Many projects and cruises are dropped because of discouragement after several
unsuccessful attempts at organizing all this. This even happened to me when I
proposed a diving cruise in the Garrett Transform Fault (south Pacific Ocean). It was,
however, a good thing that I did not give up, even after the project was rejected four
times, otherwise, the world’s scientific community would never have been able to
work with the information that we acquired during our cruise (See Chap. 8).
Other problems with sea-going expeditions are that the scientists are at the
mercy of their instruments’ performance as well as unpredictable environmental
conditions. Sometimes the instruments do not perform as expected or there are
bad-weather conditions that will prevent the team from doing the job they were
assigned. Many things could go wrong at sea and one should always be prepared to
have alternative plans in order to minimize any loss of time. That is why I have
always believed that a sea-going program should be 200 % prepared in order to
have a 70–80 % rate of success.
Life on Board a Research Vessel
A person who wants to do oceanography should have the desire to accomplish
things, a love of adventure and the unknown, and be ready to be flexible and make
compromises. Once on board, a member of the scientific group should be aware
that a mission’s success relies on teamwork and each person has a responsibility so
if he is not able to do something, then someone else will have to do it for him.
Also, one should be aware of the time schedule and be able to make quick decisions. With improved techniques of data acquisition on board, it is important to
properly record all information in order for it to be used for further study on shore.
I believe that oceanography cannot only be taught at school, but it is also learned at
sea. Of course it is important to earn degrees in oceanography at our universities,
however the ultimate achievement is to learn through having experience at sea.
The environment on board is that of a small community and becoming
acquainted quickly with the other fellow scientists and crew is helpful for a team’s
moral and might even have positive effects on the results. Mealtimes are the
moment when people are often gathered together and can spend time talking about
everything. The fact that we are cut-off from the rest of the world may mean that
small events and details on board can assume overblown proportions.
It is important to be careful when walking on board a vessel. When the sea is
rough, accidents can happen very easily. At night, usually it is not safe to walk on
the deck alone. Even in the daytime, if a wave should wash you into the sea, it is
very hard for a ship to come back on its course to recover a crewmember lost
overboard. It will take a minimum of 20–45 min to turn the ship around and return
for a rescue, even when visual contact with the person at sea is maintained. This is
an optimistic estimation under good weather conditions, with no high waves and
during daylight.
Preparing an Expedition
17
unsuccessful attempts at organizing all this. This even happened to me when I
proposed a diving cruise in the Garrett Transform Fault (south Pacific Ocean). It was,
however, a good thing that I did not give up, even after the project was rejected four
times, otherwise, the world’s scientific community would never have been able to
work with the information that we acquired during our cruise (See Chap. 8).
Other problems with sea-going expeditions are that the scientists are at the
mercy of their instruments’ performance as well as unpredictable environmental
conditions. Sometimes the instruments do not perform as expected or there are
bad-weather conditions that will prevent the team from doing the job they were
assigned. Many things could go wrong at sea and one should always be prepared to
have alternative plans in order to minimize any loss of time. That is why I have
always believed that a sea-going program should be 200 % prepared in order to
have a 70–80 % rate of success.
Life on Board a Research Vessel
A person who wants to do oceanography should have the desire to accomplish
things, a love of adventure and the unknown, and be ready to be flexible and make
compromises. Once on board, a member of the scientific group should be aware
that a mission’s success relies on teamwork and each person has a responsibility so
if he is not able to do something, then someone else will have to do it for him.
Also, one should be aware of the time schedule and be able to make quick decisions. With improved techniques of data acquisition on board, it is important to
properly record all information in order for it to be used for further study on shore.
I believe that oceanography cannot only be taught at school, but it is also learned at
sea. Of course it is important to earn degrees in oceanography at our universities,
however the ultimate achievement is to learn through having experience at sea.
The environment on board is that of a small community and becoming
acquainted quickly with the other fellow scientists and crew is helpful for a team’s
moral and might even have positive effects on the results. Mealtimes are the
moment when people are often gathered together and can spend time talking about
everything. The fact that we are cut-off from the rest of the world may mean that
small events and details on board can assume overblown proportions.
It is important to be careful when walking on board a vessel. When the sea is
rough, accidents can happen very easily. At night, usually it is not safe to walk on
the deck alone. Even in the daytime, if a wave should wash you into the sea, it is
very hard for a ship to come back on its course to recover a crewmember lost
overboard. It will take a minimum of 20–45 min to turn the ship around and return
for a rescue, even when visual contact with the person at sea is maintained. This is
an optimistic estimation under good weather conditions, with no high waves and
during daylight.
Preparing an Expedition
17