August 25, 2024
This morning’s 4 am shift lasted approximately ten minutes since my time slot coincided with the very tail end of a late night dive. Luckily for me, that meant I could go back to my cabin and catch up on some much needed sleep! After I woke up, I read my book for the remainder of my (nonexistent) shift.
Next, I made my way to the portside deck to watch us sail into port. This was really fun because I got to watch the captain and the ship officers throw the ropes over to land, where another person helped tie us to the dock. On our way into port, we saw a lot of sea lions lounging on buoys and swimming alongside us. We also saw a few, much-smaller boats. During the final stretch towards land, we also took group photos and released the stowaway bird!
Before I knew it, it was time for lunch! When I finished my meal, I headed right back outside to help assemble some metal baskets and move various equipment and samples into the containers. This is necessary for transporting the materials off of the ship.
Once this was done, a few other students and I were tasked with notifying the rest of the VISIONS cohort about our upcoming presentations in the afternoon. We would each be giving a quick talk about what kind of projects we were thinking about pursuing post-voyage, based on everything we had learned and experienced on board.
Finding everyone was really fun! Elena, Erik, and I got to explore the ship once again. It felt a little weird going into the control van with the lights on and the room empty, since it’s usually pitch black (aside from the lights of the computer screens) and bustling with people.
Soon we were all rounded up in the library and putting together our presentations. When it was time to share our work, I was really proud of all the ideas people had come up with. Personally, I shared a few different project avenues including the aforementioned ecology simulator, as well as project ideas involving sonar data, the sea logs, and the extensive video footage we collected.
Once my talk was over, Katie also helped me navigate the relevant raw files from the OOI website. This gave me a better idea of the locations and format of the data that I am hoping to work with in the fall quarter.
After leaving the library, I went back onto the deck to continue reading my book while listening to music and the chorus of sea lions.
In the late afternoon, I met up with Elena, Jood, Roy, and Jose to go to a sushi restaurant back on land, in Newport. Interestingly, the transition of walking on the boat versus walking on land did not feel very different. In fact, I found the transition of walking on the moving boat versus the stationary boat (when we initially arrived in port) to be much more jarring. I kept expecting the boat to pitch, but it never did.
In any case, I was very happy to get sushi since it is my favorite type of food! Especially after looking at all the sealife on the Jason dives, I couldn’t help but think “some of these fish would look amazing on a bed of rice with a little soy sauce!"
After leaving the restaurant, we took a ten-minute walk to a nearby McDonald’s to get McFlurries for dessert and plan our next course of action. We also talked a lot and reminisced about everything that had happened in the last week.
Next, we took a pleasant walk to the beach and caught the sunset. There was a sign warning us that we were approaching a landslide zone, so our group split up with some of us staying on higher ground. Elena and I decided to walk down the sandy and mildly-perilous trail to get to the water though.
On the beach, we saw a couple of (dead) jellyfish being eaten away by small bugs.
We also found a large rock that we wanted to climb on, but it was surrounded by relatively deep pools of water on all sides. Still, we were committed to getting across, so we rolled over two giant logs towards the rock and created a makeshift bridge. Getting across the bridge was also quite difficult but really fun. We both got wet though!
Eventually, we made the trek back up to the rest of our group, who used their phone flashlights to signal to us their position since we had deviated so far from where we started! Going up the sandy terrain was a lot more challenging than our descent, but I’m glad we made it back.
Since our shoes were soaked, we opted to take a taxi back to the ship instead of walking (a very good call on Roy’s part). Our taxi driver was also really helpful and pointed out various buildings to us on our way back, including a public tsunami shelter.
Upon returning to the ship, I took a shower and met up with everyone in the lounge to watch Mama Mia! We also started a second oceanography film, but I fell asleep before it finished.
Overall, this was an incredible experience and I can’t believe how fast the leg days flew by. I am so grateful to have been a part of this journey and work alongside such amazing scientists. I had never explored the field of oceanography before–but I am so glad I got to jump in!
August 24, 2024
Informed by the multibeam survey yesterday, my morning dive aimed to locate and actually see the methane plumes indicated by the sonar recordings. Ideally, we would be able to push more core samples in these locations and learn more about these methane rich sections of sea floor.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find any particularly strong plumes. We did find lots of microbial mats though, including some bright orange ones! At one point, we thought we saw some bubbles on the radar–but when we got closer to the source, we realized they were actually a pair of scientific markers! It was actually pretty cool to realize how sensitive the radar was in this case.
