Howdy and Aloha from Honolulu everyone!

I can’t believe I’m finally here for my six-month internship’s third and final leg. After the USCGC Cutter Healy had some technical issues delaying the scheduled October to December GO-SHIP cruise, I had the opportunity to come back to Hawaii and work aboard the R/V Kilo Moana for round two! It feels great to be back and I’m stoked to be working with the awesome Hawaii Ocean Time Series (HOT) and Ocean Technology Group (OTG) teams again.

– The R/V Kilo Moana (photo credit to Multibeam Advisory Committee, UNOLS)

– Honolulu sunset from Magic Island

These past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as we gear up for some exciting science at sea. I’ve been assisting in the preparation of these cruises where possible and helping the researchers who are knee-deep in pre-cruise checklists (including old mentors such as Dan Fitzgerald and Tully Rohrer)! From maintaining instrumentation such as SBE 37-SM MicroCATs and CTD sensors on campus to helping with the tedious (but oh-so-important) task of acid-washing various sampling bottles at the UH Manoa Marine Center, I’ve been getting my hands dirty in the best way possible. Along the way, I’ve picked up some mad forklift and splicing skills! We’ve also been testing equipment, such as decade-old temperature incubators, to make sure we’re all set for our upcoming voyages. 

– Getting forklift certified with crew from the Kilo Moana

– A whole lotta 10% HCl acid-washed bottles drying

Speaking of upcoming voyages, fellow MATE intern Briana Prado and I have a packed schedule while we’re here in Hawaii. First up is a 5-day HOT research cruise – short but sweet and luckily something I’m experienced with from last year. It’ll be a great opportunity to review old operations (such as deployments/recoveries for CTDs, arrays, nets, VPR, and Hyperpro) and learn some new skills in preparation for our next cruise. The real adventure kicks off after that when we join a two-month South Pacific research cruise to Tahiti that aims to expand the measurements of primary production and respiration rates in open ocean regions. Two whole months at sea, can you believe it? I’m very excited to join this collaborative expedition between several research institutes and work with a variety of new equipment including wirewalkers, underway CTDs, and Argo floats! 

I’ve got to say, being back in Hawaii is just… *chef’s kiss*. It’s been great to reconnect with old friends and get back to doing what I love. And knowing that I’ll be contributing to important oceanographic research makes it all the more special. 

Please tune in for my next blog post which will include more details about the HOT 354 cruise! I’ll keep you all updated on my adventures as much as I can. Until next time, mahalo for reading, and catch you on the flip side!

-Hunter