First, we began our day with our usual (and last) 5 am wake-up call to examine the corals! We quickly conducted our species surveys, and then headed in so that we could save some bottom time for a night dive. The day went quick, catching up on data entry, sleep, and a few odds and ends before we begin decompression tomorrow. At noon we were joined by Fabien and a camera crew from topside to film some of our grouper deployments. Unfortunately their camera ceased functioning, but fortunately this means I'm not the only one that has lost/broken some equipment this trip! Anyway, this all seems like a blur in comparison to the past three hours of my life. For the first time on the trip, we were allowed below the Aquarius out onto the reef when it was dark! Usually we can't, as our research in the day eats up all of our bottom time.
We did have some things to keep us busy other than just sitting in the darkness, however. Kip had loaned us some of his Light and Motion UV lights and goggles that allow us to see corals in a new way! Without the glasses, the beam looks just bright blue, like in the picture above. When you add in the glasses, you start to see things like the pictures below. Corals just light up like crazy, and it feels like you're at a dance club at the bottom of the sea! Incredibly surreal sights.
As I was tying up my umbilical, I realized that I wouldn't be untangling it in the morning to go deploy seagrass and I starting getting a little depressed. Then I realized I didn't have to wake up at 5 am, and that made me feel a little better! The fact is that I'm pretty waterlogged at this point. I've had that cut on my ankle that hasn't healed for three weeks, my hands are completely cut up (some may say it's because I'm dumb and don't wear gloves, but I hate losing dexterity while wearing gloves!), and I'm ready to feel the sun. Yes, I said it, I miss the Miami sun and heat. I may never say that again! Speaking of the Heat, root for the Miami Heat basketball team! If they win and have another game, we'll be featured on the big screen at the downtown Miami arena where they play!
Anyway, I'm going to go and absorb all the things I've just seen, and take stock of where we're at. Tomorrow at 11 am, we begin our decompression process. I plan to write a little bit about what exactly that process is, and how we're going to do it! Since we will be stuck inside for seventeen hours, I feel that this will happen sooner rather than later.
Until tomorrow,
- Bree