Mission Journal 3 — Roger Garcia: Mission Day 2: Tuesday, August 10th, 2004
I woke up early this morning to find the water just as turbid as day 1. No matter to me, my work in the water does not demand clear water. Thor Dunmire (the other onboard habitat technician) and I worked together to quickly complete the morning’s systems’ checks.
One team of scientists were out and diving as planned by 0800. The other suffered a minor set back due to a malfunctioning oxygen meter than measures oxygen saturation inside sponges. I was kept busy by the constant checking in and out of dive teams, recall tests, tank fills and phone calls. It’s an incredible experience maintaining and monitoring the Aquarius systems beneath the waves, not to mention the enormous responsibility of ensuring the safety of all personnel, but by late morning mother ocean was calling! Donning my gear and gathering the tools of a working diver… scraper, chisel, wire brush etc… I was filled with the anticipation felt by a child ready to enter a toy store.
Leaving the safety of the Aquarius I find myself in a 2 knot current, poor visibility, surrounded by predators and ready to perform hard labor for six hours. Conditions a sport diver rarely encounters, to work underwater in these conditions is like working on land while you are cold, tired, hungry, blind and have one hand tied behind your back.
You gotta love it, I do!