Wake and the Marianas

New Expedition

2008-03-10T13:59:00.002-10:00

For those of you who are still checking this feed, we are now off on another expedition, this time to Samoa and the Line Islands. To follow along, hop over to http://hi0802.blogspot.com

Thanks and see you next time ...

2007-06-12T20:22:00.000-10:00

As you have likely guessed, our mission has concluded with a flurry and most of the science party is variously back in Honolulu or off on further adventures making use of their well earned leave. The final days of the cruise were busy but full of new sights and adventures. We had a few days of wind which made the waters a bit choppy, but nothing more than we are used to. Just enough to remind us how well we were treated by the weather this year. It was truly amazing. Over a research cruise of any length but especially one this long, it is the weather that is the first to sap both strength and moral. There is nothing worse than pounding through heavy seas and driving spray day after day after day. Add rain and cold to the mix and you've made yourself something not al all approaching the heavenly bliss we were treated to this year. I really cannot stress that enough. I might even go as far as to say the weather made of for the non-stop rotation of tuna and egg salad that seemed to greet us for lunch the entire last month of the trip. That was a bit of a downer. The Hi'ialakai has always been the ship we looked forward to sailing with in large part due to the phenomenal cooking of the chief steward, Alan Gary. We're still not exactly sure what happened with the lunches this year. Oh well, small gripes in the end.

After our last days at Ascencion and Guguan we had and overnight steam to Saipan and then a lovely two days in port which most of us, I can happily say survived. Several of us spent a good part of the time relaxing in the pool at the Hyatt before pacing our gear and getting ready for the trip home which was long, but otherwise uneventful.

I am now back in Honolulu. Jake, Jamie and several others have headed off to Palau and Indonesia for surfing and, can you believe it, more diving! Will we never stop. We will spend the next several months consolidating, checking and analyzing our data and should have a report out in due course. We are happy to be home, but will miss the Wake, the Marianas and all the beauty they hold.

At the close, I want to thank each and every one of you for your readership, thoughts and comments during our cruise. All told we have over 1,491 visitors who logged on to hi0701.blogspot.com 2,834 times. That is incredible and very touching. We have had readers from:

The United States
Canada
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Guam
Germany
The Philippines
The United Kingdom
Mali
American Samoa
Hong Kong
The Netherlands
Slovenia
Turkey
Switzerland
Kuwait
Indonesia
Sweden
South Korea
China.

Thanks to each and every one of you. Thanks to all of the scientists and thanks to the wonderful officers and crew of the NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai. As always, this cruise would not have been possible without their steadfast dedication, patience and understanding.

With that we are off. Please check www.oceanben.com/expeditions for future expeditions around the Pacific. See you there ...

Maug and Uracas, our farthest north

2007-06-04T21:22:00.000-10:00

With Maug and Uracas behind us we have reached the northern limit of our mission and are on our way south and home. Our three days at Maug were some of the most spectacular diving of the cruise. Crystal clear waters and wall plunging hundreds of feet into the blue. Diving, hiking, and a little relaxation were all welcome rest-bits from our otherwise non-stop operations. Maug is made up of three islands ringing a central lagoon more than 500 feet deep. Inside this lagoon, hydrogen sulfide still bubbles from the sand, a reminder that these islands were not always the calm and peaceful waters that greeted us. Our oceanography team spent the better part of a day collecting these tiny bubbles for later analysis.

Uracas served as yet another reminder. While the underwater world was not as spectacular as that of Maug, the above water sights were from another world. Uracas is a grey cinder cone, a over-turned ice cream cone in the middle of the pacific. Constant rock falls and avalanches down it's sides kept plumes of dust drifting through the air. During one of our tows, a section of cliff the size of our boat broke loose and came crashing to the beach hundreds of feet below. It certainly gave us something to look at during the hour long surface interval we have while the other team was in the water.

Uracas also gave me one of my most exciting experiences of the mission when a six foot tuna came to check out my fins during an afternoon dive. Jake and I were collecting Crown of Thorns starfish arms for genetic analysis and photographing the reef when I saw several Dogtooth tuna swimming in deep water. I slowly swam out to meet them as the largest of the group started to angle my way. I stopped and slowly raised the camera to my mask as he glided effortlessly towards me. He came to within two feet of my fin tips before circling around behind and slowly moving away. It was awe-inspiring to say the least.

