(Note: This is the first of 2 posts about the NW Hawaiian Islands research cruise. If they are posted in the wrong order, please read this one first.)
After narrowly missing Hurricane Irene in the Bahamas, I managed to make it in time to Hawaii to push off on a research cruise with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aboard the R/V Hi’ialakai to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The mission of the research cruise was to study deep coral reef sites with an emphasis on deep reef fish through the use of open-circuit trimix technical diving.
I was extremely excited to get back to Hawaii after not having been “home” since the start of my scholarship year in April. I was also pretty amped about the fact that the cruise was filled with an all-star cast of researchers and the opportunity to practice my trimix technical diving skills in a research setting. The ship pushed off from Pearl Harbor August 29th and started steaming up the Hawaiian Island chain. Our cruise schedule was Nihoa, French Frigate Shoals, Gardner Pinnacles, Lisianski atoll, and Pearl and Hermes Reef with a stop at Ni’ihau on the return. Unfortunately due to an unexpected incident we were unable continue with trimix diving and the Chief Scientist had to quickly change plans and adjust the cruise from a deep reef cruise to a semi-deep reef cruise using conventional scuba. Consequently, my primary purpose switched from technical diving to assisting my former boss and advisor, Carl Meyer, with apex predator research tagging Giant Trevally (Ulua) and Galapagos sharks.
(Check back soon for a blog about tagging apex predators!!!)
After successfully deploying all of our tags, swapping out underwater acoustic receivers, and getting a dive day with Kelly Gleason on the Two Brother’s shipwreck the cruise came to an end before it felt like we had even gotten started. I had an amazing trip, met top-notch researchers (Rich Pyle, Randy Kosaki, Carl Meyer, Kelly Gleason, and Greg McFall just to name a few!!!), made lifelong friends, and learned a lot! I will remember the random art hours and evening jam sessions on the bow, as much I will the research and diving. There is more to research cruises than science!!
