I have been very busy this past week learning more and more each day. We are now half way through the cruise and mowing away at the prospect area. My job as an observer is to monitor the guns, streamer, and p-cable. This means that I have to look at 8 different screens to make sure that everything is in working order. When the PSO (protected species observers) spot an animal that we have to power down or shut down for, it is my job to quickly turn the guns off and activate the mitigation gun. This is so we do not have to do a ramp up (gradual increase in noise level) and we can start right back up once the animal leaves the area. This past week I have gotten a lot of practice on turning the guns off and activating them in a timely manner.
This week we also had and emergency where we had to pull the air-gun string in and do some maintenance. Since it was late at night and people were sleeping I was chosen to suit up and get in the gun slip. The slip is pictured above and while the guns are being pulled in the green safety net is not there. I did however have to wear a plethora of safety equipment, including a 4-point safety harness, work life vest, hardhat, steel-toe boots, and gloves. When the guns are coming in, everyone has to be focused and there has to be clear communication otherwise someone will get hurt. Needless to say we accomplished the maintenance without any issues and we were able to keep shooting soon after.