Mission Journal 4 — Mark Hulsbeck: Mission Day 3: Monday, November 14th, 2005
It’s good to be back in Aquarius after dealing with a frustrating hurricane season. Conch Reef looks a bit different than it did during my last mission in July. There has been a good deal of sand shifting and the reef (and habitat) is covered in a light layer of fine sediment. You have to be careful when working near the sea floor or visibility goes to zero very quickly. Another change since July is the water temperature. It has dropped 6 degrees, making those 4 hour excursions a bit chilly. The habitat stays cooler, also. I’ve gone from wearing shorts and a T-shirt to sweat pants and sweat shirt.
Dominic and I have kept busy catching up with maintenance on the habitat valving and other equipment. The Aquarius crew has worked hard to recover from some pretty significant damage from Tropical Storm Rita (it became a hurricane just after it passed Key Largo). The effort has paid off as we move into Day 4 of the Lindholm Mission.