious about the world around them and have a passion to work towards protecting it for the future. They are eager to learn through my adventures on-board the Nancy Foster. I will challenge them to increase their understanding of the natural world by providing a “Challenge Your Understanding” section at the end of my posts. (Prizes for anyone who answers ALL of my questions while on board!) Feel free to take the challenge questions yourself, even if you aren’t a wild teenager.

Earth Campers at Arches National Park — This rugged group of teens and I traveled the Western United States exploring the issue of water use. We hiked, backpacked, river rafted and drove many, many miles through the beautiful, open lands of Arizona and Utah.

I will miss my family while I am gone. They are the coolest people on earth… well the Earth Campers and Junior Docents I have worked with over the last 15 years are superbly awesome as well, but my family takes the cake! I’m not exactly sure that my daughters will miss me very much. They are busy on their own adventures. Sonora, my oldest, is in China for 4 months teaching English. Naomi, a Junior in High School, is attending an Environmental Stewardship boarding school in Northern WI called Conserve School until Christmas. I hope they will find time to follow my blogs! And I hope my poor husband will get along without his three ladies to keep him entertained.

Orchard Family — We aren’t always this nicely dressed. We are most often found in biking, hiking or rafting gear.

I am thrilled to have been selected to be a Teacher At Sea. There were nearly 200 applications this season and only 24 of us were chosen. It seems like a miracle they picked me. However it came about, I couldn’t be more honored. I love learning new things and cannot imagine all the knowledge I will gather aboard my 14-day scientific cruise. Even though I live in the desert, I am very interested in ocean acidification, sea level rise and melting glaciers. I understand that the changes happening to our climate affect all of us, no matter how far in-land we live. I look forward to understanding more about changes in fish populations and coral reef health from my time about the Nancy Foster using ROVs and multi-beam sonar to survey fish populations. I will be eager to take my new knowledge back to Tucson and enhance the way we share our new aquarium and information about the oceans with the 50,000 visitors to our museum.

You may be wondering why we have an aquarium at a desert museum! Check out the map below to understand that we have sharks and sea stars in our desert! It is a part of our landscape, weather systems and culture. That leads me into the my first Challenge-Your-Understanding question.

Sonoran Desert Region Map — The Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of California, is sandwiched right in the middle of our desert.

Challenge Your Understanding

(mark any that apply)

Bonus Points to anyone who adds a comment and defines the word ENDEMIC!

July 17, 2014August 21, 2021

Daniel Rivera: First Day Meeting the Crew, July 16, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Daniel Rivera

Aboard Research Vessel Fulmar

July 16 – 24, 2014

Mission: Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS)

Geographical Area: Spud Point Marina; Bodega Bay CA.

Date: July 16, 2014

Weather Data from the bridge: N/A (day at port)

Science and Technology Log:

This trip is part of an ongoing mission called Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS ) that monitors the ecosystem health of the northern California National Marine Sanctuaries. To determine the health of the ecosystem, scientists collect water samples, perform net tows, and monitor the number and behavior of organisms (birds, mammals, turtles, ships, and marine debris) along predetermined routes, called transects. A map of the transects we will cover this trip can be found in the picture below.

Transect Lines for the ACCESS Cruise
Caption: The red lines are the transects, the path the ACCESS cruise takes in order to collect samples and monitor organisms.

The vessel used on the ACCESS cruise is called the R/V Fulmar, a 67-foot boat that has been used by NOAA for the past 8 years. The boat has enough sleeping room for 6 scientists and 2 crew. Read more about it here http://www.sanctuarysimon.org/regional_sections/fulmar/.

Personal Log:

Where to begin? I guess the most logical place to start is on shore, when I first meet up with Jan Roletto–the cruise leader for our trip–at the Gulf of the Farallones NMS, Crissy Field office in San Francisco. The cruise leader is responsible for the logistics of the trip: who’s on board, emergency contacts, what transects we will monitor, the ports we will visit, and a host of other responsibilities once we actually leave land. What’s interesting about this cruise is that it’s a collaborative monitoring effort between three groups: The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Point Blue Conservation Science, all local to the Bay Area. The three groups take turns being the cruise leader; this trip the cruise leader is from the Gulf of the Farallones; the next cruise leader will be from Cordell Bank.

Once we load up our vehicles with the equipment needed for the cruise, we drive the roughly 1.5 hours north to Spud Point Marina in Bodega Bay, CA. This is where I first catch sight of our vessel, the R/V Fulmar, and this is where mob (or mobilization) happens, which is short for saying loading all the gear onto the boat. (When we come back to shore on the last day, we will demob, or demobilize.)

