Captain Brady capturing Chris Marks' great idea for a fun picture of today's shore team!
We have told you a lot of our daily tasks and the data we are collecting. While we are hard at work for most our time under the water that does not mean that we don't get to enjoy the change of scenery from coldwater diving in Nahant!
One of the common visitors we have are eagle rays. During our first few dives it was very exciting to see the one or two at a distance we thought was very close. Now we expect to see three or four and have them swim very close to us.
One of the common visitors we have are eagle rays. During our first few dives it was very exciting to see the one or two at a distance we thought was very close. Now we expect to see three or four and have them swim very close to us.
An Eagle Ray circling Aquarius taken by Jess
On an adventure a bit off site from Aquarius Alli and I got our first look at a goliath grouper. First we saw what we thought was the biggest fish we had ever seen, until it swam up to what was actually the biggest fish we had ever seen (in video below).
Even dives that don't provide any new exciting animals sightings can still be breathtaking. After each dive we take a 3 minute safety stop at 20 ft and normally this consists of holding onto a buoy rope and either calmly floating or being pushed completely horizontal with a strong current. Yesterday our safety stop was extended due to the beautiful fish display surrounding us.
Best Safety Stop Ever - photo by Chris Marks
Swimming underneath the Aquarius habitat is another place to see some exciting things. Normally there are a few tarpon swimming around. I also enjoy watching the fish swim upside-down in relation to the growth of corals etc on the bottom of Aquarius. Today's excitement included the sighting of a very friendly and photogenic sea turtle who enjoyed Chris and Sara's company underneath the Aquarius habitat. A few of us saw a turtle at the beginning of the trip but today was the first day since then.
 Friendly sea turtle under the habitat - photo by Chris Marks |  Tarpon under the habitat - photo by Chris Marks |
Keep follow Mission 31 on facebook and twitter to see more exciting photos of our science and the fun creatures we for the remaining days of the mission.
-Amanda