Tom Schilis contributed photographs to this article

Close Encounters at Maug Islands

2007-06-04T07:06:00.000-10:00

It was our first day at Maug, near the northern extreme of the Marianas Archipelago. The three wall-like (~800 ft tall) islands that comprise Maug form the rim of an ancient volcano, with three passages to a deep (to nearly 1,000 ft) lagoon or submerged caldera. These high islands are spectacularly scenic, with a pre-history feel. Our first dive was fairly routine- a seascape of large volcanic boulders, with small colonizing corals, scattered across black sand. The coral reef on our second dive, outside of North Island, was simply gorgeous- one of the best in the Marianas- high cover of diverse, large multi-colored corals, abundant fish of all sizes, and great visibility, nearly as good as it gets underwater. I was conducting stationary point counts of medium-large fish on the seaward reef slope, while my buddy did the same a short-distance shoreward. After recording a few large fish, I noticed a shark swimming straight at me. I didn’t realize its size till it turned just in front of me- a 5-foot gray-reef shark (Carhcarhinus amblyrhynchus), followed closely behind by another fat 6-footer, as well as a giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis). As I recorded these on my data sheet, I noticed them swimming around me. My first impression was- wow- great photo opportunity. As I prepared my camera I began moving backwards to fit them in the frame. The one closest to me was then swimming on its side with its body contorted and shaking. I then thought- poor thing, it must be sick or something. It had been some time since I had seen many grey reef sharks, as they seem to becoming rarer each year in the remote Pacific Islands. As I quickly fired a few shots with my camera, I had a flashback of my earlier years of diving with these grays in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands: the shark was exhibiting aggressive pre-attack posturing behavior! As it opened its jaws wide while violently thrashing his head back and forth, I immediately began moving back toward my dive buddy. The sharks then left. The remainder of the dive was less eventful, with only a 5-foot white-tip shark (Triaenodon obesus) and several great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), plus all the other beautiful marine life that comprised this healthy coral reef ecosystem.

Text and photographs by: Bob Schroeder, Chief Scientist

Beyond Anatahan

2007-05-29T22:28:00.000-10:00

Since leaving Saipan we have been treated to some truly amazing sights. The islands of the Northern Mariana are spectacular and magical. Something straight out of Jurassic Park. Towering conical volcanoes tipped with clouds and ringed with palms swaying gently in the breeze. You can almost imaging a square-rigged pirate ship coming around the point, the Jolly Roger whipping from the main-mast. Or maybe it is different. You row to shore in a wooden boat and are greeted on the beach by local peoples who have never seen a westerner before. Coconuts and palm fronds, shells and fruits more delicious than you can imagine. What will tomorrow bring?

Several day ago we were greeted by a small metal boat as we slowly made our way around Sarigen. Two men with fish, freshly caught. We exchanged oranges and juice for three nice fish, headed for the galley. Stuff like that just doesn't happen every day. Then there was Anatahan, the volcano still shrouded in ash, a column of steam and smoke rising above the summit caldera.

Tomorrow we arrive at Maug. Three mountains surrounding a central lagoon with walls dropping away into the abyss. This is the place everyone has been talking about. Seeing what we have seen so far, I can scarcely imagine ....

Podcast: Zealandia

2007-05-27T13:43:00.000-10:00

This morning we had a break from our normal schedule with a series of dives at Zealandia Bank. Zealandia rises from a depth of nearly one hundred and thirty meters to a bank at about thirty meters. From there, two pinnacles come to within breaking distance of the surface. We approached from the south, careful not to get our small boat too close to the rocks. It was eerie seeing such a small piece of rock, not two feet across, breaking the surface of the ocean with the closest land more than 10 miles away.

Zealandia is seldom visited and only by the occasional fishermen out for the weekend or on their way to Pagan or one of the northern islands. Typically subsistence fishing, they take just enough to feed themselves, their family and maybe a small sale.

Such a low fishing pressure would certainly explain the sight that met our eyes. As we rolled into the crystal clear water we could easily see the bottom nearly 150 feet below. Graceful batfish (Platax teira) greeted us as soon as we hit the water and stayed with us until we past 30 feet. As we reached the bottom twin-spot snappers (Lutjanus bohar), grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrynchos) and Fairy Basslets came up to meet us. We only had half an hour to spend on the bottom; we are off to Anatahan this afternoon to pick up some oceanography equipment, but those 30 minutes are ones we will always remember.

Download Podcast Episode

The Clowns

2007-05-25T07:41:00.000-10:00

We found these two little Anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) tucked into their anemone home just outside the entrance to the Blue Grotto at the North end of Saipan. These little guys have to be one of my favorite fishes. There is something about the way they move in synchrony, drifting back and forth between the tentacles. They are too cute.

Anemonefish like these live in close association with large sea anemones, each species having a preferred anemone species as its host. Large anemones often host a semipermanent monogamous pair of of adult aneomnefish as well as a cadre of juveniles. Aneomnefish are what is know as protandrous hermaphrodites, meaning that they are hatched as sexually immature fry and remain sexually immature, develop as males, or develop as females based on environmental cues. Groups of anemonefish are matriarchal with the largest individual in the group being the dominant female. If the female dies or is removed from the group, the most dominant male then changes into a female and the rest of the males move up in the hierarchy. Each change from juvenile to male and from male to female is irreversible.

Anemonefish usually spawn around the full moon but during the warmer months in warm temperate waters. Generally, hundreds of adhesive eggs are laid in a patch of cleared rock near the base of the anemone. They are cared for by the male and hatching generally occurs after about a week. The newly hatched larvae drift in the plankton for about sixteen days before settling and seeking a new anemone.

Giving Saipan a Second Chance

2007-05-24T18:24:00.000-10:00

It appears that I have not given Siapan quite enough credit. Either my memories from two years ago were flawed or we have visited new and different sites that have given me a renewed appreciation for this island. While the economy of Siapan is still reeling from the drop in tourism following the crash of the Japanese Nikkei and 9-11 as well as from the loss of revenue from the many garment factories which once operated here and have now moved overseas, the island itself has its spots.