Once everything is loaded on board I settle in to my cozy bunk below the bridge, the command center of the ship. On either side of the bridge there is a small set of stairs that leads to a bunk room; I’m staying to the left of the bridge, sleeping on the top bunk. Slightly bigger than a bunk bed from childhood, but without the rails, I wonder if I will fall to the floor during the trip. Not only would the fall hurt, but my bunk sits precariously next to an emergency escape hatch, which one must use a metal ladder to access. So, not only would I fall to the floor because of no railing, but I would almost certainly hit the metal ladder on the way down. Note to self: don’t move while sleeping.

Bunk Beds on the R/V Fulmar — Don’t fall off the top bunk unless you want to bang into the emergency escape ladder.

The main deck has a two-room kitchen, a work center for all the computers on board, a dining area that turns into a king-sized bed, three additional bunk beds, and a bathroom that is surprisingly roomy for a boat—I have many friends who would gladly exchange their bathroom for the Fulmar’s. The back of the boat contains a deck and winch for deployment of nets, divers, etc., and the front of the boat there is an observation deck with an anchor hanging in front. On the top deck there is a container with 20 immersion suits (flotation suits that keep you warm in the event of an abandon ship), a host of observation seats, and secondary controls for the movement of the ship. Underneath the main deck is where the twin engines await to propel us out into the deep blue sea.

After many introductions to the rest of the crew, a nice dinner at a local restaurant, and many stories of what to expect, we each head to bed around 10pm to ensure a good night’s rest for the first day at sea.

Did you know? If you hear 7 short rings of the bell/horn followed by one long ring, you better get a move on to the immersion suit: this is the call for abandon ship!

Question of the Day? The California Current is one of four that makes up the North Pacific Gyre. What other 3 currents complete this gyre?

New Term/Phrase/Word: mob and demob

Something to Think About: The more you eat while on a cruise, the less seasick you will become, which is counterintuitive.

Challenge Yourself: What kind of clothing do you think you’ll need to comfortably engage in a 9-day monitoring cruise at sea?

April 30, 2014August 20, 2021

Jamie Morris: Diving, Driving, and NOAA Corps, April 28, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jamie Morris
Aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
April 19 – May 1, 2014

Mission: Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Southeast Regional Ecosystem Assessment
Geographical Area of Cruise: Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS)
Date: Monday, April 28, 2014

Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 8-10 nautical miles
Wind: 12 knots
Swell Waves: 2 feet
Air Temperature: 72.1ºF
Seawater Temperature: 71.0ºF

Science and Technology Log

The water wasn’t as smooth today as it was yesterday, but the divers still were very successful. One fish survey was completed today. A few dives were made to check shackles on the anchors of a receiver and to retrieve a railroad tie at one of the receiver sites. The divers also began the Marine Debris Surveys today. A total of 6 surveys were conducted. Five of the six groups were able to find the marking pin. Those sites had no marine debris. The sixth site could not find the marking pin and therefore were not able to fully complete the survey. The divers did find a lot of fishing line at this site, which they removed.

Divers use the diagrams to locate the Marine Debris Survey location. Photo: Sarah Webb — Divers use the diagrams to locate the Marine Debris Survey location.
Photo: Sarah Webb

Fishing line embedded in invertebrates. Photo: Sarah Webb — Fishing line embedded in invertebrates.
Photo: Sarah Webb

Fishing line embedded in invertebrates. Photo: Richard LaPalme — Fishing line embedded in invertebrates.
Photo: Richard LaPalme

The weather is forecasted to start turning tomorrow. The divers are scheduled to complete morning dives, but most likely will not be able to complete afternoon dives due to poor weather. In the morning, Lauren and Hampton will complete one fish survey and one marine debris survey. The second boat will have Katie, Richard, Sarah Webb, and Randy. This group will conduct two marine debris surveys. Hopefully they will be able to get the dives in tomorrow, but safety comes first.