Some other interesting findings included quite a few skates, which are flat-bodied fishes that look a lot like sting-rays. We even saw several skate egg pouches, which look like brown and yellow pancakes.
Weirdly, we saw some man made objects on the seafloor too, such as a white-and-blue dinner plate and a glass bottle. At one point, we may have even come across part of a shipwreck! We saw a large anchor, a long chain, and a set of sideways barrels scattered around on a section of seafloor. There was a long cord coming from one of the barrels, so we followed the trail for a while to see where it would lead. Eventually, we had to stop pursuing the cord though, since we were veering off track from our search for methane plumes. It does make me wonder what those barrels were originally used for though, and how they ended up down there!
After the could-be shipwreck finding, we ran into lots of other interesting biology! We saw four different octopus, a particularly chunky starfish, and some really cool coral. There were a lot of really jagged carbonate chunks in this region as well.
When my shift ended, I was feeling pretty tired since I had stayed up even later than usual the night before. So, I headed off to my room to sleep for another hour.
When I got up, I headed straight to the main lab! Today was our chance to check out any Atlantis-themed merchandise. Everything looked really neat and I decided to purchase a new sweatshirt to commemorate my first ever research voyage.
After the shopping spree, I went to the wet lab to continue the sample work from yesterday. Today’s agenda was dividing the final two core samples into vials for analysis of methane (M4), porosity, and hydrogen (H2) data. I worked with Anna and Jood on this.
As we wrapped up the sample work, it was soon time for our bridge tour led by Chen! I took so many notes during the tour. One interesting tidbit of knowledge I learned about was the concept of a “phase back,” which happens if you want to divert all power on the ship to the thrusters. This would mean lights go out, ventilation stops, etc. in order to maximize speed or maneuverability. I also learned that, since the Atlantis was built by the government, it is a pseudo-embassy and considered American soil. This means that if someone was to be arrested in a foreign country but made it back onto the ship, non-American police officers would not be able to board the ship to take the person into custody.
After Chen’s talk, I took a closer look at all the controls on the bridge and Chen showed me how to move the ship! The controls are a bit counterintuitive, where moving the controls towards one direction will physically turn the ship in the other direction – like the movement of a fish! I also got to sit in the captain’s chair and use a gyrocompass.
Upon leaving the bridge, it was time for another shift in the control van! Tonight, we got to see the remains of a Neptunea snail nursery. The snail graveyard was littered with short, pale pillars of egg cases that look like stalagmites! There were lots of empty snail shells too, which was surprising since I would expect hermit crabs to have taken up residence already.
The snail graveyard was also home to lots of other crabs, including a crab that we dubbed “Princess Leia” since it had a pair of anemones growing on it. We also saw lots of sea walnut jellyfish!
After my shift ended, I made a bracelet using some of the rope on board. I think this will be a nice memento, in addition to the sweatshirt!
As I began to wind down for the day, I donned my new apparel and bracelet and headed to the library. There, I watched part of the Jaws movie while working on my blogs.
When I finished writing, I headed out on deck for stargazing. I was outside for a few hours, since I had never seen so many stars and so clearly too! Without the light pollution from land, the sky looks so vibrant and you can see much further than usual. The photos definitely do not do the sky justice, but I’ve included one of my pictures for reference!
August 23, 2024
Instead of managing cameras and working on sea logs, my morning shift involved a CTD (device for measuring conductivity, temperature, and depth) launch. CTDs work by using a set of small bottles on a large rosette wheel. While the rosette is slowly lowered to the seafloor, the bottles can be remotely opened or closed at specific depths.
I assisted with the opening and closing of bottles in the computer lab by timing the firing of bottles at the correct depths – all the way down to ~2900 meters! This process involves talking to the winch person (winch is used for adjusting tension of cable), monitoring the depth, and finally firing the bottles. Once all the bottles are fired, the rosette is hauled back on deck. This was pretty fun to observe!
After bringing in the CTD, I helped take salinity and chlorophyll samples from the bottles. It was still very early in the morning, so we worked under the night sky, filling sample bottles on deck and bringing them into the wet lab. When all the samples were collected, I dumped the remaining excess water from the CTD out on the deck.
Soon, my shift was over but there was still lots of work to be done! First, I ended up helping with another XBT launch. This time, I got to be the one to fire the probe into the water which was very exciting.
