Sunday, July 22
I woke up today, still suffering from jet lag. I could really feel the four-hour time change. I got up at two-thirty Alaska Time. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep. Luckily, today we drove from Washington, DC to southern Virginia. That gave me a chance to get a little shut-eye. Unfortunately I got deathly ill for about a half hour. It was the sickest I had been in a long time. Shortly after it hit, it left.
The motel we arrived at wasn't what we expected. You would have had to pay me to stay there. The number signs on the doors had creepy looking red blotches. I didn't want to know what it was. So thankfully the Comfort Inn had openings. I have been to some pretty creepy motels and hotels, but this one tops the list.
We met Dr. Sylvia Earle for the first time today. She is amazing. She has been to so many cool places and has done so many amazing things. She has dived below 400 meters of water and she has spent as many as two consecutive weeks underwater. She has logged about 7000 hours underwater, which is close to a whole year! That is over one percent of her life underwater! I really am looking forward to spending the next couple of days working with her.
Tonight was another late night. Sylvia Earle's introduction presentation ran until half past ten. I couldn't believe how fast the time went by because the presentation was so interesting. She really made me open my eyes about how the oceans are getting polluted and how we have to act now to save them. I cannot wait until tomorrow to get started on the bay. The next two days are going to be a blast!
Monday, July 23
Today we got a bit of a break. We didn't have to wake up until about 7:15, which is still two hours earlier than I would have hoped. After some breakfast I was good to go. After all, it's only sleep!
After breakfast we headed to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). There, we met Dr. Reay. I'm really excited to research with him as well. He is a really nice person and he knows a lot about what he's doing. He gave us a short overview of VIMS telling us about what they do. VIMS is part of the NOAA Research Reserve programs. There are reserves all over the country including one in Kachemak Bay, which is about three hours away from where I live in Homer, Alaska. I'll put that on my list of places to go.
By about 11am we were ready to go out on the Bay. We took the R/V Moray out on the Bay. After being on the R/V Neeskay on Lake Michigan during Boot Camp, I wasn't expecting a wild ride. The Neeskay maxed out about nine knots. The Moray was a totally different experience. The Moray topped out at about thirty knots. It was also a lot smaller so whenever we hit a bump, spray would go everywhere.
At lunch we met with some of the press and school superintendents. We were dressed in wet JASON shirts. They were dressed in nice collared shirts and pants. It was kind of awkward. It was interesting talking to them. They asked a lot of questions.
After lunch we did some seines out in the Bay. Those blue crabs were deadly. Even though the crabs were only about three quarters of an inch wide they still could really snap and pinch you. I was lucky to make it out alive! We also went snorkeling out in the Bay looking at sea grasses. The water felt great on such a hot day.
Tuesday, July 24
Another hot and sunny day on Chesapeake Bay. We took the Moray out for another day of fun. We were in the water almost as soon as we were on location. We went snorkeling in the water over an oyster reef. At some points the water was so dark it was like being in a room with no windows or lights. I was shocked at how few oysters there were in the Bay. The name that the Native American's used to call Chesapeake translated to "shellfish bay." We found one live oyster in fifteen to thirty minutes of looking. I couldn't believe that! It would have been amazing to see the Bay 400 years ago when the water was clear and the wildlife flourished.
Near the oyster reef there was a crab pot that VIMS had set out. The blue crabs are so beautiful. We pulled up five in the pot, but let them go soon after. After getting pinched by the small blue crabs I didn't even try picking up the larger crabs.
Later in the day we boated out to the Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Observing System buoy. The buoy could tell you all sorts of measurements. It could take pH, salinity, air and water temperature, and all sorts of other measurements. That was really cool, but something that could do that much runs a big price tag: $15,000! That's not even counting maintenance!
After a full day on the Bay we ate dinner with Dr. Reay and Dr. Earle. It was nice to sit down and take a break. Finally, a chance to relax. We have packed so many things into so little time. We didn't leave the restaurant until 10:30pm. That's how busy the days are. Leave the hotel at 8:230am and get back at 11. So much stuff, so little time.
I have really learned a lot over the last two days. I have learned that everything you do, even if you don't know it, affects the ocean. The oceans are getting polluted and fish populations are at ten percent of what they used to be. We need to act now before it's too late.