Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 – sub log
Diving with Kira Triebergs (North Bay and Lighthouse Schools)
First sub launch Saturday!
In my head, I count down as we are lowered into the ocean… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and BLAST OFF—except instead of being launched into outer space to a foreign world in the sky, we descend through churning waves into a serene, smooth, blue sea. I can’t help but feel like I am an astronaut heading to the moon. As I peer through the tiny porthole in the back compartment of the submarine, I can feel butterflies in my stomach. My very first deep-sea adventure has begun! I crane my neck to watch tiny bubbles swirl around me and through my headset I can hear the pilot and scientist conversing. As we descend into the deep, the water grows darker and darker. Soon enough, I can see bioluminescent flashes of tiny plankton and jellies that we pass as we head to the bottom. I blink my flashlight out the window in hopes of attracting some bioluminescent organisms, and sure enough, there they are! All sorts of white and blue flashes burst into sight so quickly that I can’t even tell what shape they are! Soon it becomes so dark that the pilot of the sub switches on the outside lights, and I watch tiny fish dart by. I wonder if these fish were responsible for the earlier light show. When we finally hit the bottom, a blizzard of silt obscures my view, and as it settles the ocean floor comes into focus. As far as I can see are muddy plains scattered with pink anemones, pencil sea urchins, multi-armed sea stars, tentacled sea cucumbers and the occasional unmoving fish. I am impressed with all the life, and think of so many questions about the animals we are seeing! Even 1,550 feet below the surface is a world full of life, waiting to be explored. We collect samples of the many organisms we see using the vacuum hose and robotic arm on the front of the sub and before we know it, it is time to return to the surface. The sub slowly ascends from its dark calm world to the churning waves of the surface. As I step out the hatch onto the ship, I know one thing for certain: I can’t wait to go on another dive back down to the bottom of the sea!