Over the past week I have been talking to all the crew members learning about their different jobs. There are basically several groups on the ship. There is the scientific party. This group conducts different research on the ship. These groups are constantly changing and are the guests of the ship. The permanent groups are the Commissioned Officers, Engineering Department, Deck Department, Survey Department, and the Stewards. All the departments are incredibly important and play vital roles in the operation of the ship. The Commissioned officers are in charge of the movements of the ship. The Engineering department controls the mechanical aspects of the ship. The Deck Department operates the cranes and maintains the small boats. The scientific and electronic equipment is controlled by the Survey Department and the Stewards keep all the crew well nourished. (For a more detailed description of these roles, please visit the GRNMS website at: http://graysreef.noaa.gov/science/expeditions/2014_nancy_foster/log_04242014.html )

Commanding Officer LCDR Nick Chrobak and Junior Officer ENS Conor Maginn

Today I want to focus on the Commissioned Officers. The Commissioned Officers are members of the NOAA Corps. NOAA Corps members can be found on the 19 NOAA Ships and 12 NOAA Aircraft. They can be found working on projects on the land, in the air, and at sea. The NOAA Corps was originally established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 with the responsibility of surveying the coasts. Today the NOAA Corps works in a variety of fields including oceanography, fisheries, engineering, earth sciences, and meteorology. NOAA Corps provide the leadership and operational support to meet NOAA’s mission of surveying the Earth’s oceans, coasts, and atmosphere to ensure the economic and physical well-being of the Nation.

All NOAA Corps officers hold at least a baccalaureate degree, preferably in science or engineering. All officers must have completed at least 48 semester hours in science, math, or engineering coursework and must have completed college level calculus and physics. Other requirements include passing a mental and physical as well as a background check. You also must be able to complete 20 years of active commissioned service before your 62^nd birthday.

Each new NOAA Corps officer must complete an initial training program that lasts about 5 months. The NOAA Corps now conducts this program with the US Coast Guard. During this training officers learn about maritime activities such as navigation, ship handling, and emergency and rescue procedures. The training also teaches the officers about military procedures such as marching, drills, and the military ranks, structures and protocols. After completing the training, NOAA Corps members continue their training aboard a ship. This training lasts around 12 to 15 months. During this time the new officer is trained by the experienced officers. After the training period, the new officer must pass a test to demonstrate mastery of the necessary skills. Some ships do this as an oral test format where the officers ask the new officer how to they would handle certain situations. On the Nancy Foster, a life ring is thrown overboard and the new officer has to retrieve it. This simulates a Man Overboard. After the new officer passes the test they earn a permanent position on the ship. This position will last between 2 to 3 years. Officers are reassigned positions every 2 to 3 years. They rotate between ship and land based positions. Land based positions can include working at NOAA Labs, Marine Sanctuaries, and NOAA Administrative offices.

Even though the ship documents all the movements electronically, it is very important to still record the ship's path on paper. ENS Felicia Drummand records the location. — Even though the ship documents all the movements electronically, it is very important to still record the ship’s path on paper. ENS Felicia Drummand records the location.

For more information on the NOAA Corps, please visit: http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov/

I honestly did not know that the NOAA Corps existed until this trip. I really wished I had known about it earlier, not only for myself, but for my students. I do hope that my former and current (as well as future) students consider looking

into the NOAA Corps. It is a wonderful way to serve your country while still working with the sciences.

Did You Know?

There are seven uniformed services in the United States. These include the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, NOAA Corps, and the Public Health Service.

Personal Log

I had one of the most fun experiences last night. I went up to the bridge to get the weather data as well as watch the sunset. Executive Officer LCDR Mark Blankenship and Junior Officer Ensign Conor Maginn were on duty. The ship was recording acoustics for the Fish Acoustics project. To do this, the ship makes several short passes over a specific area. The ship was set on autopilot to complete this task. ENG Maginn would make small adjustments to keep the ship on the desired path. As soon as the acoustics survey was complete, XO Blankenship asked if I wanted to drive the ship. They took the ship off autopilot and I drove for an hour. I had to steer it into the wind for a while so that the survey technician could fill the dive compressor which is used to fill the SCUBA tanks and then I had to steer around some sailboats. I ended by getting the ship back to the site that they ended the sonar mapping from the previous night.

It was very difficult. When driving the ship, you cannot rely on simply looking out the window (this is especially true in the dark). There are many tools and computers that you need to utilize. There are five different monitors you have to look at plus the rudder position and the compass. The rudder is controlled by a switch. It took me a while to learn how to keep the ship in a specific position. It is not like a car that will keep in a straight line. You constantly need to be move the rudder. Luckily, I had ENS Maginn guiding me. He was an excellent teacher.

This is the monitor used to control the ship's movements. — This is the monitor used to control the ship’s movements.

