Author: Kaitlyn Beardshear

We’re traveling up the east coast now. During one of the previous dives, one of the sub’s pumps had a water leak. I got to put a new one on the sub and clean up the previous one. We stopped in Florida to swap out some of the science party, then headed north. We ran into a few days of bad weather, which on top of making a lot of people sick, delayed the dives. Four days with not much to do but watch movies. It sounds like fun but after the third or fourth terrible movie that someone else put on, it’s almost tempting to throw myself off the boat just for something to do. When we finally got the weather to calm down enough, we got one short dive in. As we continue to head north, we’re going to hit even more bad weather. We’ll see what happens to the other dives on this cruise.

via GIPHY

We are back out in the Gulf of Mexico. This cruise there’s another intern in the Alvin group that I have a lot in common with (video games, it’s video games). It’s been a lot of fun having someone around my age to hang out with while we work. Right after we got into the Gulf, we had a day with some less than optimal weather and the dive was canceled. It was quite an experience to look out a window and have the view shift from being all water, to all sky, back to all water. Another day the sub had to come out early as the wind had been building up.

The days feel like they last forever. I get up early, help launch the sub, read in my time off, help recover the sub, help fix anything that was broken during the dive, go to bed, and do it all again the next day. It’s a lot but I’m really enjoying myself out here especially working with the electronics techs. I took a test to be a maintenance technician and I passed! Now I’m allowed to sign off on my work. It’s weird to think that we only have 5 dives left and in 2 weeks we’ll be in Woods Hole. 

The unfortuante part of mounting cameras near moving parts is they tend to get scratched. Which has happened. Twice. The 4k video camera was out first. Then the still camera went. We fortunately had a backup housing for the still camera, but nothing to replace the 4k. After the first cruise was finished, I was switched from working with the mechanical techs to working with the electrical techs. It’s exciting to see the other side of what goes on with the sub and some of the stuff I’m working with I already have experience with! Once we reached port we did a switch over: new expedition leader, new scientists, and new crew. I said goodbye to my lovely roommate but now I have the room to myself. We were also able to get new camera housings! We again have a still camera, a 4k camera, and we have a backup that may be mounted for more 4k footage. Tomorrow we head back out to sea!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a week since I last wrote a blog. Every day is so full of things to do that the time flies by. We were delayed in leaving port two days due to some thick fog. When we finally got the all clear, we zoomed out to the dive site. I was fortunate enough to not get motion sick but others were not so lucky. In the time that we were delayed, we finished working on the elevator. In addition to the fence, we added a cover that can be pulled over in order to keep everything inside.

During one of the work lulls, the bos’n taught me some knots: the clove hitch and the bowline. Now when I’m sitting with nothing to do I’m thinking ‘the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back into the hole’. We have had several sub launches. I am in charge of the cameras and have gotten the routine down. During one of the sub recoveries, I was able to throw the tow line out. While it didn’t get very far, the line made it into the water and I stayed on the boat so I consider it a success.

Waking up early in the mornings isn’t so bad now that I’ve adjusted to the time difference (Mississippi is 2 hours ahead of California). After the sub is launched and we clean up, I have a couple hours of free time. I’ve been using that time to read for the most part, a little bit of Steinbeck to remind me of home. The food on the ship is also really good. Fortunately there’s a little gym on board so I can work off all the extra food I’ve been enjoying.

I arrived in Gulfport, Mississippi Thursday night after a rather pleasant day of flying (considering some of the others had delays due to tornados, I’ll call it pleasant). Since the ship was inbetween cruises, those of us that had just arrived had to sleep in a hotel for a few days while the people from the previous cruise packed up. In the morning I met up with some of the others that I would be working with and then off to the ship! I got a quick tour of the different workspaces then got to work.

My first day was pretty easy doing inventory and putting stuff away. I learned how to set up the cameras that go on the sub and how to make sure they’re properly sealed in their waterproof tubes. It’s pretty similar to what I’ve done in the past so it’s good to know that my previous experiences are in fact useful.

Day two I got to be a little more hands on as I helped make a fence around a platform that will be used to bring up the recovered objects from the dives. I learned more about the extra steps that need to be taken when equipment is put in water, especially salt water.

Day three we moved onto the ship! My roommate is nice and there’s more space than I expected. On deck, I did some manual labor stacking steel plates that would be used to weigh down the sub and the platform. The steel plates are dirty and rusty so naturally I got it all over me. In order to help with the pre- and post-dives, I need to be trained on every item on a checklist. I started with a big one: window cleaning. I know it doesn’t sound that impressive but the sub’s pilot does need to be able to see. We have one more day here in Gulfport then it’s out to sea!

Hello! My name is Kaitlyn and I am preparing to go aboard the RV Atlantis for the next few months. This will be my first cruise and I am very excited to get underway! 

To get to know me a little better:

• I grew up in Monterey Bay which sparked my interest in the ocean at a young age
• I have been a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium for 20 years
• I have a Bachelors in Marine Science
• I am currently working towards an Associates in Mechanical Engineering
• I am a NAUI certified SCUBA diver
• In my free time I enjoy reading, video games, and surfing

Next week, I will be in Mississippi to meet up with the Atlantis and Alvin. Can’t wait!