After coming back inside into the computer lab, we tracked the probe’s data. From within the lab, we also started a plumes survey to look for methane flares. The survey is based on an echolocation-type mechanism, where a multibeam sonar emits an acoustic signal into the water and bounces off of objects back to the transducer array! Importantly, this survey can’t work without knowing the speed of sound in the water, which is conveniently calculated via an XBT experiment. This calculation is important for determining the backscatter, or the intensity of the echoes that bounce back.
We moved in a snake-like pattern to follow different “lines” in search of methane flares. These flares show up as columns of bubbles on the sonar. Finding these plumes via sonar can inform where future dives with Jason should occur. I got to see quite a few plumes pop up myself!
After finishing up the survey and grabbing a bite to eat, I went to the wet lab to help again with the core samples. I was actually in the lab for roughly five hours! I mostly worked with Anna Hildebrand to clean up the samples themselves. I worked on first removing seawater using a syringe, determining the different layers of sediment in the cores, sectioning the layers into chunks, and then placing the newly separate samples into mason jars. These three sections–sulfate reduction zone, sulfate-methane transition, and methane zone– can be differentiated via small changes in color. I also noticed some layers had more carbonate, which is a hard, solid layer of salt. Along the way, we also found half a clam and either a piece of mussel or fish fin in one of the samples!
Working on the samples can be a little pungent due to their inherent sulfuric content. Sulfur inhalation is also not super healthy and can cause people to feel dizzy or even lose their sense of smell! Fortunately, we weren’t working with a crazy concentration of sulfur and we had the lab door open to take in the fresh sea air. We also took breaks while working–for both our physical and mental health!
We were also pleasantly interrupted with the news that a bird was found on the deck. This was a land bird that must have been a stowaway since we left the port. Surprisingly, this has been a frequent occurrence aboard the ship so everyone seemed prepared to care for the little critter. We even had a stock of bird feed on hand just for the occasion!
After ensuring the bird was safe in the main lab, we headed to the galley for “cheese o clock!” This refers to the daily afternoon snack trays that are left out for hungry passer-bys.
Following this, it was time for my second watch shift of the day. This time, I was back in the control van to assist with a Jason dive. We worked on a photo mosaic survey, where our general path was already outlined to follow various waypoints for charting specific seeps. The entire length of the survey was scheduled to take four hours (and ended up taking even longer!), so we worked on this for the entirety of my shift.
Next, I had a delicious dinner of bacon-wrapped scallops and caught the sunset with my peers! Afterwards, we headed back inside and I worked on oxygen samples from the CTD launch earlier in the day. This was a simple titration experiment using the Winkler method, where we can add different chemical solutions to the original water sample. By monitoring the color changes in the sample from the reaction, we can estimate the oxygen concentration. I remember performing titration experiments in chemistry classes, but this was the first time that I saw the operation being performed for a practical purpose!
As the day came to a close, I did my laundry and had a bowl of ice cream to celebrate a very productive day at sea! For fun, I also went back into the control van to watch the second photo mosaic survey which was in the Smoky Cavern. After the search finished, I retired to my cabin.
August 22, 2024
Wheee! The waves seemed to pick up quite a bit today. I could really feel the rocking of the ship – and actually see it too. When I ventured out onto the deck, I could watch the edge of the boat dip up and down pretty dramatically. Fortunately, I haven’t been seasick at all throughout the cruise, and the increased rocking of the ship did not make me queasy either. From what I’ve heard from other students on board, this (luckily) seems to be a common experience!
However, the rocking of the ship just might have had an impact on our morning’s . During our 4 am shift in the control van, we accidentally dropped a dummy plug at ~200 m down. The total depth in this region was ~780 m, so it wasn’t feasible to go searching for it.
After we finished our shift and ate breakfast, I went back to my room to sleep. By the time I woke up, it was already time for lunch! I went out on the deck again afterwards, enjoying the view and the breeze.
Next, I headed to the wet lab to check out all the samples we had collected so far! I also helped relocate the core samples from the wet lab into the cold room, so we could preserve the samples with liquid nitrogen. Besides the core samples, Jason also brought up some biological samples including some clams, a sea urchin, and a starfish. It’s really cool to think that I can hold these specimens, which were all the way at the bottom of the ocean, in the palm of my hand! (With a glove, of course.)
Once the samples were secured, I went to the main lab to meet up with Jood, another student, and learn how to make different knots. By the time we finished, it was time to meet up with everyone in the galley to get ready for our engine room tour.
