Life aboard the Point Sur has been welcomed as well as an open challenge.  Before coming aboard, I really didn’t know what to expect.  The night before leaving Miami I went to dinner with my family at our Tuesday night hangout spot, Sports Grill.  My mother jokingly asked if I was going to eat a good meal that night since the food on the ship will probably consist of bologna sandwiches and bottled water. Boy was she wrong!  To the contrary, the food has been impeccable and life aboard is definitely not as grueling as I imagined.

Surf and Turf  done right! BBQ pork belly with tuna!

One week into my journey I have learned much about life at sea, especially aboard the Point Sur.  Things are very busy on the Point Sur and sleep is a high commodity.  Teams work around the clock to ensure that their research goals are met.  At any given time, you can see people moving about the ship, but at the same time you must also keep in mind that other people are in their bunks sleeping.  Personally, I have found it easier to sleep between my morning and afternoon shift.  For some reason sleeping between the night and morning shift does not suit my body well. 

The crew and scientists on board have been nothing short of entertaining!  Everyone is very easy going, probably because we all realize we have to live together for 2 weeks in such tight quarters.  We all seem to use sarcasm as a way to diffuse possible tension caused by the lack of sleep that one might encounter; therefore, jokes in the lab are a must!  Dr. Sutton is usually the person who breaks the awkward silence that fills the lab during the start of the 3am lab shift by making a silly reference to something hilarious that quickly energizes the morning crew. He is like our “cup of coffee”. 

Dr. Sutton sporting a smile and all that DEEPEND swag!

After the morning lab work is done, many of us stay up to continue the paperwork that is required by all research missions and others take the time to get sleep.  After the evening lab shift we usually gather around the television to watch the Rio Olympics!  The Olympics have become a focal point of discussions and you will hear the occasional cheer when the United States wins a medal, but that is quickly followed by someone in the group saying, “shhhh, people are sleeping”. 

The galley is the spot to be!

After dinner is dessert which may consist of several options, including the infamous Ice Cream Freezer.  This freezer’s sole purpose is dedicated to housing all the sorted ice cream you can think of. The freezer lid even has a sense of levity and encourages you to eat some!  I am sure my daughter and niece will love to have one of these at their grandparent’s house! 

Ice cream humor!

For tonight’s dessert we were in for a treat as the grill was still hot from the steak dinner.  Chef Alex quickly took out some graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate, and marshmellows for a s’mores delight!  We had a great time on the boat’s deck grilling our dessert and then laughing at each other for the chocolate and marshmallow leftovers on our faces.

After s’mores we celebrated Ben’s (Bio-acoustics) birthday with a song and cake!

 Happy Birthday Ben!

[embed=video]{"width":400,"height":225,"autostart":false,"controlbar":"bottom","backcolor":"#333333","frontcolor":"#ffffff","file":"/HBD-Ben-MP4.mp4","place":"user:187"}[/embed]

With no morning MOCNESS trawl, we will be gearing up for some night fishing!  If I land that 1,000lbs sailfish I will definitely update this blog and post some pictures!

Chris Valdes, Teacher at Sea

Laura, a PhD candidate from Florida International University, and Megan a graduate student from NOVA Southeastern University head the crustacean team on DEEPEND 04.  Most people are familiar with shrimp and crabs, but Team Crusty is concerned with much more.  Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, krill, and even mantis shrimp are points of interest. 

Both Laura and Megan are trying to establish the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 on the overall health of the Gulf crustaceans.  After the oil spill, species may have been completely wiped out, but may be supported by other crustaceans migrating from other areas like the Atlantic or Caribbean.

Laura is gathering her last specimens for her study on the crustacean genetic population in the Gulf after the oil spill.  She is trying to collect genetic data that may support that other crustaceans from the Atlantic and/or Caribbean may be migrating to the Gulf. And if so, are they helping to replenish the population that was lost after the oil spill? 

Megan is gathering data for her thesis which is focusing on the abundance and diversity of crustaceans.  She is also using that data to compare to the past DEEPEND cruises. She uses morphology rather than genetics to identify her specimens.  Her animal of interest is krill, but is very passionate about Phromina sedentaria (shown below).  This creature lives in this tiny barrel in order to capture its prey and to lay its eggs.

One area of focus that is becoming more predominant are parasites.  Below is a parasite attached to a Benthesicymidae.  This specimen will be sent to the lab for further study.

One of the coolest crustacean pulled up was a Cystisoma.  This deep sea, alien looking creature is transparent and are fairly rigged compared to its appearance.  Laura and Megan pointed out that it has 2 large lens on its head to detect light very similar to the way eyes do.