On our way into the Port of Saipan two days ago we had to wait for an hour or so while the ship tied up at the dock. Being out in the small boats and done with our work, we took a small detour around tiny Managaha Island in Tanapag lagoon where silken white beaches and waters the color of Bombay Sapphire dazzled our eyes.

Yesterday evening several of us traveled around the east side of the island and then to the top of Tapotchau, the highest point on Saipan to watch the sunset. It was spectacular! To the west we had a nearly perfect set up of clouds and small rain showers while to the east a brilliant rainbow had our backs. As the sun set and the colors deepened we marveled that we are actually being paid to witness such sights. We are indeed lucky to say the least.

Clearly unsatiated, we awoke early this morning (6:00) to head for the Blue Grotto. Similar to a central or south American cenote, the grotto is a sinkhole where the roof of a cave has collapsed revealing a dazzling pool with passages leading out to the ocean. Climbing down 150 steps in full dive gear we splashed into Persian Blue waters gently surging back and forth with the swells. As we descended into the depths we were greeted by a variety of fishes and could see the azure lights streaming in from the open sea. Following the passages out through cathedral vaults, we came upon a pair of anemonefish gently swaying in their little home.

We head back out to sea tomorrow and, while we are looking forward to new sights in the north, Saipan has left a new and better impression. I look forward to our next trip and new explorations.

Crinoids and Clownfish

2007-05-20T23:10:00.000-10:00

On a lighter note, In an effort to illustrate some of the more natural and beautiful sites we have seen. I have asked some other members of our expedition to provide some images from their explorations. Allison Palmer and Robert Schroeder have provided some nice examples. The first is this (Davidaster rubiginosa) or Sea Lillie captured by Allison off Tinian. Crinoids are echinoderms and are related to startfish. First appearing in the Ordovician, they are some of the oldest organisms in the ocean.

A few days later, Robert Schroeder happened upon this cute little Dusky Anemonefish (Amphiprion melanopus) tucked into his cozy home. Anemonefish or Clownfish as they are often known are native to the the Pacific and Indian oceans and are not found in the Atlantic. More's the pity. They are too cute. These small fish live in a mutualistic relationship with an anemone which they adopt and defend. The anemone provides the clownfish with protection while the clownfish may help to aerate the anemone's tentacles and keep them free of parasites.

Tinian and Saipan

2007-05-20T22:56:00.000-10:00

For the past few days we have been working around Tinian, Aguijan and Saipan. For the most part the dives have been quite enjoyable with crystal clear waters and killer walls dropping into the abyss. Today I was towing at close to 90 feet when I looked up to see Jake nearly 50 feet above me and yet under an above water overhanging portion of the cliff wall. Spectacular.

The dives around Tinian have been some of the best and have provided more reminders of the not too distant past. Towing along the southeast cost of the island a strange arrangement of stones appeared on the sea floor. Perfectly arranged in an otherwise barren patch of rock and sand. As we drew closer they were revealed for what they were ... nearly fifteen 500 pound bombs neatly stacked side by side. We gave them a wide birth. Bringing World War II even closer to home, Tinian was the launching site for the Enola Gay and Bockscar, the B-29 bombers that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Rota, Rota, Rota

2007-05-17T21:07:00.000-10:00

I must apologize for the paucity of posts over the past few days. Something about the 18 hour days, several of which are underwater, that has me longing for my rack (bed) as soon as possible. I was able to stay up just a little while longer last night after capturing one the most amazing sunsets of the cruise.

For the past two days we have been surveying around Rota, a wonderful little island 50 miles north of Guam. While we have not seen very many large fish, the water has been warm and clear and the island is beautiful. One difference I had not originally thought of is the birds. Birds have been all but exterminated on Guam by the brown tree snake, a predator introduced from the South Pacific shortly after World War II.

There is something about being in a small boat with terns, petrels, and boobies wheeling overhead that just feels right. Rota also differs from both Guam and Saipan as it was not burned to the ground during the war. As such, the island is highly vegetated with a wide variety of fruit and flowering trees and bushes.

In general the diving has been good with several areas of high coral cover and some spectacular walls both above and below. One area we dove today was dominated by a wall dropping nearly 100 feet to a shelf far below. I will try to ask some of the other teams if they have some nice underwater shots for the blog. I am afraid all of my footage is video and I have not had the chance to put together any new clips. Those will have to come later.

An overview of Guam

2007-05-15T21:23:00.000-10:00

We have completed our surveys at Guam and are on our way to Rota. Overall, Guam has been nice, but not terribly impressive from a diving point of view. In terms of large fish (greater than 50 cm long) we have seen very few. The chart I have posted here shows the distribution of large fishes around the island. Bear in mind that each pie slice generally represents a single fish with the largest pie at the northeastern tip of the island representing a grand total of twelve fish! Not a great many for a tropical island in this part of the world. I apologize in advance for the rather cryptic 4 letter species codes, one of the data processing steps currently involves the use of a file format that doesn't support names longer than 8 characters. We are hoping to get this fixed in the near future.

