Friday, August 1, 2008
Reid reviews his slate over the remains of one of
Sanford's paddlewheels.
Another gorgeous day in the
Keys...after a quick breakfast, we grabbed our gear and headed to the
boats for our "daily commute." It was a great day to be on the water,
and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip out. The water was clear and calm,
and it was hot enough that we were relieved to get in the water. The
groups all agreed that we felt much more comfortable today on the wreck
site. With a day's experience under our belts, we started to really be
able to recognize different pieces and parts of our respective sections
of the site and how the sections got to be where they are. Kathy and
Scott produced some great information from the boiler section. Reid,
Kelly, and Erin did a ton of measuring and have the best drawings of the
group (underwater drawing, no less). Brooke and I plugged away at our
section of the paddlewheel, measuring and recording, and Brooke found a
huge four-foot cleat from the Sanford! We weren't visited by the baby
nurse shark today, but there were plenty of other fish poking around to
keep us company. We all averaged about an hour per tank; after a quick
surface break following our first dive, we changed tanks and headed back
down the shot line to get back on task. Dr. Sheli and Anne hovered
nearby while we were working, recording their own observations and
checking on the progress of the groups. After our second dive, we
pulled anchor and departed for the Quiescence shop. On the way, Captain
Rob and Captain Steve pointed out the dolphins that were following us
home. It was cool to see them surfing in our boat's wake.
Anne studies an artifact.
Kathy and Scott examine marine life on the site.
After rinsing and stowing our gear, we had a quick lunch and began the
daily process of transferring our notes from our underwater mylar slates
to our notebooks. Later in the afternoon, we pulled the tables together
and started laying out our site map, which will be the ultimate outcome
of our diving and recording. We spent the afternoon working on our
drawings, scale reproductions, and notes.
Chris and Brooke measuring a feature.
Dr. Sheli made a fantastic Brazilian dish for dinner, and we sat around
joking and reminiscing about the week's dives and planning for our
Saturday activity. |