Team Crusty is definitely a joy to work with in the lab, even when they “bother me” for station net tags!

Chris Valdes, Teacher at Sea

Today I spent some time on the bridge of the Point Sur and Captain Nic Allen was very generous to show me the ropes.  He helped explain some basic features that are needed for a smooth ride.  He was first to point out the Furuno X band radar which came in handy during the storm that was rolling in.  He was able to make adjustments to the ships course according to the weather system.  He also pointed out that with this machine, he is able to locate other vessels within a18-25-mile range.  Along with the position coordinates of the vessels within that range, the radar is capable of giving great detail about them as well.  He was able to tell me the ships origins and final destination, how many crew were on board, its speed, and the closest distance between it and us if we continued the same trajectory.  This comes in handy because Capt. Allen is constantly walking from one end of the wheel house to the other.  Many times he is checking instrumentation and other times he is overseeing the crew as they manipulate the heavy machinery needed aboard the Point Sur. 

The Furuno X band radar system.

Captain Allen was able to give me a rundown of the ship’s throttle and steering controls.  He said that this ship is easily guided because it is equipped with great electronics and a great crew.  I plan on spending more time with Capt. Allen as the trip continues so he can give me a detailed tour of the ship’s navigational capabilities. 

Captain Allen explains the throttle system on the Point Sur.

The command center.

Chris Valdes, Teacher at Sea

Last night, after the Soul Train excitement in the laboratory, we decided to use an hour of down time to play with the “Green Magnet”.  I’ve been hearing the crew and the scientists speak about it, but I had no idea what they were talking about.  I learned the Green Magnet is a green lighting system that is placed in the water next to the boat.  This light attracts a wide arrange of animals including cephalopods and fish.  Almost simultaneously, the squid and fish began gathering toward the green light as soon as it entered the water, which was a sight to see.  Swarms of small schooling fish began hovering around the Green Magnet as squid would jet from one side to the other.  A few of us even dropped some fishing lines in the water in the hopes of catching a fish or even jigging a squid.

Nice catch Travis!

In the early afternoon today I had a chance to remember why I love teaching.  I was able to Skype with students from the Florida Aquarium Summer Camp.  The students were elementary aged but were full of energy and questions.  Dr. Judkins and I started off the video session by introducing ourselves and explaining our research goals at sea. 

After learning about our mission the students were very eager to ask questions, so we opened it up to the floor.  Many great questions were asked and it was apparent these students had knowledge of the ocean.  Many questions were asked about cephalopods, particularly cuttlefish and giant squid, which is Dr. Judkins’ specialty.

Students were also very eager to ask about life at sea, specifically on the vessel.  They were in shock when they learned the DEEPEND team will spend 16 days and nights at sea.  With that in mind, they inquired about what the staterooms looked like.  They were excited to hear we have bunk beds aboard the Point Sur, and they even started laughing when I told them I hit my head sitting up in bed.   Then they asked about the number of people on board and Dr. Judkins answered “23” and the student replied “so it’s like a party” and immediately all the kids started dancing.  I even caught a student in the back doing the Whip and Nae Nae (I loved this and my COAST students will tell you I often Whip and Nae Nae with them in class). 

After the camp counselors settled them down, they became very intrigued with anglerfish and blobfish.  It was at that exact moment Dr. Moore peaked his head into the Skype session to give detailed answers being his expertise. We all had a great time educating and laughing with the students while we Skyped.

Good folks, the excitement for today did not stop there…

With storm clouds rolling in, and 2 AUV’s to be picked up, I was to experience something really cool!  The weather became stormy and the waves were too great to deploy the zodiac to retrieve the AUV’s so the captain decided to position the Point Sur to use the crane on board to assist with the retrievals.  I quickly put on my hard hat and PFD, then witnessed the intense process of the retrieval.  I was on deck with the rain beating down and the waves crashing over the stern of the vessel.  I truly felt an adrenaline rush as it reminded me of episodes of The Deadliest Catch.  The ship was rocking consistently by the large waves from the storm.  After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the ECOGIG’s AUV, the SALTY DAWG, was successfully retrieved from the stormy ocean.  The SALTY DAWG and the MODENA (retrieved yesterday) are safely onboard heading back to land with us.  Even though these AUV’s are not operated by DEEPEND, this shows the dedication and collaboration of the science community to work together in achieving our goals.

This experience was so amazing and heart throbbing; I will remember it for time to come!  I am looking forward to more amazing experiences as the ones I was able to experience today!

Chris Valdes, Teacher at Sea