Oct 31, 2018 – Jen Miksis-Olds

Happy Halloween!!  The R/V Endeavor left the dock today on its third of five scheduled research cruises. Day 1 of each cruise is devoted to orientations, safety briefings, and general acclimation to life at sea. The science part and crew alike have gotten into the spirit with an overflowing bowl of candy in the mess (or dining room) and costumes (aka orange gumby suits)!  The second mate of the vessel conducted our first and second safety briefing shortly after leaving the dock. There are 6 of the science party that have never been to sea before, so they got the opportunity to try on the survival suits, fondly referred to as gumby suits (see picture below) during the safety drills.

One of the rotations on the day shift when we arrive on station is Marine Mammal Observation (MMO).  Since there are many on board who have never stood a MMO watch, they spent a portion of the morning in Marine Species Observation Awareness Training.  This is a two-part process of watching the approved Marine Species Observation Awareness Training followed by a hands-on orientation of the data sheets, survey binoculars, and radio etiquette.  I’m now convinced that all on board will be excellent MMOs.