Driving the ship was the one thing that I told my students I really wanted to do. When I told them that, I thought that there would be a steering wheel. I was very shocked not to find one. Rather, the ship feels like you are controlling a video game. It is controlled using switches, knobs, and joysticks. You move the rudder with a switch that rotates almost 180°.

The ship's controls. No longer do you move a steering wheel. Instead there are knobs, buttons, and joysticks. — The ship’s controls. No longer do you move a steering wheel. Instead there are knobs, buttons, and joysticks.

Additional Photos

Sunset on the Nancy Foster Photo: ENS Conor Maginn — Sunset on the Nancy Foster
Photo: ENS Conor Maginn

Horse Conch slowly crawling across the sand. Photo: Richard LaPalme — Horse Conch slowly crawling across the sand.
Photo: Richard LaPalme

Jackknife Fish trying to hide. Photo: Richard LaPalme — Jackknife Fish trying to hide.
Photo: Richard LaPalme

Greater Amberjack swimming in GRNMS Photo: Richard LaPalme — Greater Amberjack swimming in GRNMS
Photo: Richard LaPalme

April 29, 2014August 20, 2021

Jamie Morris: Successful Dives and a Mystery Visitor, April 27, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jamie Morris
Aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster
April 19 – May 1, 2014

Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility: 6-8 nautical miles
Wind: 12 knots
Swell Waves: 0-1 feet
Air Temperature: 71.1ºF
Seawater Temperature: 70.2ºF

Science and Technology Log

The dive operations on the Nancy Foster have continued to progress. The Fish Telemetry Project has been very successful. All the receivers that needed replacing have been replaced and Chief Scientist Sarah Fangman has downloaded the data. She has run into a small delay in identifying many of the fish because the database with the microchip numbers has not been updated. Right now we know that there have been several mystery visitors to GRNMS. Hopefully the identities of these fish will be revealed soon. It is exciting to see where these fish have traveled from. The dive team continues to work on this project by servicing the other receivers in the water. They dive to the receivers and try to clean off any organism growing on receivers as well as make sure that the receivers are still securely attached to their anchors. There are currently 18 receivers in GRNMS. The receivers are replaced every 4 to 6 months, depending on the location.

Jared Halonen and Richard LaPalme replace the receiver. Photo: Sarah Webb — Jared Halonen and Richard LaPalme replace the receiver.
Photo: Sarah Webb

The Fish Acoustics project is also progressing very well. Lauren Hessemann is the team’s fish ID expert. She continues to make about 4 dives a day to six specific sites. She needs to record each site twice. The ship than travels to these sites and records the acoustics (fish noises). Lauren is always accompanied by a second diver who is tasked with filming the fish. A scientist will use Lauren’s data and the video to compare it to the acoustics that were recorded from these sites.

The divers have reported seeing many interesting animals. The team has observed seven sea turtles, all floating at the surface. Many curious black seabass have been seen. These fish like to investigate and will swim very close to the divers. The divers have reported that if you look behind you while swimming, many times a small school of black seabass are following. Some usual sightings have included several guitarfish and many Jackknife fish. So far there have not been any Lionfish sightings. It is believed that the cold winter has prevented their migration to GRNMS.

Sea turtle resting at the surface of the water Photo: Amy Rath

An Oyster Toadfish hides in a hole. Photo: Richard LaPalme

I have been able to go out on two different dive boats. I am not able to get in the water, but I have been able to assist from the surface. At the surface I help the divers get in and out of the boat, keep the dive and projects logs, as well as assist with the site markers. Site markers are small anchors attached to a buoy with a long rope. These markers need to be dropped at precise GPS locations. They are used by the divers to find the specific location for the assigned tasks. It is very important to have accurate drops. Many times divers are looking for specific objects or very precise locations. The marker is what they use to find these items.

Lauren Hessemann prepares to drop the dive marker.

