Donning our survival suits
To see us off on our voyage, a friendly pod of bottlenose dolphins raced alongside our bow, leaping with the same excitement we felt as we departed Gulfport.
Since it’s the first time at sea for many of us, our briefings including a safety meeting. We got to try on our lifejackets, and some oversized “Gumby” (Survival) suits. We learned how to save our fellow scientists when someone inevitably falls overboard(just kidding!), as well as how to escape our living quarters through a secret hydraulic door, inspired by the demise of the Titanic.
We were also briefed on the myriad ways we could make use of the high-definition cameras on the Alvin, including some that can pivot all the way around to look behind the state-of-the-art submersible. We can utilize technology to document our expeditions while we deploy our collection gear and explore the briny depths.
After a quick pre-dive briefing, we feel ready for our first dive tomorrow! Our destination: A brine pool about 700 meters (2300 feet) deep surrounded by mussels, tubeworms, and perhaps things yet unseen… Brine pools are deep sea “lakes” filled with salty water so dense they lie on the bottom of the ocean. These pools have high concentrations of methane that feeds chemosynthetic bacteria that support unique ecosystems of specialized animals that call these pools home. Even though the site is so deep, it will be one of our shallower sites we visit over the course of our long voyage!
Author’s Highlights:
Thank you for sharing, what’s next?