November 21, 2005

Splashing along the surface of the deep blue water, the gray and white common dolphin smiles for the camera. When we left San Francisco, it was absolutely gorgeous, sunny, and hot. The first day, not much work was done because we had to go through the mandatory drills: fire, abandon ship, etc. As a newbie, I got to practice manning and spraying the fire hose! Dowsed a seabird, 2 points! Just kidding, although it was pretty fun.

The scientific team aboard consists of 6 marine mammal observers, 2 seabird observers, 2 independent observers (me), 2 oceanographers, and the chief scientist. I trade off with the other independent observer, Beth, so I work 2 hours on, 2 hours off, etc. As daylight is disappearing rapidly, so are the survey hours. By the end I am sure we will all be trying to keep ourselves busy in the darkness.

Upon leaving the coast, we cruised northwest past the Farallon Islands. Yesterday our transect line took us about 200 miles out to sea. We finished our northern most lines, and last night we transited south. We are now west of Monterey Bay. Two more days and we will be south of Pt. Conception, which means even if the seas pick up we should be ok. Yesterday was windy and cold, but the swells have not been big.

It is amazing how the further you get away from land, the fewer animals you see. So far on the trip we have had Dall's porpoise, common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, humpback whale, minke whale, and beaked whales! As luck would have it, I was not on shift when we saw the minke or beaked whales, and by the time I ran up top they were gone. Kind of the luck of the draw as to what you will see.

So far my favorite has been the common dolphins, they appear out of nowhere in these huge schools. They leap into the air while they are riding the bow, and hang out with us for up to an hour! When they are riding the bow, it is a great opportunity for the marine mammal scientists to collect blubber samples. This is important so they can assess stock structure and try to discern distinct population segments. They tried to go out amongst the Risso's dolphins in the small boat, but no luck, dolphins love their games and played hide and seek with them.

Well I am off for a shift. Happy Turkey Day!

Shannon says...

"...dowsed a seabird, 2 points! Just kidding..."

Shannon on deck with the Farallones in the background.

The David Starr Jordan

Click here to learn more about the boat Shannon calls home for the next three weeks.