Watching the Waves

As we began the third week being out at sea, we began heading North along 10 W, a line of longitude. This direction change brought the deployment of BGC Floats “Soggy TacoBot” and “Pike Tyson,” water sampling, a game night, three PIES recoveries, and lots of time out in the sun.

Soggy TacoBot, which was adopted by Rye Middle School, was deployed on April 25th and Pike Tyson, adopted by Chatham High School, was deployed a day later. I decorated both of these floats before they went out and tried my best to capture the creativity of these names. The crew aboard the R/V Hespérides all really loved the names of both of these floats, and I was asked quite a few times who came up with them. It has been so cool to see how both the scientists and crew are invested in these floats.  Many people, especially those who are present for deployments, have been checking in with me to ask if we have data and communication from the deployed floats. The deployment of Pike Tyson was extra special for me because I got deploy the float over the edge of the vessel, sending it on its way to collect data.

Between each of these deployments and the PIES recoveries, there has been lots of transit time where I have gotten to know everyone a little bit more. We played a trivia boardgame called Party and Co. which was entirely in Spanish, and while I needed lots of translation, my Spanish skills definitely improved by the end of it (Also, my team won, that’s important). I have had many conversations with the technician team aboard about everything from how their position differs from technician positions in the United States, to music and book recommendations. I also have spent even more time reading and finished my 6th book.

The largest change from my typical life has been the amount of spare time I have. As a full-time student with a part time job, throughout the last two years of my life I haven’t had much free time at my disposal. I spend so much time thinking about the next thing; the next assignment, the next quarter, what classes I’m going to take and, in the future, what I want to do with the degree I earn. On this cruise, instead of worrying about the next thing, I have had the ability to sit and reflect on the experience I’m having and how I got here. I spent the first few years of my childhood living on San Juan Island in the Puget Sound, and even after my family moved, we still went back twice a year to visit my grandparents. Never being far from a beach and making ferry trips for groceries or visits allowed me to spend hours as a child watching the waves. As my older sister kept her eyes out for whale blows, I watched the water move in the ferry wake and saw driftwood move up and down with the waves. Even before my education taught me about the physics driving these processes, I could tell there was a pattern and I wanted to watch and study them for hours.

My fascination with where I grew up gave me a sense of familiarity with the ocean and brought comfort while watching and predicting the waves. I was fascinated and curious about the world around me, and still am. These things lead me to study oceanography and be where I am today. So, in the moments of uncertainty I have had on this vessel, wondering how an undergraduate is 8000 miles from home among PhD students, professors, and career professionals, I find myself looking at the waves and vessel wake to find comfort the same way I always have.