The engine room tour was really exciting because we got to learn about the mechanics of how the ship actually moves. We also got to see the ship’s thrusters, which are responsible for maneuvering and propulsion. Navigating through the engine rooms felt a lot like walking through a very loud maze. We all had to wear ear plugs due to the noisy buzzing.
Following the tour, I had a bit of down time before my shift. In the meantime, I finished up my styrofoam artwork that I started the day before and spent a lot of time chatting with the other students in the main lab. Despite the short amount of time I’ve had to meet everyone, I feel that we have all learned a lot about each other and made some great friendships!
My 4 pm shift today was a bit different than usual. All my previous watches filled up the full 4-hour slot, but the dive schedule during today’s slot interrupted this pattern. Ultimately, I only worked for the first hour and the last half hour of the shift. This was because my shift only coincided with one dive’s ascent and the very beginning of a second dive’s descent.
Between the intermittent shift slots, I hung out with the other students on the ship’s deck. We also caught the sunset together and enjoyed the fun rocking of the ship. In honor of watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movie the other night, we also played part of the soundtrack while we talked. The clouds looked super cool today too and everything seemed so picturesque! Being on the ship has definitely given me a new appreciation for the beauty of nature.
When my shift ended, I returned to the wet lab to help prep a few more cores. One particularly interesting core had a bunch of methane bubbles stream up to the surface of the sample.
August 21, 2024
Up and at ‘em for another 4 am shift! This morning’s watch was particularly exciting, since we were deploying the MOSQUITO device – along with two other instruments also used for water flow metrics/modeling (the CAT and the Osmo).
All three of these instruments work via osmosis, a process where water molecules move across a semipermeable membrane driven by a salinity gradient (from an area of lower salinity to an area of higher salinity). The CAT acts as a flow meter and can be used to generate a time series of flow data. The Osmo is used for collecting water samples by using a sample coil for storing water and an acid coil to mix with samples. This reaction is used to help preserve samples before storing them. (The Osmo also has a third, “bonus” coil for extra samples.)
Along the dive, I also got to see a small orange squid! Interestingly, when we reached the seafloor, a few of the instruments that were placed on the floor from a previous dive had fallen over. In the control van, we speculated that the squid or even a small earthquake could have been responsible for knocking these over. An alternative (and more likely) explanation could be that one of the cables swept over the instruments.
After this incident, we began searching the area for a good place to deploy the MOSQUITO. Ideally, this area would be on a relatively flat surface and covered in white splotches, which are thin, layered sheets of bacteria called microbial mats. During the search, we also saw a few plumes of methane bubbles and bits of methane hydrate (also known as methane ice). One of these methane hydrate chunks was accompanied by a methane ice worm, which is a short, flat worm that lives off of the nearby bacteria.
Following an intensive search (and lots of discussion), we finally found a good place to set up the devices. My shift promptly ended after this.
In the downtime between my shift and lunch, I took a break to work on a personal project I started prior to the expedition. Broadly, this project is a virtual ecology simulator that uses chaos theory to emulate single-organism actions in the environment. As I think about what kind of project I want to work on, I am now considering expanding my current simulator project to model more specific marine ecosystems based on the data we have collected during this voyage. I’m still thinking about other ideas though!
To take a break from looking at screens all morning, I also went out on deck to scrape off barnacles on junction boxes. I donned a work vest and a pair of gloves, before I set to work with a small scraper. It was pretty warm weather, so the sea breeze felt really refreshing! After lunch, I finished cleaning off most of the remaining barnacles. My hand started to feel tired though, so I headed back to the main lab after a while.
In the main lab, I learned about an upcoming CTD where we would drop styrofoam objects down to the abyssopelagic zone (~3000 m down) and drag them back up! Because of the immense pressure, the styrofoam objects become compressed and shrunken. I set to work drawing on my own diamond-shaped styrofoam creation. I continued working on this until the MOSQUITO, CAT, and Osmo systems were brought back onto the Atlantis.
Finally, I worked in a team with the other VISIONS students to carry the devices to the wet lab to start extracting the samples so we could analyze them later. This involved a lot of unscrewing caps, cutting tubing, cleaning containers, and writing down our procedure as we went. We ran out of tubing caps, so I also worked on manufacturing more of these. This is a pretty simple process, which feels a lot like roasting marshmallows! This is a simple process of cutting small pieces of tubing, using a heat gun to melt tube tips, and flattening the tips with a pair of pliers.
