BOWLS Cruise Blog

Day 7
June 28, 2014
45° 51' N 125° 09.300' W

Underwater view of the lander recovery

The first week of our voyage is coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday I was in Friday Harbor helping to frantically assemble landers, troubleshoot the design and deploy them in the field. Now, over a year later, we are back on the R/V Oceanus and have successfully recovered our final lander. By the sixth lander our team had developed a well-orchestrated sampling system and efficiently processed the entire lander in only a few short hours all with a buzz of excitement through the lab. Of course the sea lions plying curiously near the vessel helped to keep morale high! I was much more excited about the ocean sunfish (Mola mola) that we briefly saw at the surface. I can now scratch that off of my list of buzz are marine animals to spot in the wild.

Sunset and Dolphins

Aside from conducting awesome ocean science, I always enjoy meeting new people on cruises. My last trip on the R/V Oceanus was wonderful and I met crew and scientists from all around the world. On this trip I've spent time talking to a lot of the crew about their backgrounds, answering questions about our project and sharing experiences with other members of the science crew. It never ceases to amaze me at how small of a world it is, especially in the deep-sea science community. Perhaps the most entertaining event today was listening to World Cup Brazil vs Chile game with our three Brazilian colleagues. The game was quite close but in the end Brazil was victorious and celebratory ice cream was in order.

As the end of the day drew near, an amazing sunset shined through on the horizon and a small group of dolphins played in the bow wake of the ship. Staring out onto the ocean I was humbly reminded of how much I love going to sea and why I chose this line of work for myself. 

Amanda Ziegler

Graduate Student

University of Hawai’i

Last updated: 06/29/2014