Of the few fish we did see, most were concentrated at the points of the island where there is generally the greatest current exchange and also where the overall slope of the sea-floor appears steepest. We will have to look into this last point a little bit more to see if it stands up to statistical testing.

Tomorrow we start our work at Rota and are hoping for more exciting dives (at least as far as fish surveys go). After spending just one day at Rota we will continue on to Aguijan, Tinian and then Siapan before heading into the Northern Marianas. It is these, sparsely inhabited, northern islands we are all very much looking forward to.

Trees, Cliffs, and Clear Waters

2007-05-14T06:59:00.000-10:00

We have been working along the northwest coast of Guam and I will have to admit, it is nicer than I remember. The below water world has not been the best (lots of reef areas that have been taken over by algae) but there have been notable exceptions. And the above water world has been spectacular. The north side of Guam is quite green with stark cliffs dropping to secluded beaches at the water's edge. Couple that with the flat calm days we have been having and it has been paradise (albeit a little hot after an hour in the sun).

Today we start working down the east side if the island and, while it should be nice, the winds will definitely have more force and effect on this side of the island. Not quite as idyllic as yesterday. If memory serves, however, the underwater world on the east side should be much nicer with areas of higher coral cover and a greater number of large fishes. Let's hope my memory is correct.

Our first days in Guam

2007-05-12T22:20:00.000-10:00

We have survived Guam and are back on the water doing what we do best! On Wednesday the ship tied up at the naval pier in Apra Harbor on the west side of the island. It was nice to have a few days to relax off the ship and get our land legs back. While some people stayed on the ship a goodly number ended up getting hotel rooms and taking a little time off in and around Tumon Bay on the west side of the island.

Wednesday night we returned to the Fish Bowl, one of our favorite establishments from our last stay in Guam, where a good time was had by all. The next day we spent a good deal of our time by the pool at the hotel, making good use of the water slide and hot tub.

On Friday Ben gave a short talk at the University of Guam Marine lab where he presented the towed-diver fish protocols and gave an overview of our mission and project. The twenty or so members of the audience seemed to enjoy the presentation and asked a goodly number of well thought questions.

Today we are back on the water not too worse for wear and have completed a number of surveys along the west side of the island. While not nearly as nice as Wake, the coral cover in this area has been impressive and it is awfully nice to be able to spend two hours in the water without need of a wet suit.

Land Ho ... Guam

2007-05-09T11:41:00.000-10:00

After another six days of transit we have sighted land again. This time Guam, the southernmost of the Mariana chain. This last transit has again been uneventful and the time has allowed us to begin much of the analysis of the data we collected at Wake.

We will spend the next two days in Guam where we change out various members of the science party prior to the next leg of the mission.

Amy and Stephane

2007-05-06T13:41:00.000-10:00

Recently some of you have expressed increasing interest not just in our mission but in some of the people behind it. In particular, two gems of the underwater world: Amy Hall and Stephane Charette. Both members of the illustrious towboard team, Amy and Steph joined CRED in 2003 with the Marine Debris Program; a program to survey, catalogue, and remove derelict fishing gear, nets and other marine debris from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

From their start in Marine Debris and four field seasons in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, both have now broadened their horizons into the world of RAMP (Rapid Assessment and Monitoring), including deployments to the Main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and American Samoa. Both worked in a number of positions during these deployments, ranging from the Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) and Oceanography teams to mission divemasters. Currently, they are using their towboarding skills for the collection of biological data on fish, coral and invertebrates from around the Pacific, with Stephane concentrating his efforts on fish populations while Amy's focus is on the benthic environment, specifically with invertebrate species.

In addition to his scientific duties, Stephane manages dive gear for all CRED personnel, spearheads many small-boat repair projects and helps manage facilities at the Kewalo Research Facility and SNUG harbor. Amy works with the Census of Marine Life, Census of Coral Reefs project which recently completed a successful expedition to French Frigate Shoals in 2006. She will return again in the summer/fall of 2007 to recover a series of autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS), new devices being deployed to examine cryptic and understudied invertebrate populations. She also coordinates all required field training modules for CRED personnel (e.g. CPR/1st Aid, etc.)

Our current expedition marks their first trip to Wake and the Marianas and their first experience crossing the date line. Both Amy and Steph have been impressed with their experience at Wake and are looking forward to an upcoming trip to Palau following our arrival in Guam.

Physically and professionally Amy and Stephane are doing just fine, mentally ... we're just not quite sure.

Jake Asher contributed to this article

Transit man

2007-05-05T22:30:00.000-10:00

As many of you may have noticed, we have left Wake and are steaming southwest for Guam. Four days to go. We are passing the time analyzing the data from Wake and are looking forward to even warmer waters to come. The data buoys off Guam were reading 83.6F this afternoon.

One of the more impressive data products we have been able to generate in the past few days is a rather nice bathymetric map of Wake created by Joyce Miller, Scott Ferguson, Jeremy Taylor and Paul Brown. Thinking many of you might be interested I'll post a small version here. This is what Wake looks like underwater down to nearly 4,000m (13,000 ft). Of particular interest, it looks like the mapping team may have found a new deep-water shipwreck, possibly a WWII era warship. I'll let them tell you more about that later.

