0850. The A-frame is fixed and we are ready to go!!! A day later than planned, but hopefully we will be able to get in all of the dives that are planned.

The extra day in port allowed us the opportunity to take some time in the afternoon to see San Diego. Some folks went to a nearby air show, some caught up on sleep, while some of us went and explored some tide pools in a state park nearby. I opted for the tide pool trip. It was simply beautiful. Being from the East Coast, I haven’t spent much time around Pacific tide pools so I was excited to go. The tide was coming in while we were there, and the waves were incredible!! And as luck would have it, one of the scientists (who shall remain nameless so I don’t embarrass him), landed on his rear in one of the tide pools, thanks to the waves. Or, as he tells it, "one of those darn waves just jumped up and bit me!"

One exciting thing for me on our day in port yesterday, was that I got to meet the captain of Atlantis. It was like meeting a rock star! So far we haven’t really gotten to meet much of the crew — they’ve been busy mending the A-frame, and we’ve been settling in.

1200. Well, we ended up leaving port at 1100. Everyone stood on the bow or up on one of the decks over the bow to watch the departure. All of us were ready for those Kodak moments with our cameras. We were not too far from the beginning of the channel so there was not much of San Diego to see as we steamed out. We saw lots of sea lions and a lot of naval ships that were heading out to sea. The coolest thing I saw was a submarine in a sub hangar in the submarine warfare base that we passed on the way out. Those things are gigantic! The sea seems pretty calm. So far, there is just the normal slow rocking from side to side as we push through the waves. I took my Dramamine though, so hopefully I’ll be fine. Between the rocking of the ship and the Dramamine, I’m going to fall asleep sitting here. Now we have four or five days of transit out to the site where we will be doing the Alvin dives. Off to attend a safety meeting…

1500. We just had our safety meeting, reminding us of practices for a safe cruise. The same concerns exist on the ship as those in a lab and home. Here, we take precautions to prevent fires, chemical spills in the lab, and injuries. In addition to those typical hazards, there are numerous concerns associated with life on a ship. Falling overboard is not something that happens often; however, it is a potential occurrence.

It is extremely important for us to take extra good care of ourselves out here. Getting sick at sea is not a fun thing. Normally you can just head to the doctor or hospital if an injury or illness occurs. On a ship in the middle of the ocean, however, those resources are not available. Can you think of what we would do if we needed a doctor or hospital while on board? Think about the answer to that question and I’ll write it in tomorrow’s journal entry.

Later this afternoon, we have our first fire drill. In our staterooms (cabins) we have an oxygen bottle, a life vest, and a survival suit that is a giant orange suit that makes us look like Gumby. I’ll be sure to get some pictures of that if someone gives a demonstration. After that, we’ll be eating a yummy dinner and then we have a science meeting tonight. There are going to be a lot of meetings in the first couple of days at sea so that everyone is well versed in the ways of the ship so that everything runs smoothly.

Answer to yesterday’s question: I asked why we couldn’t use the crane to deploy and retrieve Alvin if the A-frame was broken. While the crane is large, it is not strong enough to carry the weight of the sub. The A-frame and it’s hydraulics are significantly stronger than the crane.