Soon it was time for my next shift, where we brought up more core samples. We also fired Niskins bottles, which are cylindrical water sampling bottles for collecting water samples at specific depths.
To close out the day, I snagged a bowl of ice cream and played the Cabo card game again with three other students. Soon everyone headed to bed. I (surprisingly) still had a bit of energy so I went back onto the deck to walk around the ship and enjoy the night breeze and starry sky.
Aug 20, 2024
Today was a relatively relaxed day compared to the jam-packed schedules of the last few days aboard the Atlantis. Following my 4 am shift and a hearty breakfast, I took a very refreshing nap. I headed to the main lab afterwards to work on my blog posts and some work unrelated to the cruise. I stayed here until lunch.
After this, I got to participate in a XBT (Expendable Bathythermographs) experiment. An XBT is a specialized device for creating temperature profiles for a single water column at different depth points. The most exciting part of this is shooting off the probe into the ocean. Once the probe reached the bottom of the ocean, we headed into the computer lab to look at the results and implications. Beyond more obvious applications like monitoring climate change and heat studies, these temperature profiles are also useful for sonar operations. This is because the speed of sound in seawater is greatly influenced by temperature.
Immediately after this project, I attended a science talk in the wet lab which was led by Dr. Laura Lapham and Anna Hildebrand. During this talk, we learned about their goals aboard the ship and how these related to the broader oceanography research landscape. One of their plans involves taking core samples from the seafloor. These samples will include sediment and mud on the floor, along with methane/carbon dioxide content. Broadly, after samples are brought up by Jason, the sample extraction process involves using a centrifuge to separate different components of the sample based on their densities. Then, samples are filtered and distributed into categories (i.e. sulfate, inorganic carbon, etc.).
To take advantage of the sunny weather, I decided to read out on the deck again before my 4 pm shift. This shift was easily my favorite so far! We were in the twilight zone again (780 meters down) and I got to take some really cool photos with the Jason cameras. Some notable sights include a bright orange jellyfish, a brown catshark, and a slimy hagfish. We also saw lots of multicolored crabs exploring the junction boxes and other equipment on the seafloor, along with a few orange-red rockfish.
To celebrate our exciting dive, we made a few bowls of popcorn and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in the ship lounge. Arrrrr!
Aug 19, 2024
My first shift of the day followed a shallow, 80 meter dive. For this 4 am shift, I once again worked on both the sea logging and camera stations. Surprisingly, despite the early hours, the van didn’t seem any less energetic during this shift. A common mindset across the many members on board the Atlantis, is that “time does not exist at sea.” I think this is a very accurate perspective, since people are awake or sleeping at any hour of the day.
After my shift, I grabbed breakfast and played the Cabo card game again. I think I’m gradually improving at this game! Next, I tried (unsuccessfully) to take a nap.
Since sleep was off the table, I went back to the main lab to see what other activities were happening on the ship. Then, I joined a team to work on the construction of MOSQUITO, an in-house device for collecting data about water flow. Broadly, MOSQUITO works by using a set of five syringes to push out a tracer and then collect a time series of different water samples.
Soon it was time to attend my first science meeting, which was hosted in the ship’s library and led by our chief scientist. I learned a lot about the biology in the deep sea and specifics on the mechanics for exploration at these more extreme depths.
Fittingly, my next 4 pm shift was watching a deeper dive at 580 m down. Compared to the shallower dives, I noticed a lot more biological activity – more fish and jellies. During this dive, I also got to see the wrapping up of the CAMDS Connector around the undervator. This process is pretty amusing to watch, since the person in the pilot seat (controlling Jason’s manipulators) has to be very precise when grabbing and moving the cables.
By the time my shift ended, it was just in time for the moon to rise. Apparently, today was the day of a super blue moon! I headed up to the deck with a few other students to try and catch this sighting. Unfortunately, the sky was quite cloudy so the moon was mostly obscured. It was nice to be outside and enjoy the sunset though!
Finally, I headed back to my cabin to shower and sleep. I had trouble sleeping again, so I resigned myself to staying up and reading a book that I happened to bring along with me for the voyage. Keeping with the water theme, the book I’m reading is called “Psycho by the Sea.”