With a little extra transit time I wanted to take a moment to thank the many readers of this blog for your comments and attention. I know there were a couple of days there when I had lagged in posting and you certainly let me know you um ... noticed ... the lack of information. It has also been fun to track the number of blog readers over time. I had no idea there would be so much interest. I am glad you have been reading (and hopefully enjoying) my posts. If there is anything you would like to see featured in future blog posts, please don't hesitate to let me know.

For now I think I will head to bed. See you all tomorrow...

A little fun and collecting

2007-05-03T23:07:00.000-10:00

On our final day at Wake the tow-team took some time out of their normal schedule to conduct some invertebrate collections and have a little fun at a site we had past during one of our tows on the northeast corner of the island. Steph and Amy were towing that day and just happened to pass a particularly inviting cave at about 70 feet on the outer reef wall. It looked like maybe it just might have some good urchins, sea cucumbers, and starfish in need of collecting. Oh yeah, it didn't have bad video potential either.

We were far from disappointed. A couple of grey reef sharks greeted us as we made our way to the entrance of the cave and a pair of knifejaws swam nearby. A large green moray was unconcerned by our presence while a large Napoleon wrasse seemed just a little non-plused.

Tour of Wake

2007-05-03T12:13:00.000-10:00

We were able to go ashore at Wake this morning prior to our final day of diving at this beautiful island. We were met at the dock in the small harbor on the south side of the island by Scott Sweistac, the MDA liaison officer for the island. Having lived on the island for the past eight years, Scott is a wealth of knowledge and took our eager crew on a tour of the island while talking about its history and the effects of the recent typhoon. It is amazing that with a category 5 typhoon having it the island a mere six months ago, there is relatively little damage. Scott noted with some amusement that most of the structures built either during or prior to the war remained standing while most of the recent construction was decimated. I guess they really don't build them like the used to. A notable exception was the sea wall on the east coast of the island which took the brunt of the storm's fury. Its concrete blocks, nearly 12 feet square and filled with coral rubble were tossed nearly 100 feet up the beach where they remain.

Scott introduced us to the island at an area known as POW rock where some of the 98 POWs who remained on the island during the war are comemorated. After temporarily escaping, one of the 98 carved their names into a large coral head on the beach near the lagoon. While most of the American POWs were sent back to mainland China or Japan, these 98 remained and were responsible for many of the constructions projects on the island before their final execution. It was a sobering message with which to begin our tour.

Following POW rock we made our way around the island visiting many of the aircraft revetment areas, shore batteries, pill boxes, and command bunkers. All stark reminders that this island has not always been able to maintain the tranquil beauty seen today nestled in and amongst the somber remains of its more distant past.

Evidence of the war is everywhere and there are many areas we could not walk for fear of unexploded ordinance: mines, grenades, bombs, artillery shells and the like. We had also been warned about the possibility of running across human remains and had been counseled on proper documenting procedures should this occur. The small museum in the main building "downtown" holds a host of artifacts that have been recovered from the island, its beaches, lagoon and near-shore waters.

Today approximately 250 people live on Wake, but it has supported a population nearly ten times that in the past when both the FAA and Pan American Airways maintained facilities here. PanAM clippers were once seen bobbing in the lagoon and children could be heard in the playgrounds of of the elementary and high school. There was a hotel, bar, and extensive housing facilities. Many of these are slowly being reclaimed by the island.

Day 2 and the South Shore

2007-04-30T20:53:00.000-10:00

What out second day of diving at Wake lacked in first time excitement it more than made up for in conditions. The wind and swell has continued to drop and while today was not quite like bath water in terms of temperature and sea conditions, it was pretty darn close. The is still a decent long period swell rolling on from the east, but we were still easily able to tow the eastern and souther coastlines and passed out surface time watching the swells crash toards the beach as they crested the reef. The turquoise water turned emerald green topped with wisps of white as we looked through the back side of the curls.

Along the south side of the island we resurveyed part of our previous tracks and were greeted by many of the same bumphead parrotfish we saw yesterday. The large parrotfish can easily reach over a meter in length and bite off whole chunks of coral as they feed.

We passed the REA team several times underwater and were in turn passed over by the AHI, the multi-beam launch, as they were mapping the bottom. We were all excited to be part of the map of Wake until we found that we would be trimmed out as so much useless noise during the data processing. Party poopers.

The south side of the island also contains the entrance to the small boat harbor which in the past seems to have been home to much larger ships. The reef is littered with anchors, some old and some new. Many are much larger than the anchor on our ship with links of chain I could easily stick my arm through.

Our First Dives at Wake

2007-04-30T19:56:00.000-10:00

Our first day of surveys at Wake Atoll was amazing. It is telling when one of your dive partners complains after the second dive that the underwater visibility DROPPED to 80 feet. We started out on the northeast corner of the island and steadily worked in a counter-clockwise direction around the island. On our very first dive we were greeted by a small school of bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a rare fish was have seldom seen. Wake seems to be one of the few areas they still exist in high densities. Large, generally slow-moving and seemingly trusting fish, bumpheads have been particularly vulnerable to spear-fishing. This is especially the case at night when large numbers of the group together under overhangs in the reef where they are easy targets for unscrupulous fishermen. We have also seen a larger number of Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) which we also see elsewhere only rarely. Together these two relatively rare species have made up the majority of our large fish observations - a distinctly different scenario.

