Welcome to our cruise blog! I'm Lauri, the science team's photographer and together with others on board we'll be giving you daily updates on the activities aboard the R/V Atlantis as we cruise to the Guaymas deep-sea hydrothermal vents. We have finally set sail, after a day delay because we still do not have diplomatic clearance to dive at the vents. As we headed out we said goodbye to the local fisherman in their boats, pelicans, the occasional sea lion and a few dolphins. For me, this should be an exciting trip, as I have never been out to sea!
Lauri's Guaymas Impressions:
5 November: Most of the science team and I arrived in Guaymas on Thursday afternoon. Since this was my first visit to Mexico I was relieved to be in the company of more experienced travelers. Warm, sunny weather made a wonderful first impression on me as our group was shuttled from the airport,
through the busy town, and on to the Atlantis. The impressive 274' working research vessel has every comfort, including fantastic food, workout equipment, and a much anticipated and soon to be assembled swimming pool (more of a hot tub really). I feel extremely fortunate to be able to join the scientists and ship's crew on this cruise. Hopefully I'll get my sea legs quickly.
6 November: Today was spent setting up the labs, rounding up last minute supplies, and buying cold meds (bummer). Guaymas is a busy port town that was recently hit by a hurricane. We saw many rescued fishing boats that had sunk in the harbor during a previous hurricane. The word of a delayed departure came down sometime after dinner, causing all of us to reschedule our plans for Saturday...
7 November: Another spectacular sunrise. Since we were still in port, the Alvin team decided to do many of their briefings with the science team, myself included, which means: I sat in Alvin. Words fail to describe how cool that was. I had absolutely no expectations of diving, but we were all required to go through a half-hour intro to the sub and be shown video and safety procedures. In case you forgot, Alvin's cabin is a titanium sphere 82" (about 7 feet) in diameter, which means it is cramped. When submerged, there is no personal space and going to the bathroom is a public affair. Also, in case of the extremest of emergencies, the sphere can be separated from the rest of the sub to allow it to float to the surface. No one knows what that trip would be like since it's never been done.
8 November: We're off to the station (dive destination)! With perfect weather, no wind, and 1 to 2 foot swell, the ship feels like its gliding on ball bearings. Much to my immense joy we were greeted by several bottle nosed dolphins near the mouth of the bay, but they swam off before I could photograph them. The morning was occupied with more safety training and drills, one of which offered me the pleasure of trying on my immersion "Gumby" suit! Notice Josh Steinberg's color coordinated hair and outfit (on left).
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