After leaving the Pacific Northwest I traveled east to spend a couple of weeks in Massachusetts with the Malkoski family enjoying the beautiful colors of fall and getting a proper taste of the area that included lobster, Dunkin’ Donuts, and a visit to Plymouth Rock (not all at the same time, of course).

My first stop in New England was Woods Hole where I visited the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), one of oldest and largest oceanographic research institutions. On a brief walk along the dock we met the engineers who work on ROV Jason prepping for an upcoming trip to Hawai’i and got the whole tour of the operating room then later checked out the Deepsea Challenger,  the submersible that James Cameron took down into the Marianas Trench. A pretty spectacular place indeed!

In my future and current work as a diver and biologist, getting stranded on a broken boat is unfortunately pretty common and at times can be mildly terrifying. I decided that having at least some knowledge about the mysterious world of boat engines and repair is bound to come in handy at some point in life! Thus, I spent a week learning and working at Niemiec Marine, a boat yard located in New Bedford, MA. Here I received an immersive crash-course in engine repair, care and maintenance, winterizing boats, and towing.

Nearing the close of my time in the area, I accompanied Vin Malkoski, my host and New England Regional Coordinator, on some adventures working for Massachusetts Marine Fisheries.

Since I did not want the camera to get messed up by too much silt in the water, I did not bring it along for the ‘young of the year lobster survey’ (aka lobster suctioning expedition), but rest assured it was a lot of work as well as a lot of fun.

And now I’ll be running from the cold up in New England and headed to warmer waters!