Topside the weather continues to be beautiful. Clear skies and generally calm seas with a long rolling swell. We are accompanied by sooty turns, masked boobies, and many of our other avian friends who, for some reason, always want to eat the small black cap on the end of our radio antenna. This seems to be the case wherever we are. Northwest Hawaiian Islands, Samoa, Marianas ... the always want to eat our antenna, I have no idea why.

From our vantage point several hundred yards offshore, Wake Island seems flat and relatively desolate. It will be interesting to see if we can go on land latter in the week. We have seen several bunkers, gun emplacements and other remnants of the war in addition to the variety of debris we have encountered below water. Not having seen the island before typhoon Ioke, which struck 6 months ago, it is hard to know what is a result of that and what is simply the island itself. It is easy to imagine the sustained winds of 200 mph with gust to 250 mph could leave and island looking more than a little windblown and disheveled.

Our first day

2007-04-29T23:00:00.000-10:00

Whew ... our first day has been exhausting, but rewarding. We hit the water at 8:00 this morning and have been running non-stop ever since ... it is now 11:00pm! A typical day for the towboard team. So, in the interest of sleep and safet, this will be a short post. Suffice it to say that today was wonderful. I took many picture both above and below water, but will not have time to post them tonight. Check back in the next day or two and I should have pictures, maps and maybe even a video or two.

For now, I want my bed ...

Land Ho!!!!

2007-04-28T22:47:00.000-10:00

After 9 days and two thousand nautical miles (2,300 miles) the call went out at 2:00 this afternoon. Wake Atoll, a tiny dot of land in the middle of the Pacific had peaked over the horizon. With a maximum elevation of 20, hers wasn't the most formidable coastline, but as our first sight of land, it was a welcome sight. The water is still the clearest blue and we now have visitors - birds, primarily boobies and petrels, keeping us company.

We had our final pre-dive emergency drill this afternoon which simulated a dive accident in which a diver was transported from a small boat back to the HI'IALAKAI and then into the re-compression chamber. All went smoothly and I can report that our patient made a full and complete recovery.

Tomorrow will be our first day of operations and we are all excited. Gear is ready, tanks are filled and checked, and the boats are ready. We will spend the next four days surveying around the island and in the lagoon. Our past experience here suggests it will be amazing. Clouds of fish of all different species, many of which we do not find in great numbers anywhere else in the Pacific. If the water off the side of the ship is any indication, visibility will be incredible and, oh, did I mention, the water temperature is 81 DEGREES!!! I have been waiting to dive without a wet-suit again for the last 2 years. SInce the last time we were in the Marianas.

Well, I haven't been sleeping too well for the past couple of nights, so I think I am going to wrap this up and hit the rack. We have an early morning tomorrow Up at 6. Pre-dive meeting at 7:30. Launch the boats by 8:00. It should be a great day.

Podcast: An Interview with the Captain

2007-04-28T22:15:00.000-10:00

Yesterday I decided it might be fun to put together a Podcast or two to let everyone meet some of the people from our expedition. In this first interview from HI0701 we have LCDR Jon Swallow, Commanding Officer of the NOAA Ship HI'IALAKAI. In this episode captain Swallow talks about the NOAA Corps, being a commanding officer and how he came to be where he is today. I hope you will enjoy the interview as much as I did.

Download Podcast Episode

Dragons, Captains and Ice Cream

2007-04-26T22:43:00.000-10:00

This evening we had a meeting from Captain C. Creature, gatekeeper to the Domain of the Golden Dragon. Meeting at the bow just before sunset we were initiated into the Silent Occult Mysteries of the Far East (over cake, ice cream and karaoke of course). Yes, for those who have not yet sailed on the HI'IALAKAI she is a Hawaiian ship and, therefore, must have a karaoke bar. Only smoothies served here, tough. This was the first voyage to the far east not just for most of the crew and scientists, but for the ship herself. An extra special occasion.

As the sun set Capt. Creature invited us into his domain with the reading of a proclamation to all sea serpents, crabs, mutineers, pirates of the yellow seas and other derelicts of far eastern seas stating that we had been found worthy and were entitled to all Rights and Privileges accorded such personages (we haven't found out exactly what those are quite yet.

The history of this particular ceremony, though not as noteworthy as that for crossing the equator dates back to at least the mid-eghteen hundreds when transpacific voyages were much less common then they are today. At that time, any transpacific crossing was likely from the United States to the Orient, the Domain of the Golden Dragon.

Of course, having now crossed both the date line and two different time zones we now have no idea either what time or what day it is, so bear with us.

The Domain of the Golden Dragon

2007-04-25T15:37:00.000-10:00

We crossed the international date line a few minutes ago and entered the Domain of the Golden Dragon. Not quite as epic as the equator cross ceremonies of the Samoa Cruise, we have no doubt there is something planned for this evening. Possibly prior to our nighttime abandon ship drill? We've been having quite a few drills recently which helps to keep our skills up and pass the time as we cross these vast stretches of ocean. This morning we went over our SCUBA gear in preparation for Wake operations followed by a fire drill and then open water survival training.