Aug 18, 2024
After a busy day of travel and making new friends, I was very much looking forward to finally leaving the port to begin the voyage! I woke up just in time for our 10:20 am meeting to learn about different safety protocols. In particular, we practiced putting on life vests and immersion suits, which are orange, clunky suits that completely cover your body. They also act as a pseudo-lifeboat in the case that you find yourself in the water without a raft.
As part of this orientation, we also got a tour of JASON and the van, a large storage container on deck outfitted with plenty of screens and controllers for moving JASON’s manipulators, which are its claw-like arms.
After the safety orientation, we all found out our watch times (read: what times we have shifts for watching dives) and signed up for our respective meal time slots. Shifts are set up in two 4-hour blocks with three people per shift. In my case, I was assigned to daily shifts at 4 am – 8 am and 4 pm – 8 pm.
With these logistics out of the way, I met up with the two other students that I would be sharing my shift with, Zariel and Erik. We played a few rounds of Uno and another card game called Cabo, which I had never played before. Then, we had a snack break, courtesy of the galley, and got to see Jason drop into the water as it began its first dive of the trip. Next, we headed off to our first afternoon shift!
Our main responsibilities when watching a dive are managing the camera recordings and logging ROV actions and sealife on a ‘sea log’. This all takes place in the aforementioned van.
During shifts, two of us will be working on the camera and logging stations while one of us acts as “relief” to rotate once one of us gets tired. During the first shift, I had the opportunity to try out each of these roles and learn from more experienced members of the crew.
I think the most memorable part of this dive was seeing Jason’s manipulators in action. This dive saw Jason during a shallow dive, around 80 meters at the sea floor. We were working on replacing some of the connectors for a zooplankton instrument. Since the instrument had been on the seafloor for a few years already, it was pretty covered in anemones which made it difficult to work with! To remedy this, Jason used its manipulators and handy toilet brush to clean off the anemones. Watching the manipulators jiggle the anemones off was very silly–but effective!
After our shift ended, we volunteered to help clean off an anemone-covered instrument. We headed up to the deck before donning a pair of gloves, since this would be a very hands-on task. This was super fun, albeit very sticky, squishy, and a little smelly. My clothes got bits of anemone stuck to it, but it was definitely worth it! I immediately showered after this.
As the day came to a close, I met up with a few other students in the galley again for more ice cream. While I am more accustomed to staying up very late, the cyclic nature of our shifts meant I would be sleeping in sporadic intervals of 2-4 hours whenever I was free. So, I decided to take a nap before my 4 am shift.
Aug 17, 2024
Today started off bright and early at 7 am, where I met my fellow student scientists. We took a 5ish hour drive to Newport, OR from the University of Washington. I shared a van with five other students and we created a (very long) shared Spotify playlist to listen to on the road.
Once we arrived at the Atlantis, it was already mid-afternoon. We had an informative orientation, where I learned about the different procedures on board and who I would be living with for the next ten days.
Following this, I unpacked my belongings into my cabin, which was much more spacious than I had anticipated! All of our cabins are located in a small cluster in the science berthing, so it is really easy to find each other and hang out. I am sharing my room with another undergraduate VISIONS student, Leo. Our bathroom is also shared with another cabin duo who lives right next door.
As part of my unpacking process, I further explored the ship to find bedding and extra blankets, which I picked up in the main lab and laundry room. I temporarily thought I locked myself in the laundry closet, but was fortunately able to get out after a few (mildly terrifying) moments!
I also made some trips to the galley (aka the mess hall!), the library, and the lounge. Aside from a large array of both fiction and nonfiction books, the library is also home to a bunch of board games and Wii games. The lounge has lots of interesting movies to choose from too.
After exploring the ship, I headed back to the galley with three other students to have dinner! Other students ventured off the Atlantis to get food around the port. I opted for an early shower after dinner, since I felt somewhat tired after a long day of travel.
Next, Leo and I headed up onto the deck to catch the sunset! I realized that there was so much to explore outside too. There were a bunch of (very talkative) sea lions not too far from the ship. I happened to bring a pair of binoculars with me, so I spent some time zooming in on the action! spent a little over an hour outside by myself, watching the water and listening to music.
Eventually, the wind started picking up so I went back inside the boat where I met up with a bunch of other students in the library to play games. I ended up playing a game of chess and a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity, which was super fun!
We also took a quick break from gaming to create some ice cream concoctions in the galley. There are lots of snacks, including ice cream, which are always available if you’re feeling peckish around meal times.