An excellent placement of the dive marker. Photo: Hampton Harbin — An excellent placement of the dive marker.
Photo: Hampton Harbin

I have had the opportunity to sail with two different coxswains. A Coxswain is a person who is in charge or steers a boat. Yesterday I was with coxswain Jim Pontz. Jim is an Able Seaman on the Nancy Foster. Today I was with Junior Officer ENS Carmen DeFazio. Carmen has been a NOAA Corps member for a year and a half. Both Jim and Carmen explained the role of the coxswain during dives. The coxswain will drive the divers out to their dive site, but their role does not end there. They need to accurately place the dive marker. They then assist the divers getting into the water. Once the divers are in the water, the coxswains must be extremely vigilant. They need to keep a constant eye on the diver marker buoy. This lets the coxswain know the general area that the divers will be located in. If it is a calm day with small waves and low currents, this part is easy. However, most days there is a current or there are waves which cause the dive boat to drift making it difficult to stay in a specific location. The coxswain needs to also keep constant watch of the divers. You are able to “see” where the divers are based on the air bubbles that reach the surface. By tracking the bubbles, you know the path of the divers. The coxswain needs to make sure the boat is close to the divers, but not on top of the divers. While the divers are in the water, the coxswain serves the important role of being the diver’s lookout and ultimately their protection at the surface. They need to stand watch for any hazards such as other boats or dangerous wildlife and they need to be ready to get the divers out of the water in the event of an emergency.

Coxswain Carmen DeFazio drives to the dive site as Jared Halonen wraps up the stern line

Coxswain Jim Pontz and Chief Scientist returning to the Nancy Foster after a successful dive

The dives all have gone very well and the team has been progressing. Tomorrow they will finish the receiver dives and will begin the Marine Debris Surveys. The purpose of these surveys is to analyze the types of debris in GRNMS as well as the location of the debris. There are nine sites that have been marked for debris surveys. The sites have been marked with metal pins. The survey will occur over a 50 meter distance. The divers will swim the 50 meters and will look 2 meters to the right and left of the line. As the divers swim they will be recording the types, amount, and the specific locations of the debris. The normal types of debris found in GRNMS are fishing line, beer bottles, and cans. Hopefully the divers will not see a lot of debris.

Did You Know?

In order to dive on a NOAA mission, divers must be NOAA Dive Certified. This is a lengthily process that includes having a minimum of 25 previous open water dives, completing NOAA diving coursework and passing a series of tests. NOAA has different classes of divers. There are scientific divers and working divers. Scientific divers can perform only scientific tasks including making observations and collecting data. Working divers can complete construction and troubleshooting tasks under the water.

Personal Log

Life on the ship is always interesting. I am constantly learning and am having a great time. Today was particularly exciting. At lunch time one of the dive boats was brought to the side of the Nancy Foster and was raised to the hip (the side of the ship, even with the deck, but not onboard). The boat was being held out of the water by the crane. Junior Officer ENS Carmen DeFazio NOAA Corps Officer with GRNMS Jared Halonen were in the boat while Sarah Fangman and I were standing on the Nancy Foster. We were loading the dive boat with our equipment when someone spotted a large dorsal fin right next to the Nancy Foster. The fin belonged to a shark that we estimate to be 14 feet long. We are not certain of the species. You can see the photo below. It was shot through polarized sunglasses, so there is a bit of a glare. People on the ship are guessing that it is a Great White or Bull Shark. Photos have been sent to fish experts and we are waiting for confirmation.

The shark who decided to swim along the ship. We are still trying to identify it.

Commanding Officer LCDR Nick Chrobak, Sarah Fangman, Jared Halonen, and Amy Rath use books and the internet to try to identify the shark — Commanding Officer LCDR Nick Chrobak, Jared Halonen, Sarah Fangman, and Amy Rath use books and the internet to try to identify the shark

Our shark friend decided to stay next to the ship, swimming back and forth hovering many times under the dive boat. He was at the surface for about 10 minutes when it was decided to move the Nancy Foster so that the dive boat could safely be deployed. Once we were away from the shark, the dive boat was deployed. The four of us set off to our dive site. We made it to the site and dropped the dive marker. We were leaving that site to drop a second marker when we noticed a dorsal fin heading toward the first marker. We drove toward the dorsal fin to get a better look at the shark. It was an 8 foot long hammerhead. After some discussion the divers, Sarah and Jared, did get into the water. They had safe dives and did not see any more sharks. The initial sightings of the two different sharks was exciting.

Sarah and Jared prepare to dive after spotting a hammerhead shark.

Additional Photos

Jamie Morris, Lauren Heesemann, and Sarah Fangman Photo: Amy Rath — Jamie Morris, Lauren Heesemann, and Sarah Fangman
Photo: Amy Rath

Richard LaPalme returns safely to the surface after a successful dive. Photo: Sarah Webb — Richard LaPalme returns safely to the surface after a successful dive.
Photo: Sarah Webb

Approaching the Nancy Foster after a dive.