Ping Pong and the Golden Dragon

2007-04-24T19:21:00.000-10:00

Tomorrow we cross the international date line and enter the realm of the Golden Dragon. As we approach the ping pong championships are getting fierce. We've had to separate Frank and Jason several times already.

We had our first planning meeting this evening to go over operations for Wake. It looks like we will have fours days in which to complete our work and, weather permitting, we should be able to get the job done. The Oceanography team will be one of the first to deploy and will be conducting CTD casts all around the island and in the lagoon to shed light on the oceanographic conditions around the island. CTDs collect data on temperature and salinity at different depths and can give us an idea of where areas of up-welling may occur. Up-wellings can be important for the ecosystem as nutrient rich deep ocean water is brought to the surface where the nutrients help feed the rest of the food chain. The Oceanography team will also deploy an Ecological Acoustic Recorder to record the underwater sounds in the lagoon which is home to the rare Bumphead parrotfish. We hope that by recording the sounds made by this species that we can use long term recorders to get a better idea of their distribution.

Next to deploy will be the REA team. Their task will be to hit several sites set up the last time we were here in 2005 to collect data on fish, coral, invertebrate and algae populations. Using a variety of different methods, the REA team will collect data used to determine the health of these populations and how their numbers and distributions are changing over time.

Next there is the Tow team. The Tow team will conduct long-range surveys around the entirety of the island collecting data on large fish populations and the overall seafloor community. The Towboard surveys which can be up to 2 km in length allow us to observe the larger and more rare reef fishes including sharks and jacks. This survey method is the one I am most involved with and is the one that gives us the best picture of the island as a single unit.

Finally there is the mapping team. In combination with the ship, the mapping team and the AHI (the survey launch) will collect bathymetric (depth) data which will be used to make a very high resolution map of the seafloor around Wake. This picture of the seafloor is critical as it is the physical nature of the bottom that plays a large roll in structuring the fish, coral, invertebrate and algae populations that live upon it.

We've certainly got our work cut out for us.

Now back to ping pong ...

Mongolian Bar-B-Q

2007-04-23T22:11:00.000-10:00

What a feast! Chief certainly knows how to feed us well. Tonight was Mongolian Bar-B-Q night. We had a hint this afternoon when we saw mountains of shrimp being peeled just after lunch. That's always a good sign.

As we came into the mess at 5:00 (as early as we're allowed) we were greeted with a sumptuous salad bar and mountains of fresh raw red peppers, green peppers, yellow peppers, onions, spinach, beef, chicken, shrimp, scallops and mahi mahi for the grill. This is a meal cooked to order and fit for a king. Pile everything you want into a bowl and hand it to the chief, 5 minutes later ... your very own dish. Pile it on top of fresh steamed rice and you can't ask for a happier group of sailors. Frank and Jason seem pretty stoked :-)

Going through data

2007-04-23T16:45:00.000-10:00

The weather has kicked up a little bit today and while we still have clear skies the wind has strengthened and the chairs are sliding back and forth in the dry lab. The wind is supposed to drop back down again tomorrow which will be nice. Sliding back and forth makes typing a little challenging.

We have spent today going over data from the previous years' surveys to prepare for the upcoming mission. The map here shows the distribution of fish biomass around Wake Atoll from our previous surveys. The purple along the northern and western shores represents concentrations of grey reef sharks while the blue in the southwest represents several large schools of big-eye jacks. It will be interesting to see how our observations this year compare to the first round of data collected in 2005.

Well, it's about time for dinner out here. It looks like Mongolian B-B-Q tonight. The chief steward certainly knows how to keep us happy!

Excitement!

2007-04-22T19:20:00.000-10:00

Having congregated in one of our rooms after an amazing dinner of turkey, roast beef, steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, salad, croissants and cheese cake ... several of us noticed the ship had stopped. Hmm, this is not normal, but no one seemed to be alarmed so we went to investigate. I quickly made my way to the bow where a small group had gathered. What were they doing? It seems that after miles and miles of empty ocean, we had come across something new...

It appears to be the float assembly from a large oceanographic instrument array. Each of these twelve yellow plastic shells contains a single tempered glass ball nearly a foot in diameter and designed to withstand the tremendous pressures at the bottom of the ocean ... nearly 14,000 pounds per square inch. Each glass ball is made of two hemispheres and is perfectly round. The smallest imperfection could cause it to implode, creating a shock wave that could shatter the others.

After several minutes of observation we decided not to pick them up as it looked like something was still attached. We didn't want to risk getting the ship's propellers tangled and whatever was attached might easily take up the entire back of our ship. Generally these float assemblies are used as part of large oceanographic arrays to study temperature, currents, seismic events, or any number of other oceanographic parameters. Typically there is a large anchor on the sea-floor to which a release mechanism is attached. Above the release is the instrument package and above that is the float assembly. When oceanographers are done taking measurements they can trigger the release and the floats bring the instrument to the surface. It takes a long time for them to come up from the bottom of the ocean and it looks like these may have gotten lost on their way up.

