Waking up upon day 3 to rainy weather and a rocking vessel, I quickly had to rethink my shower taking strategy.  The sway of the vessel from the waves caused me to hold on to the shower head or brace myself to the wall to prevent me from falling over.  I learned to always keep 1 hand for myself and 1 hand for the boat.  It is a great thing I began dosing myself with Dramamine last night as the symptoms of motion sickness have not been much of a factor. 

               After washing up, I head to the galley for coffee and some breakfast.  After about 4 cups of coffee and another Dramamine pill, I was ready for the MUSTER Drill.  After the safety meeting the alarm bell rang which is the signal to grab your personal flotation device (PFD) and head to your MUSTER station for a head count, this is where you would meet in case of an emergency. This is also where the life boats are housed.

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For my COAST students, this is what a LEVEL I Off-Shore PFD looks like and it is designed to keep you upright while floating in the water.

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After the drill we had the science laboratory meeting where instructions and specific job duties were discussed.  Dr. Sutton reviewed the procedures of the MOCNESS net (Multiple Opening/Closing Net Environmental Sensing System) and the importance for following strict guidelines.  He then diagramed how the 6 different nets operate in order to get the samples from different depths (200m-1500m)

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Dr. Cook and Dr. Judkins then gave me my assignment.  I will be helping to sort, measure, and weigh the different species that come aboard. I will be working with Mike at this station here.

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As I am typing this, Dr. Judkins came running in and said there are a pod of dolphins on the bow of the boat.  I thought this would be a perfect way to end this blog entry right before dinner!  SEE THE VIDEO BELOW!!!

 

 

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Dolphin video

 

We should be at our 1st station at around midnight tonight, so stay tuned in for more exciting updates!

 

 

Chris Valdes, Teacher at Sea