Final journal entry, as I awoke from a good night sleep we where already at 5 fsw. Just knowing that in a few hours, our journey into “inner space” would be coming to an end. Once on the surface (sorta speaking, because we are still inside the Aquarius habitat underwater) we have a 45 minute stay time to ensure that all aquanauts are free of any symptoms of Decompression Sickness (DCS). With a quick compression back to depth and an excursion in scuba to the surface we are once again breathing fresh air. By this time Topside Support personnel are on station ready to receive and transport us back to shore-base Mission Control center.
Enclosing I would like to thank the U.S. Navy for this great opportunity, my family for their love and support during my naval career. Plus, a big “THANK YOU” to the NURC/UNCW personnel for their professional training, expertise and support during our 2004 mission and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, God bless.
Today was a short diving day for the new aquanauts, as we rotated four divers in the water so they could utilizes a low pressure underwater hydro-blaster to clean the outside of the habitat. All divers had a limited excursion time of two hours and a clean time of six hours before decompression could be started.
Mark Hulsbeck was locked in to assist with decompression (DECO), for all six of us are required to breathe 100% oxygen for three 20 minute periods. Roger Garcia had completed about 90% of the DECO checklist and everything is moving along smoothly.
At 1800 hours we started are ascent to the surface. While breathing oxygen we are required to relax and stay in our bunks until oxygen phase is complete. DECO is a very slow process taking 16 hours.
Reluctantly, I fell asleep knowing that tomorrow we would be that much closer to the surface and this would soon come to an end.
Final day under pressure… Ironically, in some way we were under pressure to get several hours of diving in, using a hydro blaster on loan from the U.S. Navy. We intended to use it during yesterdays diving day but the 6 - 7 foot seas denied us that opportunity. However, due to somewhat better conditions topside today we would not be denied the hydro blaster. It’s a big toy for big boys so all were excited to see what this thing could do.
Divers splashed around 0810 and cleaned piping and valves until the blaster arrived. At approximately 1000 it was time to blast. IC2 Cox had first crack at the blaster and directed its force at our base plate to get a feel. MM1 Saulman blasted second, then MDV Grubbs and finally LCDR Ince. The hydro blaster had mixed reviews among the divers but Aquarius proved to be a fine platform for Beta testing.
I started briefing the divers and making some preparations for decompression shortly after divers staged in and diving was done. After all, today is the day we leave the bottom. Most divers that saturate in Aquarius have mixed feelings on decompression day. Some can’t wait to get out after 10 days, others would like to stay a day longer. With me, well… I suppose in some way she (Aquarius) reminds me of a song “One more day with you.” Every time I saturate I always want to stay one more day with her, but honestly… I’d be happiest staying with her for good.
A French engineer named Triger, invented a pressurized caisson in 1841 used to keep water out of coal mines. Coal miners worked inside this pressurized caisson all day long (7 - 10 hours). Many of the men that worked within the caisson had experienced a variety of symptoms ranging from joint pain to paralysis and in some cases death upon decompression from the mine. Triger once wrote “One only pays a price when leaving the pressurized caisson.” Speaking of the symptoms workers experienced when decompressed at the end of the work day. We left bottom at 1800 today, we are all willing to “pay the price” upon leaving the pressurized environment Triger wrote about. The price of developing a serious case of decompression sickness. I see it this way though… I’m paying a price for not spending “One more day” with her.
Well our all too brief journey and adventure into inner space is drawing to a close as we count down to re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere and come out of saturation. I have become very comfortable physically living beneath the waves and thank NOAA and the US Navy for giving me the opportunity of becoming an Aquanaut. It has only taken me 27 years of diving to earn my Golden Fins! I am also proud to be the first Royal Navy Mine Clearance Diving Officer to have had the privilege of experiencing this fantastic and unique marine habitat first hand.
I have described my awe and wonder in my previous entries, the awe and wonder will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have discovered a new appreciation for an environment I have always appreciated. I already know the value of the marine research work supported by NOAA and the Aquarius Project, and the message that our precious ocean resources need conserving and protecting is beginning to reach the right ears. I only hope it is not too late.
This morning I awoke slowly to a soft chiming bell (the hab’s alarm call I guess) and to the green aquatic light filtering through the bunk room’s 4″ thick view port. I had slept an unbroken straight 8 hours, really unusual for me, perhaps I should put a very large aquarium at the foot of my bed at home. Roger, our NOAA technician and dive safety officer, was quietly and efficiently running through the hab’s system checks as the rest of us gradually got moving, washed and breakfasted. One of the first things that I noticed as I peered out of the view ports with renewed wonder, was that the cast of fishy characters had changed in the living marine life show. A whole new variety of fauna hunter and prey was zipping past in the early morning light, another day of survival and surviving to play out.
We were to start diving at 0800, but in the event hit the water at 0756. My mission here is to laser profile the sea lab’s hull, and today we began in earnest. The local inhabitants had other ideas though, and the hab’s living exoskeleton of snappers that I had admired so much yesterday quickly became a hindrance to our work as they herded directly in the areas we were trying to scan. My attempts to shoo them away were laughable and if anything encouraged their curiosity. In the end we just persevered and managed to build the picture we required by re-scanning the areas of interest several times, hoping that the fish didn’t have the skill to occupy the exact same position every time. The ruse appeared to work, though I’ve yet to fully analyze the data! Next time perhaps I should employ one of the barracuda as a ’sheep dog’, they seem to have the uncanny ability to clear an area of fish instantly.
In the moments between scans (it is a pretty dull and slow process) I just watched the marine sanctuary pulse around me, taking every opportunity to put my digital camera to good use. The hab itself has become a part of the reef, and you don’t have to look too far, just keep still and watch. I amused myself for quite a while teasing a small jawfish, no bigger than half my little finger, allowing it to snap at the self same little finger as it popped out of its adapted home in the deck grates. Despite it diminutive size I wasn’t brave enough to take off my glove! I certainly got lots of practice with the macro function on the camera.
We finished today with an awesome night excursion dive, a surreal experience as my buddy (Dom Hove) and I swam through the hazy glow of the lights and saw the full compliment of marine animals gathered around the hab. The bigger animals definitely rule the night, attracted to the beacon of hab lights knowing that there will be easy pickings, sharks, rays and big mean looking barracuda. We are pretty big mean ‘fish’ too, so fortunately we were not on their menu….tonight at least!