Hard at Work

2007-04-22T15:51:00.000-10:00

As we continue across the Pacific, the work continues. The weather has held so far and we have been treated to calm seas and clear skies. The moonlight on the water last night was one of the most beautiful sights I can remember. Out this far there is little light pollution other than that small bit given off my our own ship. I can't wait until the moon starts setting earlier to see what the stars will be like.

On board, we are keeping ourselves busy getting computers and equipment ready for our fours days at Wake Atoll. We have seven more days of transit and we are already itching to get in the water. There are only so many books to read and movies to watch before you need to get out and do something...

Heading West

2007-04-21T10:30:00.000-10:00

We are finally on our way. We've been steaming through the night and, while it seems the "Ship Tracker" web site is not working right now, I can attest to the fact that, finally, we can no longer see Honolulu. Excellent.

Not too much to report at this point other than computer problems seem to have been fixed and we had quite an exciting came of ping pong last night. It's amazing the many uses a charting table in the e-lab (electronics lab) can have if you just happen to have a net and a couple of ping pong paddles.

*click on the speaker to hear an audio clip of the bow wave of the HI'IALAKAI

What a Day!!!

2007-04-20T21:40:00.000-10:00

A few of you may have noticed a distinct lack of communication from me today. For that I apologize. Today has been one of the most nerve-wracking, up and down days you can imagine.

First: The ship is fine. As you may have read we had a small power issue yesterday (I am not exactly sure what it was) during which we discovered that several of the UPS units, which supply backup power to the bridge, were no longer functioning properly. This being a slightly less than ideal situation, we elected to spend the night cruising off Honolulu so that we could run a small boat to the harbor in the morning to pick up replacement UPS batteries. Some time lost, but nothing major in the long run.

Second: I was experimenting with a new backup program last night. I awoke at about 9 am this morning to find that it had utterly destroyed my hard disk. Everything, nearly 100 GB of data, was gone. My machine started and showed a flashing "?" in place of well ... everything. I was in agony. I had made the decision to leave my backup drive with all my data at home thinking it was not a good idea to have my computer AND backup drive in the same location. Thus why I was trying to make a secondary backup last night.

What was I going to do! Thankfully we were still off of Honolulu and the small boat had not yet returned to the ship. Cristi to the rescue! We were still in cell phone range so I was able to call Cristi who was on the road from Kewalo (my office) to hers. She was just approaching the exit which would lead her to Kailua. She would be able t dash home, grab my backup drive and scream back to the harbor to drop it off with our small boat. But would she have time???

Third: As many of you know I have been in the process of transitioning from a graduate research assistant to a full time employee with the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED). The offer and paperwork arrived TODAY. Would I have to wait until June to finish the process??

It was decided that a few extra hours would 1) not hurt the mission, 2) would allow the ship to install and test the new UPS batteries, 3) allow me to go by small boat back to shore where I could meet a notary to sign the official papers, and 4) low and behold, give Cristi the time needed to get the backup hard drive to me. The stars have aligned as I imagine they never will again.

I was able to get over to the notary, get the papers signed, pick up the hard disk, and give Cristi one last farewell. It could not have worked out better! After several hours, my computer is back up and running and we are on our way to Wake.

WHAT A START! I can only hope things get less exciting from here.

On our way ... sort of

2007-04-19T20:39:00.000-10:00

We pulled out of Pearl Harbor this morning under bright skies and upon sparkling seas. After stowing gear and making ready for sea we spent the afternoon taking care of emergency drills (fire, abandon ship, etc) and running some tests on the multi-beam sonar equipment we use for mapping the sea floor. That takes several hours and gives us time to make those last minute phone calls to family and loved ones.

Towards the end of the day we had a minor power failure which seems to have damaged a couple of the batteries on the UPS (uninterrupted power source) which feeds clean power to computers and other instruments. Sooo ... it seems we are going to spend the night just off Honolulu, will run a small boat in tomorrow morning to pick up replacements, and commence our transit to Wake starting mid-day tomorrow. hrumph. Oh well. We have extra days built into the transit, so the extra time shouldn't affect our work schedule too much.

I'll let you know how things go tomorrow.

The day before departure

2007-04-18T14:37:00.000-10:00

A few more delays here and there are we are set and ready to go. The ship is outfitted, stores are packet, and we are itching to get underway. If all goes as planned we will push away from the dock at about 9:00 am tomorrow morning to start our voyage.

To Begin or Not to Begin

2007-04-04T12:03:00.000-10:00

As some may have noticed, today is the 4th of April. The cruise was scheduled to depart on the 1st. While many have suggested April Fool's is no time to start a cruise, nevertheless ... something is amiss.

Following an 11am pre-cruise safety briefing on March 31 we were informed that the number 4 generator on the Hi'ialakai was not functioning properly and would need to be repaired prior to departure. Standby. Our current scheduled departure is April 16. What this means for the duration and itinerary for the mission, we are not yet sure.

While many were looking forward to an April 1 departure, I think many (including myself) are happy to have a few extra days to rest and prepare. 1 or 2 days would have been nice ... 16 is a little much.

I will try to keep everyone posted, however, and will be hoping for a sooner departure.